Convocation exercises are being held from May 13 to 16, at 10:00 am each day at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Each ceremony is preceded by a procession of graduates across campus. 

• May 13—Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Nursing
• May 14—McDougall Faculty of Business and Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering 
• May 15—Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Graduate Studies 
• May 16—Faculty of Science 

Faculty members who have regalia and wish to participate in the Academic Procession are asked to line up with the graduates in the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering building concourse 45 minutes before each ceremony.  

For those faculty members who would like to order regalia online through UPEI’s official gown supplier, GradCo, they are encouraged to do so ASAP at https://www.gradco.ca/upei/

The deadline for ordering is Wednesday, April 23, at 11:59 pm.  

Any faculty members who wish to purchase their regalia may contact GradCo at info@gradco.ca for information.  

With the recent measles outbreaks in Canada and the United States, Islanders are wondering if they need to be vaccinated. Anyone without immunity to measles is at risk when traveling by air or to areas with active cases, including parts of Canada. Current outbreaks are driven by unvaccinated and under-vaccinated groups. Two doses of the safe, effective, and free measles vaccine provide 99% protection.

Immunization Recommendations

Born before 1970? You’re considered immune due to natural exposure and high herd immunity. Individuals born before 1970 may receive one lifetime dose of MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccine especially if travelling.

Born after 1970? You should have 2 doses of the MMR vaccine if you have no evidence of having had the disease(s) or documentation of 2 doses of measles vaccine. 

Student entering post-secondary education or healthcare workers or military personnel? You should have 2 doses of the MMR vaccine if you have no evidence of having had the disease(s) or documentation of 2 doses of measles vaccine. 

In PEI, the MMRV vaccine (Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Varicella) is part of childhood immunization: 

• 1st dose at 12 months 
• Booster at 18 months 

How to Get Vaccinated 

Older children and adults who haven’t been vaccinated should complete their two-dose MMR series. 

If you have a PEI Health Card, book an appointment to get vaccinated. 

If you don’t have a PEI Health Card, you can get your measles vaccine at a Public Health Nursing 

Book an appointment with a registered nurse at the UPEI Health & Wellness Centre to discuss measles and other vaccines. 

Learn More: 

• Measles, Mumps & Rubella Vaccine Info: Click here 
• Check if You’re Due for a Vaccine: Click here 
• MMR Vaccine Explained (Video): Watch here

Ms. Yasmin Koop-Monteiro is a candidate for the Sociology position at UPEI and a PhD candidate (ABD) in Sociology at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on social movements, climate change, environmental sociology, social network analysis, discourse analysis, and animal studies.

She has published in Energy Research & Social Science, Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Environmental Sociology, among others.

The title of Ms. Koop-Monteiro’s talk is: "The Influence of Human & Nonhuman Network Ties on High-Risk/Cost Animal Advocacy."

Friday, April 25, 2025, at 11:00 am, in SDU Main Building, Room 211.

PhD in Environmental Sciences

Presenter: Ryan Guild

Title of the Thesis: "Nesting in a Changing Climate: Investigating Climate-Driven Risks, Habitat Change, and Management Strategies for Piping Plovers"

"Coastal nesting birds face intensifying threats from climate and human-induced stressors that transform habitats and nesting conditions far beyond historical precedents. One such species is the Atlantic Coast piping plover (PIPL; Charadrius melodus melodus), among North America’s most endangered shorebird, which nests in dynamic, exposed shoreline environments where multiple stressors can severely undermine productivity and survival. In this thesis, I investigate how climate-related stressors, habitat change, and management strategies shape nesting outcomes for a key sub-unit of the Eastern Canadian PIPL population on Prince Edward Island (PEI). Through a comprehensive review of climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems, I first demonstrate how factors such as sea-level rise, storms, warming temperatures, and changes in freshwater availability are reshaping habitat conditions for coastal biota. With this knowledge, I develop a spatiotemporal model to identify key environmental correlates of PIPL nesting success on PEI, including positive effects of maximum temperature (to date), diminished success with later nesting, and lower hatchability near high-recreation areas. A case study of habitat changes following a record-setting fall hurricane – informed by satellite imagery and geospatial analyses – revealed that although the storm created new nesting habitat, PIPL largely returned to their pre-existing nesting areas in the first post-storm season. Consequently, nest failures from flooding increased, yet overall productivity remained high – largely thanks to a single, remote nesting site that continues to subsidise otherwise low productivity rates on the island. A systematic review of management strategies across the Atlantic Coast is then undertaken, which reveals few targeted measures to address threats from nest flooding or severe weather events, despite their growing significance. Finally, I evaluate the roles of tidal, lunar, and wind dynamics in nest flooding and propose a proof-of-concept forecasting tool that integrates nest coordinates, topographical data, and tidal information to alert managers to imminent flood risks. Overall, this research advances knowledge of both environmental and anthropogenic influences on PIPL breeding dynamics and highlights key management interventions that may be necessary to support productivity and population recovery on PEI amid a rapidly changing coastal environment."

