The flags near Kelley Memorial Building and at UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place and the Artificial Turf Field have been lowered to half-mast in memory of UPEI Founder Dennis Clough who passed away on August 16, 2026.

The UPEI community extends its condolences to his family, friends, and former colleagues. Read more

Microsoft Teams will be enabled for Moodle starting Wednesday August 19, 2026  at 9pm (ADT). Moodle will still be available during the update, however users attempting to login may experience disruptions during the changeover. These should resolve after a short time. Following the update the login for Moodle will use a button to sign on with Microsoft in place of the separate username and password. This update will allow instructors to use Microsoft Teams in their Moodle courses for synchronous meetings, online classes, and recording course videos.

Course instructors who have open Moodle courses (this includes any previous course that is still available on Moodle and open to students) will receive an email stating that your course has been linked to a Microsoft Team. This means that Microsoft Teams can be used with the course, it doesn’t mean that any Microsoft Teams elements needs to be used.

Training materials on using Microsoft Teams with Moodle will be circulated this month and introductory workshops will be available through the Teaching and Learning Centre. Dates for this training will be announced in Campus Notices. For support in using Microsoft Teams with Moodle you can also contact moodle@upei.ca

Please join us for a MAIS Thesis Defence: Ahmad Reza Talaee Malmiri will defend his Master of Arts in Island Studies thesis entitled "Energy Justice Implications of Net metering on Prince Edward Island." Supervisor is Dr. Nick Mercer, with committee members Dr. Nino Antadze and Dr. Andrew Halliday. External examiner is Dr. Brennan Lowery,Business and Social Entrepreneurship program, St. Thomas University. 

August 19, 10:00 am, Memorial Hall, Room 104 and online

Please email brinklow@upei.ca for the Teams link.

The UPEI Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies (IKERAS) invites you to attend Mawi - Lukutimk / Working Together, where we’ll be sharing Indigenous knowledge from L’nuey, the Mi’kmaq Confederacy, Curtis Michael, Dr. Judy Clark, and Thirley Levi.

Mark your calendars:
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Time: 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Meet and Greet: 12:00 to 12:30 pm and 2:30 to 3:00 pm
Location: Kelley Memorial Building (KMB) 211 and 237 (level two, upstairs on the main floor)

We hope to see you there!

All faculty, staff, students, and researchers who work with biological materials are invited to attend the upcoming Basic Biosafety and Biosecurity Training session.

Basic Biosafety and Biosecurity Training is required for all personnel working in Containment Level 2 (CL2) laboratories on campus and is strongly recommended for those working in Containment Level 1 (CL1) laboratories.

This training consists of both online modules and an in-person session. Participants are encouraged to complete the required online coursework prior to attending the in-person training to maximize learning and participation. 

Date: August 31, 2026
Time: 10:00 am
Location: To be determined

This training will provide an introduction to essential biosafety and biosecurity principles, including:

• Safe handling of biological materials
• Containment practices and procedures
• Incident reporting requirements
• Roles and responsibilities in maintaining a safe laboratory environment
• Biosecurity awareness and best practices

For additional information or to register, please contact biosafety@upei.ca.

Help us maintain a safe and secure research and learning environment by participating in this important training opportunity.

The University of Prince Edward Island is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Founders. Founders are members of the campus community—most often retired faculty and staff—who have contributed to UPEI’s mission in an exceptional way. Recognizing our Founders is an opportunity to celebrate our rich heritage and traditions, honouring those who have worked diligently and passionately to build the University into the highly regarded institution of higher education it is today.

Established by President Emeritus Wade MacLauchlan in 2000, the Founders award is presented to those who have played a direct role in

• supporting the vision, reputation, and continued success of the University, and/or
• creating a new era of educational, research, and/or service excellence at the University. 

If you wish to nominate someone as Founder, please fill out the online form or email your submission to communications@upei.ca. 

Completed nominations must be received by Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 11:59 pm AT.

If you are interested in learning more about this award and past award winners, please visit the UPEI Founders web page. 
 

Rethinking Teaching Expertise: Toward a More Wholistic Framework for Conceptualizing, Assessing and Developing Teaching Expertise in Higher Education

What does it actually mean to develop and demonstrate teaching expertise? This 90-minute interactive session explores the Developmental Framework for Teaching Expertise in Postsecondary Education (Kenny et al., 2017), a model that reframes developing teaching expertise as multi-faceted, career-long, and relational journey. The framework is grounded in three foundational habits of mind that shape five interwoven and non-hierarchical facets of practice: teaching and supporting learning, professional learning and development, mentorship, research/scholarship/inquiry, and educational leadership. Within each facet, a developmental continuum illustrates how growth moves from developing oneself in a local context toward contributing to the growth of others and the broader teaching and learning community. Deliberately "written in pencil," the framework was designed from the outset to be shared, adapted, and reshaped to fit local institutional contexts. 

