The UPEI Spring-into-Wellness Challenge is designed exclusively for UPEI staff and faculty to prioritize well-being through fun, themed, daily activities. This exciting four-week individual challenge starts on Monday, May 25, and ends on Sunday, June 21, 2026. 

Each week, registered participants are sent a form outlining the associated wellness activities for the week under a daily theme. Participants are encouraged to complete at least one activity per day related to the themes of wellness for that day and then submit their completed wellness activities form by noon the following Monday. 

Participants who submit their forms will be entered into a Weekly Draw of a gift bag valued at over $50. At the end of the challenge, all participants will be entered in a Grand Prize Draw (valued at approximately $500) for either a Mysa Nordic Spa and Resort package (one-night accommodations and two Thermal Spa passes) OR a Mill River Resort Golf package (one night stay for two people and two rounds of golf per person)—winner’s choice!

For detailed information and to register, please visit Spring-into-Wellness Challenge.

Coffee Break and Wellness Check: Take a moment for yourself to visit a couple of wellness booths and enjoy a coffee break with colleagues on Wednesday, May 27 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre. Coffee, tea and snacks provided and there will be draws for door prizes!

UPEI Panthers: Move More @ Lunch: ALL UPEI staff and faculty have free access to the Fitness Centre on the second floor of the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre from June 9–11 between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. No registration is required and there will be demonstrations and draw prizes for those who attend! 

(Note: UPEI staff and faculty do not have to be registered for the Spring-into-Wellness Challenge to take part in the Wellness Check or Open House sessions).

These events are brought to you by the UPEI Healthy Campus Committee and UPEI Athletics and Recreation. For any questions, contact Angela Marchbank, UPEI Fitness and Wellness Coordinator at amarchbank@upei.ca.

We hope you can participate and good luck!

We are pleased and excited to invite all to attend Nell Farion's PsyD Dissertation Defense presentation taking place June 9, 2026 at 10:00 am.

Please join us in supporting Nell on this momentous occasion!

Date and Time: June 9, 2026, 10:00 am
Location: Memorial Hall, Room 104

UPEI has taken a significant step in its transition to Microsoft Teams as the University’s primary communication and collaboration platform with the deployment of Teams Telephony for faculty and staff. As part of Microsoft 365, Teams brings together calling, chat, meetings, and file sharing to support teaching, research, and administrative work in a more integrated and secure way.

Key highlights

• Teams is now the generally recommended platform for all internal and external voice communication
• Over 750 faculty and staff have already migrated; full transition expected by late May or early June 2026
• Users can make and receive calls directly in Microsoft Teams on desktop or mobile devices
• No need to remember phone numbers for internal calls—search by name and connect instantly
• Some phones (e.g., labs, shared spaces, meeting rooms) will remain as dedicated analog devices and are being updated to the new infrastructure as the next phase of the project
• Analog phone users must dial the full 10-digit number for internal calls; 4-digit dialing will no longer work reliably

Please note that support for Teams Telephony has been transitioned to the ITSS Help Desk.  This means that all telephony-related requests (calling issues, voicemail, devices, configuration changes, troubleshooting) should be submitted through the ITSS Help Desk. The M365 team continues supporting complex cases and remaining exceptions. 

Full details outlining the points above can be found https://upeica.sharepoint.com/sites/ITSS-Communication/SitePages/UPEI-Update--Migration-to-Microsoft-Teams-Telephony.aspx 

The deadline for the Employee and Spouse/Dependent Tuition Waiver forms for the Summer 2026 semester is July 10, 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 fourth UPEI Board of Governors meeting of the 2025-2026 academic year will take place on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 4:00 pm in Room 102, Alumni Hall. All board meetings generally include sessions that are open to the public. Certain agenda items, including but not limited to human resources discussions, may require the board to go into a closed session. For logistical purposes, members of the public who wish to attend the open session of a meeting are asked to contact board@upei.ca one week prior to the meeting. Members of the public wishing to attend the public portion of a meeting must adhere to the UPEI Board of Governors' Meeting Observer Guidelines.

Research Ethics Board (REB) applications involving *more than minimal risk* must be reviewed by the full UPEI REB. The next deadline for submitting these protocols is Friday, May 29, 2026, for review in June.

Other ethics protocol submissions, including new applications that do not involve more than minimal risk, renewals, and amendments, may be submitted at any time. They will be sent for delegated review as soon as all necessary materials are received.

All research compliance applications, including for the REB, must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal (https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/). Instructions for using the site are available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca for more information about the Researcher Portal, or the REB application, review, and approval process.

The next deadline for submitting biosafety applications, including new applications, renewals, and/or amendments, is Friday, May 29, 2026. These applications will be reviewed at the June 18 meeting.

All research compliance applications, including biosafety application forms, must be submitted through the UPEI researcher portal https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/. Instructions for using the researcher portal, are available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Research Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the researcher portal, or about the biosafety application, review, and approval process.