April 22, 2025, 1:00 pm via web conferencing

If you wish to attend the public presentation, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator at gsc@upei.ca to receive the link.

Everyone is welcome.

Members of the UPEI campus community who are eligible to vote in the upcoming federal election may cast their vote by special ballot from April 13 to 16 in the Student Day Lounge, W.A. Murphy Student Centre.  

The Vote on Campus hours of operation at UPEI are 

• Sunday, April 13, 12:00 to 4:00 pm
• Monday, April 14, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
• Tuesday, April 15, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
• Wednesday, April 16, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Voters will need to bring ID in order to vote. Go to ID to vote for more information. Voters will vote for a candidate in the riding where their place of ordinary residence is located.

For more information about voting by special ballot, go to Find out what to expect when you vote by special ballot. 

MSc in Human Biology

Presenter:  Lauren Reid

Title of the Thesis:  “Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An Evaluation of Mechanisms and Treatments”

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation and a breakdown of the mucous membrane of the intestinal tract. Its pathology is not fully known, but influencing factors include genetics, microbiome diversity, immune system alterations and environmental factors. An increase in the prevalence of IBD, especially in adolescents, is being observed. This project aimed to gather more information on a common IBD therapeutic, Remicade® (infliximab) as a treatment strategy for adolescents with IBD. An in vitro model was developed to further study this drug, and a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the optimal dosing strategy of Remicade® for adolescents living with IBD. Overall, findings from this thesis provide insight into potential disease models and treatments for IBD. It is an expansion to the already existing body of knowledge surrounding this disease.

April 17, 2025 9:00 am, Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Room 329

Everyone is welcome. 

Master of Arts in Island Studies student Mark Carr-Rollitt will defend his thesis entitled "The Pulse of the Islands: Deconstructing rhythm as expression and agency in Cuba, Jamaica, and Quisqueya" on Wednesday, April 16, at 7:00 pm in SDU Main Building, Room 211. Supervisor is Dr. Laurie Brinklow (Island Studies), with committee members Dr. James Moran (History) and Dr. Kate Bevan-Baker (McGill University). External Examiner is Dr. Waldo Girrado (Western Sydney University, Australia). Chairing the defence is Dr. Lisa Chilton (History). 

Everyone is invited! If you'd like to join online please email Laurie at brinklow@upei.ca for the link.

As part of our ongoing efforts to support students in need, the UPEI Campus Food Bank is seeking your generous donations of non-perishable food items. Every month, we provide essential items to students who may be struggling, and with your help, we can continue to make a positive impact!

We are especially in need of the following items:

• Canned Tuna
• Canned Sardines
• Canned Mushrooms
• Canned Corn (Niblett)
• Canned Baked Beans
• Canned Soup
• Canned Pasta
• Canned Pasta Sauces
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Snack Bars

These items are quick, nutritious, and can make a world of difference for a student who is facing a tough time. Your donations will go directly into helping someone in need!

How You Can Help:

1. Drop off your donations at W.A Murphy Student Centre on the second floor during office hours.
2. Organize a donation drive in your department or student group.
3. Spread the word and encourage your friends and classmates to contribute!

Every can counts, and together, we can help make sure no student goes hungry. Your kindness and generosity are truly appreciated.

Thank you for your ongoing support! If you have any larger donations to make, please email foodbank@upei.ca

The University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering (FSDE) will showcase the best in sustainable design engineering by its students at the annual Student Design Expo on Tuesday, April 22 starting at 1 pm. Projects can be viewed through the afternoon until 3:30 pm. Student projects will be presented in person. Each project is the result of collaboration between FSDE students and an industry or community partner. Students were tasked with designing and creating solutions to their partners’ unique challenges. 

