In accordance with the UPEI Action Plan: Building A Culture of Trust, Safety and Inclusion, the University of Prince Edward Island has committed to developing a new Harassment and Discrimination Policy and a revised Sexual Violence Policy. In an email message issued on January 21 to students, staff, and faculty, co-chairs Wendy Rodgers and Lucky Fusca announced that a Review Committee has been struck, and work is now underway to develop a recommendation for the two policies, following a university-wide consultative process. 

The Review Committee was selected by the University among individuals who responded to a call for expressions of interest to participate, with a view to ensure a broad representation across constituency groups in the UPEI community (with diverse experiences and backgrounds). The Committee held its initial meeting on December 18, 2024, and will continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis for the next three months, with a target completion date of March 31, 2025. 

All members of the UPEI community are, and will be, encouraged to provide feedback regarding their experiences with the current suite of policies and to offer other comments or suggestions they want to bring forward for the Committee's attention. If you wish to provide feedback, you may do so either through the online feedback form, found here, or by submitting comments by email to Bobby Cameron, Chief of Staff, Office of the President, at trcameron@upei.ca. Individuals are encouraged to provide feedback on or before February 7, 2025.

On Monday, February 10, please join us at 12:00 pm (Atlantic time) in the UPEI Performing Arts Centre Amphitheatre (121S) for a conversation with a McCall MacBain Scholarships representative visiting from Montreal, along with UPEI applicants Brian MacDonald and Carter Wynne! You’ll learn about the scholarship program and have the opportunity to ask questions. Register now to reserve your spot: https://apply.mccallmacbainscholars.org/register/upei

The McCall MacBain Scholarships applications will open in June 2025 for Summer/Fall 2026 admission. Up to 30 full scholarships and 100 one-time awards, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 each, will be offered for admission in 2026. Two-thirds of the scholarships are available for Canadian students, and one-third are for international students in Canada and abroad. To be eligible for our 2026 cohort, you will need to meet at least ONE of the following criteria:

• You are a current student on track to earn your first bachelor’s degree by August 2026.
• You earned your first bachelor’s degree in the last five years (January 2020 or later).
• You earned your first bachelor’s degree more than five years ago and were 30 years or younger on January 1st, 2025.

Don’t miss this chance to connect and explore your future possibilities. 

The Robertson Library’s OER Development Program is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include

• Open Educational Resource or Textbook Grant (up to $7,000) for the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook, or major adaptations of existing textbooks;
• Open Textbook Adaptation Grant (up to $4,500) for the adaptation of one or more open educational resources or open textbooks to create a new version or edition of a resource (i.e. a Canadian edition of an existing open textbook);
• Supplementary Resources Grant (up to $2,500) for the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including, but not limited to test banks, slide decks, recordings, or interactive media, etc. 

Applications that support first-year courses will be given priority as they reach the greatest number of students, but all applications will be reviewed and considered. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025. For more information, or to apply, visit https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants. 

Questions about your grant idea? Don’t need a grant, but you’d like to make an OER? Contact Keri McCaffrey, One Health and Scholarly Communications Librarian, at knmccaffrey@upei.ca or Charlene VanLeeuwen, UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre, at cvanleeuwen@upei.ca. 

The Department of Companion Animals will interview Dr. George Munguia for a tenure-track faculty position in Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care. Dr. Munguia will be on campus on Tuesday, January 28, and Wednesday, January 29, 2025. 

Dr. Munguia received his DVM in 2020 from the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. He then completed a small animal rotating internship and is currently completing an MSc and clinical residency program in emergency and critical care at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. 

As part of the interview process, he has been asked to present a 50-minute seminar on two separate topics: the first, a topic that would be appropriate to teach to third-year veterinary students; the second, to present his research interests:

SEMINAR NOTICE - Dr. George Munguia

Initial Triage and Stabilization of the Acutely Seizing Patient

Shoot For The…Clouds: A Practical Approach to Clinically Relevant Research

Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 12:30 pm, AVC Lecture Theatre “A”

Any interested faculty and staff are invited to attend. A copy of his CV and cover letter will be available from Jill Blaquiere (jnblaquiere@upei.ca). 