During this 90-minute interactive session participants will:

• Explore the structure and value of the framework within the context of their roles.
• Consider adaptations and applications to the framework and how components of the framework could be applied across multiple organizational levels (e.g., individual courses/educators, across departments, at the institutional level)
• Leave with a call to action on how you might use, adapt, or advocate for a more holistic conceptualization of teaching expertise in your own department, unit, or role at UPEI.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend. No prior familiarity with the framework is required. Bring your curiosity and a willingness to reflect on your own teaching and learning journey, however you currently define it!

The deadline for the Employee and Spouse/Dependent Tuition Waiver forms for the Fall 2026 semester is Friday, August 28, 2026.  We encourage you to have your tuition waivers submitted as soon as possible to assist in the timely processing. Tuition Waiver forms must be submitted electronically.

The online Tuition Waiver fillable forms can be found on the HR Portal of the myUPEI site, under Training and Development. 

Please note, the Employee or Spouse/Dependent must be registered in the course prior to applying for the tuition waiver. 

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at: (902) 566-0514 or hrgeneral@upei.ca.

The Office of Student Culture and Community Standards invites staff and faculty to get involved in the upcoming Welcome Week celebrations, which run over the first two weeks of September. We are working hard behind the scenes to finalize event details. If interested, in volunteering, please use this sign-up form to place yourself on the list. 

We look forward to sharing more information in the coming weeks. Please contact Krissi Ewing kewing@upei.ca with any questions about plans for Welcome Week events. 

Almost all universities across Canada have collective agreements with their faculty and staff, and negotiations are a routine part of the life cycle of these agreements. During 2026, the University of Prince Edward Island has been engaged in the process of negotiating new Collective Agreements with the UPEI Faculty Association (FA #1 and FA #2), CUPE 1870, CUPE 501, IBEW 1928, and PSAC.

The University will make every effort to keep employees, students, and community members informed about collective bargaining process and will share regular updates on the work underway at each table. Please refer upei.ca/labour for updates and access to resources.

Microsoft Teams will be enabled for Moodle starting Wednesday August 19, 2026  at 9pm (ADT). Moodle will still be available during the update, however users attempting to login may experience disruptions during the changeover. These should resolve after a short time. Following the update the login for Moodle will use a button to sign on with Microsoft in place of the separate username and password. This update will allow instructors to use Microsoft Teams in their Moodle courses for synchronous meetings, online classes, and recording course videos.

Course instructors who have open Moodle courses (this includes any previous course that is still available on Moodle and open to students) will receive an email stating that your course has been linked to a Microsoft Team. This means that Microsoft Teams can be used with the course, it doesn’t mean that any Microsoft Teams elements needs to be used.

Training materials on using Microsoft Teams with Moodle will be circulated this month and introductory workshops will be available through the Teaching and Learning Centre. Dates for this training will be announced in Campus Notices. For support in using Microsoft Teams with Moodle you can also contact moodle@upei.ca

Welcome to the following new employees who joined the University of Prince Edward Island community in July 2026:

• Hannah Bertrand-Nobles, Office of the Associate Vice-President, Students
• Scott Brown, Faculty of Nursing
• Chantal Campbell, Office of the President
• Sarah Gauthier, Human Resources
• James Johnson, Department of English, Faculty of Arts
• Gregory McDougall, Office of the Vice-President Administration and Finance
• Hala Mreiwed, Faculty of Education
• Carly Quisenberry, Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies
• Doug Stringer, Office of the Associate Vice-President, Students
• Hadiqa Sulman, McDougall Faculty of Business
• Rachel Williamson, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
• Denton Wong, Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies

We are excited to have you join the UPEI team!

Please join us for a MAIS Thesis Defence: Ahmad Reza Talaee Malmiri will defend his Master of Arts in Island Studies thesis entitled "Energy Justice Implications of Net metering on Prince Edward Island." Supervisor is Dr. Nick Mercer, with committee members Dr. Nino Antadze and Dr. Andrew Halliday. External examiner is Dr. Brennan Lowery,Business and Social Entrepreneurship program, St. Thomas University. 

August 19, 10:00 am, Memorial Hall, Room 104 and online

Please email brinklow@upei.ca for the Teams link.

Supervisors of campus student staff are invited to register their students for a half-day of in-person facilitated student training on Tuesday, September 1, from 9 am to 1 pm in MCDH 242. The training is designed to prepare student staff with common skills needed for on-campus roles; it will not replace the role-specific training conducted by supervisors. The goal is to equip student staff with the skills they will need to confidently and professionally represent your departments. 

This joint initiative was developed by the Office of Student Culture and Community Standards and representatives from various departments involved in a student training committee. Together, the committee developed and has secured facilitators for the following topics: 

• Representing UPEI as a Student Leader
• The Basics of a Trauma-Informed Approach
• Referral and Boundary Setting
• Interrupting Harm
• Conflict Resolution
• Professional Communication 

A supplementary information package will accompany these mini sessions. Students and supervisors will be invited to provide feedback on the training's relevance and to recommend future training opportunities. We hope that supervisors and students see this as an opportunity to better connect with campus peers and resources, and to inform future engagement opportunities. 