We look forward to seeing everyone.

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend Nafiz Haider's public presentation of his MEd research titled: "Inquiry-based Learning: Perceptions and Impact on Learning"

Please join us on April 17, at 1:00 pm, in person at Memorial Hall, Room 417 or through the Zoom link below 

https://upei.zoom.us/j/61554724224?pwd=zxZRxzL6JAzrFXRcFsnwyAjKcMTs4U.1

Meeting ID

615 5472 4224

Passcode

500173

The Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, invites all to attend Joy Nnadi's public dissertation defense presentation of her PsyD research titled: “Value Congruence, Identity, Adaptation and Well-being in Immigrants to Canada: An Exploratory Study on their Relationships”. 

Date and Time: April 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm 
Location: Memorial Hall, Room 104

CALLING UPEI EDUCATORS 

The Department of Diversity and Social Justice Studies, the Dean of Arts, and the Teaching and Learning Centre invite you to a half-day workshop on Friday, April 25 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (location TBA): Strengthening Interdisciplinary Culture Through Faculty Collaboration

The workshop invites UPEI instructors from across the university to help pilot a new model for enhancing interdisciplinary culture through collaborative curriculum design. The session is divided into two parts:

9:00–10:30 am | From DIRT to LUST: Lessons from a Decade of Interdisciplinary Innovation
Dr. Renée Valiquette (UPEI) and Dr. Sal Renshaw (Nipissing University) will share insights gleaned from a decade of delivering interdisciplinary concept courses. Their presentation will introduce a suite of strategies for crafting transformative interdisciplinary curricula. 

11:00 am–1:00 pm | Experiment in Co-Design
In the second segment, Renée and Sal will invite participants to help pilot an innovative model—adapted from their interdisciplinary undergraduate work—of collaborative curriculum design aimed at cultivating a deeper interdisciplinary culture among faculty. 

Everyone interested in building interdisciplinary cultures on campus in welcome to join! 

For more information and to register, please contact Renée Valiquette (DSJS) at rvaliquette@upei.ca. 

UPEI's fiscal year ends on April 30, 2025.

Preparation for fiscal year end on April 30, 2025.

All departments are required to look at their outstanding purchase order list to see if there are any purchase orders that need to be cancelled. This functionality can be accessed through the myUPEI Self-Service Menu under "Financial Information" and the “Receive Goods and Services” selection.

If the items have been backordered for some time you will need to check with the supplier to see if they are still on their records as back ordered. If they are not backordered, then please email procurement@upei.ca to cancel your purchase order.

If you are in receipt of vendor invoices, forward these to invoices@upei.ca ASAP. Please contact apadmin@upei.ca with questions or concerns regarding billing and invoicing.

Purchasing deadline for 2024-2025

Requisition/purchase order:

The last day to create a requisition/purchase order for the 2024-2025 fiscal year will be on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at noon with guaranteed delivery date on or before April 30, 2025. 

Requisitions/purchase orders created after April 17, 2025, will have the requisition date changed to May 1, 2025, and the goods and services must be delivered on or after May 1, 2025. If you are unable to change the requisitions date to May 1, 2025, please put a note in the comment section of requisition indicating it is a new year order.

Receiving Goods/Services Cut-Off: April 30, 2025

Goods and Services must be received on campus by April 30, 2025. Only the goods that have been physically received or completed services should be accepted at this time. This will ensure that these goods and services are paid in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.  Any items received in myUPEI after April 30, 2025, will be considered new fiscal year goods and services and will be deducted from your new fiscal year budget (2025-26).

Need assistance? 

Please look at the “Financial Tools Reference Guide” under the "Self-Service Help" tab on myUPEI. 

The UPEI Board of Governors recently approved two new policies outlining the appointment processes and term limits for acting and interim university presidents and senior administrators:

• Appointment of Acting and Interim University President Policy
• Appointment of Acting and Interim Senior Administrators Policy

In addition, the Board approved updates to the Appointment of Acting and Interim Senior Administrators Policy, renamed Appointment and Review of Academic Administrators Policy. These updates include the introduction of term limits for acting and interim academic administrator appointments.

These policies are available on the UPEI Policies webpage for reference.