Note to Professors and Course/Lab Instructors: 

Please add the testing information (date, test length, test format, aids allowed, test open or closed book, contact information, and test start time – we do not need the test file immediately) for any in-person quizzes, tests, and midterms for the Winter 2025 semester to Accommodate as soon as possible.   

Students who are registered with Accessibility Services and want in-person testing accommodations must submit a booking request at least seven days in advance. They cannot schedule their test until you have entered the testing information in Accommodate. 

You do not need to add the test file until a few days before the test date. If needed, changes can be made to test dates after testing information has been added. 

Below are some faculty how-to resources: 

How to schedule a test in Accommodate: Video | Step-by-step guide 

How to view student accommodations: Video | Step-by-step guide 

If you have any questions about adding a test in Accommodate or testing with Accessibility Services, please contact astesting@upei.ca. 

ITSS, including the helpdesk, will be closed from 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm on Thursday, January 23. During this time, you can still submit a ticket by emailing helpdesk@upei.ca or calling 902-566-0465. Thank you for your understanding!

ITSS Team

Most of us have experience using a computer, whether for school, work, or entertainment, but how many of us have actually had an expert teach us how to use it? When one of your computing devices goes wrong, do you struggle to understand why? Perhaps you do an internet search in the hope that someone else who has had the exact same problem as you found a solution that also works for you. It doesn't need to be (quite) this way. This talk doesn't teach you how to troubleshoot everything, but does give you insight into how media, programs, and data are encoded and used by computers so you can make more sense of why computers behave the ways they do and solve some of your problems with greater efficiency and less frustration.

We provide an approachable overview of how a computer works, by both looking at their history and breaking one down to explain individual components, before highlighting some of the tradeoffs to consider when buying a computer. We provide practical, simple, and actionable advice on digital security and show you a few "pro tips" on how to make the most of your workstation, phone, or whatever device you happen to use. Whether you have a lot or a little experience using your digital technology, if you want to learn how to use your devices more effectively, this workshop is for you!

Register at https://www.acenet.training/courses.

The Advisory Selection Committee for the Vice-President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer has undertaken a comprehensive search and has selected one finalist candidate. This individual will join the campus community for an in-person vision presentation as well as several small-group meetings (by invitation only) on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

Candidate A: Vice-President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
In-Person Vision Presentation and Q & A

• Thursday, January 23, 2025
• 2:30–3:30 pm
• Duffy Science Centre, Room 135 (DSC 135)

While it is important for the campus community to have engagement in this process, at the same time, the candidate’s privacy must be protected as much as possible to lower the risk to their careers and existing organizations. Therefore, the vision presentation is in-person only and limited to current UPEI students, staff, and faculty. 

Members of the campus community are asked to keep all discussions and comments confidential and not share the name of the candidate during or after their visit to the University. Recording the presentation is strictly prohibited and no recordings will be distributed following the sessions. Paper copies of the candidate’s cover letter and curriculum vitae/resume will be available for attendees to review.

A feedback survey for Candidate “A”, available at this link, is in place for members of the campus community to provide their input and feedback following the vision presentation and small-group meetings until 5:00 pm, January 30, 2025.

Read the message from the President.

Dr. Charles Adeyanju, chair and professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, will give a presentation entitled “Black African Immigrants in PEI: ‘Stayers,’ ‘Leavers,’ and ‘Commuters’” on January 24 at 2:30 pm, in SDU Main Building, Room 320.

“This paper uses semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with Black African immigrants in PEI, immigration officers, immigration consultants, community advocates, and international student advisors to investigate the experiences of Black African immigrants in Prince Edward Island, with a focus on their decision to stay in PEI or relocate to other provinces in Canada. Findings show that PEI is a stepping stone to Canada for many Black African immigrants, while unemployment and lack of compatriot communities in PEI are the major driving forces of relocation to other jurisdictions.  By and large, all categories of study participants— ‘stayers,’ ‘leavers,’ and ‘commuters’ have a positive impression of PEI.”

ITSS, including the helpdesk, will be closed from 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm on Thursday, January 23. During this time, you can still submit a ticket by emailing helpdesk@upei.ca or calling 902-566-0465. Thank you for your understanding!