If interested, please register your student staff here. The registration deadline is Thursday, August 27. We ask that supervisors register all of the students they supervise who will be participating. This helps us ensure that students have approval to attend, track attendance, and ensure that we have enough space, materials, and refreshments for everyone. Questions can be directed to kewing@upei.ca. 

All faculty, staff, students, and researchers who work with biological materials are invited to attend the upcoming Basic Biosafety and Biosecurity Training session.

Basic Biosafety and Biosecurity Training is required for all personnel working in Containment Level 2 (CL2) laboratories on campus and is strongly recommended for those working in Containment Level 1 (CL1) laboratories.

This training consists of both online modules and an in-person session. Participants are encouraged to complete the required online coursework prior to attending the in-person training to maximize learning and participation. 

Date: August 31, 2026
Time: 10:00 am
Location: To be determined

This training will provide an introduction to essential biosafety and biosecurity principles, including:

• Safe handling of biological materials
• Containment practices and procedures
• Incident reporting requirements
• Roles and responsibilities in maintaining a safe laboratory environment
• Biosecurity awareness and best practices

For additional information or to register, please contact biosafety@upei.ca.

Help us maintain a safe and secure research and learning environment by participating in this important training opportunity.

We are launching the first of three pulse surveys that will take place over the coming months. Pulse surveys are short, focused surveys that help us gather timely feedback on specific topics. Our first pulse survey is focused on Sharing Information and Communications. The survey aims to better understand the effectiveness of UPEI's communication channels, how employees prefer to receive information, and where opportunities exist to improve communication across the University. The information gathered will help inform the campus-wide communication strategy, led by the Communications and University Relations unit in Marketing and Communications, and improve the ways we share news, updates, events, and important information.

Survey Details

• The survey takes approximately 5–7 minutes to complete.
• The survey can be completed on a computer, or by using a mobile device.
• The survey is completed via the TalentMap survey platform we used in the previous employee engagement survey.
• The survey can only be completed once and must be completed in one sitting.
• Responses are anonymous. No personal information is collected, and individual responses cannot be connected to any employee.
• The deadline to complete is Friday, August 21, 2026, by 4pm.

Survey Link

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your input helps us better understand the employee experience and supports our ongoing efforts to make meaningful improvements across UPEI.

The UPEI Back to School Fair, organized by the Office of Student Culture and Community Standards in partnership with the UPEISU, will take place on Tuesday, September 8, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the UPEI Gym A and B in the Chi Wan Young Sports Centre.

Staff and faculty student service groups can register here. Student clubs and societies must register separately with the UPEISU. 

• The setup time allotted for the event is from 10:30 to 11:00 am, with doors opening at 11:00 am for students.
• The teardown time allotted for the event is 1:45 - 2:00 pm, sharp!
• Each vendor will be assigned a table and 2 chairs.
• Please bring along the following items:
  • A tablecloth
  • Your banner bug or any identifiers for your office, unit or service
  • Pamphlets, brochures, handouts or any other promotional material for your office, unit or service
• A chart will be posted at the doors to identify your table assignments, and a small sign will be on your assigned table.
• Please have at least 1 staff member at your table; 2 staff members to rotate are highly recommended and encouraged.
• Please show off your UPEI Panther merchandise!
• Please expect it to be busy and noisy atmosphere. 

Questions outside of information on the registration form can be directed to Krissi Ewing kewing@upei.ca. 

We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Honouring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

10:00 am to 2:00 pm

McMillan Hall, W. A. Murphy Student Centre

Join us for a day of reflection, learning, and community as we mark the 11th anniversary of the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)’s "Final Reports" along with "94 Calls to Action," which guide Canada’s path toward reconciliation. Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR). The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and the ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. 

To commemorate and honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, UPEI is expanding its annual Mawi’omi (the word for gathering in the Mi’kmaw language) and holding it on September 29. The TRC Mawi’omi is a gathering that will be open to the University and broader community, which will include several activities aimed at increasing awareness, fostering community relationships, and ensuring that the narratives of Indigenous peoples are honoured and understood.

The Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) is offering a one-hour onboarding session for new and newer sessional instructors.

This session is an opportunity to learn about the resources, services, and teaching supports available to you at UPEI, including

• Instructional design support and professional development opportunities offered through the TLC
• A brief introduction to Moodle, UPEI’s Learning Management System
• The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and their application in post-secondary teaching
• Key elements of an effective and learner-centred course syllabus

Whether you're new to teaching at UPEI or simply looking to reconnect with available supports, this session will provide helpful information and practical resources to support your teaching. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at TLC@upei.ca. We look forward to welcoming you.

RSVP here

Add this Session to your Outlook Calendar

Event Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 12:30 pm

Location: Atlantic Veterinary College

Room: Room 286A/287 (The McCain Foundation Learning Commons)

Looking for simple ways to increase student engagement without redesigning your course? Join the UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre for a practical Lunch and Learn on incorporating brief, evidence-informed active learning strategies into lectures. Explore techniques that help students think, discuss, retrieve, and apply what they are learning—all with minimal preparation. Participants will leave with practical strategies they can implement immediately in their own teaching.