The third international conference on Small Island States and Subnational Island Jurisdictions is coming to UPEI in June! This conference will explore the evolving discussion of climate change on islands, and will include speakers from UPEI and all around the world, as well as multiple workshops throughout the week and an artist showcase!

The last day for early bird registration is April 15, but tickets will remain available afterwards until June!  

For more information, visit the conference website here. 

Members of the UPEI campus community who are eligible to vote in the upcoming federal election may cast their vote by special ballot from April 13 to 16 in the Student Day Lounge, W.A. Murphy Student Centre.  

The Vote on Campus hours of operation at UPEI are 

• Sunday, April 13, 12:00 to 4:00 pm
• Monday, April 14, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
• Tuesday, April 15, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
• Wednesday, April 16, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Voters will need to bring ID in order to vote. Go to ID to vote for more information. Voters will vote for a candidate in the riding where their place of ordinary residence is located.

For more information about voting by special ballot, go to Find out what to expect when you vote by special ballot. 

MSc in Human Biology

Presenter:  Lauren Reid

Title of the Thesis:  “Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An Evaluation of Mechanisms and Treatments”

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation and a breakdown of the mucous membrane of the intestinal tract. Its pathology is not fully known, but influencing factors include genetics, microbiome diversity, immune system alterations and environmental factors. An increase in the prevalence of IBD, especially in adolescents, is being observed. This project aimed to gather more information on a common IBD therapeutic, Remicade® (infliximab) as a treatment strategy for adolescents with IBD. An in vitro model was developed to further study this drug, and a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the optimal dosing strategy of Remicade® for adolescents living with IBD. Overall, findings from this thesis provide insight into potential disease models and treatments for IBD. It is an expansion to the already existing body of knowledge surrounding this disease.

April 17, 2025 9:00 am, Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Room 329

Everyone is welcome. 

As part of our ongoing efforts to support students in need, the UPEI Campus Food Bank is seeking your generous donations of non-perishable food items. Every month, we provide essential items to students who may be struggling, and with your help, we can continue to make a positive impact!

We are especially in need of the following items:

• Canned Tuna
• Canned Sardines
• Canned Mushrooms
• Canned Corn (Niblett)
• Canned Baked Beans
• Canned Soup
• Canned Pasta
• Canned Pasta Sauces
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Snack Bars

These items are quick, nutritious, and can make a world of difference for a student who is facing a tough time. Your donations will go directly into helping someone in need!

How You Can Help:

1. Drop off your donations at W.A Murphy Student Centre on the second floor during office hours.
2. Organize a donation drive in your department or student group.
3. Spread the word and encourage your friends and classmates to contribute!

Every can counts, and together, we can help make sure no student goes hungry. Your kindness and generosity are truly appreciated.

Thank you for your ongoing support! If you have any larger donations to make, please email foodbank@upei.ca

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend Nafiz Haider's public presentation of his MEd research titled: "Inquiry-based Learning: Perceptions and Impact on Learning"

Please join us on April 17, at 1:00 pm, in person at Memorial Hall, Room 417 or through the Zoom link below 

https://upei.zoom.us/j/61554724224?pwd=zxZRxzL6JAzrFXRcFsnwyAjKcMTs4U.1

Meeting ID

615 5472 4224

Passcode

500173

Economic and community development professional Audrey Keating will give a lecture titled “The Magdalen Islands: A Living Lab for Territorial Innovation” on Tuesday, April 15, at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Room 201, SDU Main Building.

Part of the UPEI Institute of Island Studies’ 2025 Island Lecture Series, the lecture is free and open to everyone. 

Keating will talk about how the Magdalen Islands are leveraging its unique environment to foster economic development opportunities.

“Just a ferry ride away, the Magdalen Islands are emerging as a dynamic testing ground for innovation,” she said. “We will explore how the region attracts businesses and startups eager to validate their solutions—from ocean tech to age tech—in real-world conditions.”

Keating is currently Commissioner for Business Development and Partnerships at La Vague, an innovation and development corporation leading the Magdalen Islands’ investment attraction strategy. Previously at the Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation, she fostered partnerships across public, private, and civil sectors to support English-speaking communities in Québec. She holds an honours degree in international studies and a certificate in modern languages from Bishop's University. Passionate about collaboration, she engages with diverse organizations to drive economic growth and strengthen community well-being.