ITSS Team

The UPEI Alumni Association Panther for Life Spirit Award is given to a current UPEI student (of no particular standing), who exemplifies true Panther pride inside and outside of the classroom. This individual has contributed to the campus community in a meaningful way, whether it be through their volunteerism, participation in UPEI-related events and activities, support of Panther sport, or any other significant way that makes them a strong ambassador for UPEI, both now and as a future Panther alumni.

The recipient will receive an engraved award and a $500 cash prize and will be recognized during a celebratory student event.

Any student, staff, or faculty member may submit nominations for this award. Nominations must be received by February 28 at 4 pm to be considered for 2025.

To nominate a current student, please fill out the Panther for Life Spirit Award Nomination form here: https://www.upei.ca/alumni/awards-and-recognition/panther-for-life-spirit-award

For more information, email alumni@upei.ca

What is high performance computing (HPC) and what can it do for me? How can ACENET help? HPC is used by researchers across many disciplines to tackle analyses too large or complex for a desktop, or to achieve improved efficiency over a desktop. This session takes participants through the preliminary stages of learning about high performance computing (HPC) and computing clusters, and how to get started with this type of computing. It then reviews software packages available for applications, data analysis, software development, and compiling code. Finally, participants will be introduced to the concept of parallel computing to achieve much faster results in analysis. This session is designed for those with no prior experience in HPC, and are looking for an introduction and overview.

Register at https://www.acenet.training/courses.

Most of us have experience using a computer, whether for school, work, or entertainment, but how many of us have actually had an expert teach us how to use it? When one of your computing devices goes wrong, do you struggle to understand why? Perhaps you do an internet search in the hope that someone else who has had the exact same problem as you found a solution that also works for you. It doesn't need to be (quite) this way. This talk doesn't teach you how to troubleshoot everything, but does give you insight into how media, programs, and data are encoded and used by computers so you can make more sense of why computers behave the ways they do and solve some of your problems with greater efficiency and less frustration.

We provide an approachable overview of how a computer works, by both looking at their history and breaking one down to explain individual components, before highlighting some of the tradeoffs to consider when buying a computer. We provide practical, simple, and actionable advice on digital security and show you a few "pro tips" on how to make the most of your workstation, phone, or whatever device you happen to use. Whether you have a lot or a little experience using your digital technology, if you want to learn how to use your devices more effectively, this workshop is for you!

Register at https://www.acenet.training/courses.

The Advisory Selection Committee for the Vice-President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer has undertaken a comprehensive search and has selected one finalist candidate. This individual will join the campus community for an in-person vision presentation as well as several small-group meetings (by invitation only) on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

Candidate A: Vice-President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
In-Person Vision Presentation and Q & A

• Thursday, January 23, 2025
• 2:30–3:30 pm
• Duffy Science Centre, Room 135 (DSC 135)

While it is important for the campus community to have engagement in this process, at the same time, the candidate’s privacy must be protected as much as possible to lower the risk to their careers and existing organizations. Therefore, the vision presentation is in-person only and limited to current UPEI students, staff, and faculty. 

Members of the campus community are asked to keep all discussions and comments confidential and not share the name of the candidate during or after their visit to the University. Recording the presentation is strictly prohibited and no recordings will be distributed following the sessions. Paper copies of the candidate’s cover letter and curriculum vitae/resume will be available for attendees to review.

A feedback survey for Candidate “A”, available at this link, is in place for members of the campus community to provide their input and feedback following the vision presentation and small-group meetings until 5:00 pm, January 30, 2025.

Read the message from the President.

The calls for 2025 undergraduate summer research awards programs have now been launched. Please visit the Undergraduate Research Opportunities page for more information on the following opportunities:

• NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards
• Engineering Undergraduate Research Awards
• Science Undergraduate Research Awards
• Undergraduate Student Research Awards for Black Student Researchers

The deadline for applications is Friday, February 21, 2025, by 4 pm.

An information session regarding undergraduate student research awards will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in Kelley Building, Room 210. Students and supervisors are encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact Leslie Cudmore, Research Grants Coordinator at lcudmore@upei.ca or 902-566-0709.

Dr. Charles Adeyanju, chair and professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, will give a presentation entitled “Black African Immigrants in PEI: ‘Stayers,’ ‘Leavers,’ and ‘Commuters’” on January 24 at 2:30 pm, in SDU Main Building, Room 320.

“This paper uses semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with Black African immigrants in PEI, immigration officers, immigration consultants, community advocates, and international student advisors to investigate the experiences of Black African immigrants in Prince Edward Island, with a focus on their decision to stay in PEI or relocate to other provinces in Canada. Findings show that PEI is a stepping stone to Canada for many Black African immigrants, while unemployment and lack of compatriot communities in PEI are the major driving forces of relocation to other jurisdictions.  By and large, all categories of study participants— ‘stayers,’ ‘leavers,’ and ‘commuters’ have a positive impression of PEI.”

The UPEI Alumni Association Panther for Life Spirit Award is given to a current UPEI student (of no particular standing), who exemplifies true Panther pride inside and outside of the classroom. This individual has contributed to the campus community in a meaningful way, whether it be through their volunteerism, participation in UPEI-related events and activities, support of Panther sport, or any other significant way that makes them a strong ambassador for UPEI, both now and as a future Panther alumni.

The recipient will receive an engraved award and a $500 cash prize and will be recognized during a celebratory student event.

Any student, staff, or faculty member may submit nominations for this award. Nominations must be received by February 28th at 4 pm to be considered for 2025.

To nominate a current student, please fill out the Panther for Life Spirit Award Nomination form here: https://www.upei.ca/alumni/awards-and-recognition/panther-for-life-spirit-award

For more information, email alumni@upei.ca.

Most of us have experience using a computer, whether for school, work, or entertainment, but how many of us have actually had an expert teach us how to use it? When one of your computing devices goes wrong, do you struggle to understand why? Perhaps you do an internet search in the hope that someone else who has had the exact same problem as you found a solution that also works for you. It doesn't need to be (quite) this way. This talk doesn't teach you how to troubleshoot everything, but does give you insight into how media, programs, and data are encoded and used by computers so you can make more sense of why computers behave the ways they do and solve some of your problems with greater efficiency and less frustration.

We provide an approachable overview of how a computer works, by both looking at their history and breaking one down to explain individual components, before highlighting some of the tradeoffs to consider when buying a computer. We provide practical, simple, and actionable advice on digital security and show you a few "pro tips" on how to make the most of your workstation, phone, or whatever device you happen to use. Whether you have a lot or a little experience using your digital technology, if you want to learn how to use your devices more effectively, this workshop is for you!

Register at https://www.acenet.training/courses.

The Advisory Selection Committee for the Vice-President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer has undertaken a comprehensive search and has selected one finalist candidate. This individual will join the campus community for an in-person vision presentation as well as several small-group meetings (by invitation only) on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

Candidate A: Vice-President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
In-Person Vision Presentation and Q & A

• Thursday, January 23, 2025
• 2:30–3:30 pm
• Duffy Science Centre, Room 135 (DSC 135)

While it is important for the campus community to have engagement in this process, at the same time, the candidate’s privacy must be protected as much as possible to lower the risk to their careers and existing organizations. Therefore, the vision presentation is in-person only and limited to current UPEI students, staff, and faculty. 

Members of the campus community are asked to keep all discussions and comments confidential and not share the name of the candidate during or after their visit to the University. Recording the presentation is strictly prohibited and no recordings will be distributed following the sessions. Paper copies of the candidate’s cover letter and curriculum vitae/resume will be available for attendees to review.

A feedback survey for Candidate “A”, available at this link, is in place for members of the campus community to provide their input and feedback following the vision presentation and small-group meetings until 5:00 pm, January 30, 2025.

Read the message from the President.

The calls for 2025 undergraduate summer research awards programs have now been launched. Please visit the Undergraduate Research Opportunities page for more information on the following opportunities:

• NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards
• Engineering Undergraduate Research Awards
• Science Undergraduate Research Awards
• Undergraduate Student Research Awards for Black Student Researchers

The deadline for applications is Friday, February 21, 2025, by 4 pm.

An information session regarding undergraduate student research awards will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in Kelley Building, Room 210. Students and supervisors are encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact Leslie Cudmore, Research Grants Coordinator at lcudmore@upei.ca or 902-566-0709.