Publication numbers have historically been the primary method of evaluating scholarly research outputs. However, these numbers do not consider different publication standards across research fields. The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) recognizes the need to improve the ways in which these outputs are evaluated. Developed in 2012, DORA is a big reason why the Tri-Agencies have decided to transition to a narrative CV.  

Research Services has invited High-Fidelity Science Communication to run a workshop on creating a narrative CV in June 2026 (date to be confirmed). Researchers are invited to come and learn more about DORA as they begin preparing their narrative CVs.

Presented by: Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, UPEI Associate Vice-President, Research 

Open to Faculty, Research Scientists, Post-Docs, and Graduate Students 

Hybrid options available 

Register at Info session - Understanding the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)  – Fill out form 

This is a reminder that Robertson Library spaces are closed May, June, July, and August, with some services available at our temporary location in Robertson Library Annex Room 235 (click here for a map). This temporary service point will be open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Check the Library Renovations Closure Information page regularly for updates. 

Research Ethics Board (REB) applications involving *more than minimal risk* must be reviewed by the full UPEI REB. The next deadline for submitting these protocols is Friday, May 29, 2026, for review in June.

Other ethics protocol submissions, including new applications that do not involve more than minimal risk, renewals, and amendments, may be submitted at any time. They will be sent for delegated review as soon as all necessary materials are received.

All research compliance applications, including for the REB, must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal (https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/). Instructions for using the site are available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca for more information about the Researcher Portal, or the REB application, review, and approval process.

The next deadline for submitting biosafety applications, including new applications, renewals, and/or amendments, is Friday, May 29, 2026. These applications will be reviewed at the June 18 meeting.

All research compliance applications, including biosafety application forms, must be submitted through the UPEI researcher portal https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/. Instructions for using the researcher portal, are available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Research Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the researcher portal, or about the biosafety application, review, and approval process.

For Staff and Faculty: Rhodes will be hosting an information session for staff and faculty to share updates and answer questions. It's a good opportunity to learn more about how to support students in applying to the Scholarship.

May 21, 2026, 3:00 pm AST. Register at: https://rhodeshouse-ox-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZnvT-m_XR7S8iLyVHPQWDQ)

There will be a follow-up session on June 1, 2026, at 1:00 pm AST for students interested in learning more about the application process. Here's the link to share with students who are interested:https://rhodeshouse-ox-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9WvgiC6FTf-XR_9ymxLN5w#/registration

Publication numbers have historically been the primary method of evaluating scholarly research outputs. However, these numbers do not consider different publication standards across research fields. The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) recognizes the need to improve the ways in which these outputs are evaluated. Developed in 2012, DORA is a big reason why the Tri-Agencies have decided to transition to a narrative CV.  

Research Services has invited High-Fidelity Science Communication to run a workshop on creating a narrative CV in June 2026 (date to be confirmed). Researchers are invited to come and learn more about DORA as they begin preparing their narrative CVs.

Presented by: Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, UPEI Associate Vice-President, Research 

Open to Faculty, Research Scientists, Post-Docs, and Graduate Students 

Hybrid options available 

Register at Info session - Understanding the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)  – Fill out form 

Join us as we come together to celebrate the remarkable achievements and unwavering dedication of our faculty and staff at UPEI!

Today from 10:00 am–12:00 pm

Location: Room 121S, UPEI Performing Arts Centre

We’ll kick off the celebration with a reception at 10:00 am—enjoy refreshments and connect with colleagues, including this year’s award recipients.

At 10:30 am, we will welcome guests to the Years of Service Awards and University Awards of Excellence presentations, honouring the individuals whose commitment and contributions make UPEI an exceptional place to learn, work, and grow.

To learn more about this year’s recipients:

• Years of Service Awards
• University Awards of Excellence

Let’s come together to applaud the spirit, service, and success of our amazing community. We look forward to celebrating with you!

For Staff and Faculty: Rhodes will be hosting an information session for staff and faculty to share updates and answer questions. It's a good opportunity to learn more about how to support students in applying to the Scholarship.

May 21, 2026, 3:00 pm AST. Register at: https://rhodeshouse-ox-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZnvT-m_XR7S8iLyVHPQWDQ)

There will be a follow-up session on June 1, 2026, at 1:00 pm AST for students interested in learning more about the application process. Here's the link to share with students who are interested:https://rhodeshouse-ox-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9WvgiC6FTf-XR_9ymxLN5w#/registration

UPEI has taken a significant step in its transition to Microsoft Teams as the University’s primary communication and collaboration platform with the deployment of Teams Telephony for faculty and staff. As part of Microsoft 365, Teams brings together calling, chat, meetings, and file sharing to support teaching, research, and administrative work in a more integrated and secure way.

Key highlights

• Teams is now the generally recommended platform for all internal and external voice communication
• Over 750 faculty and staff have already migrated; full transition expected by late May or early June 2026
• Users can make and receive calls directly in Microsoft Teams on desktop or mobile devices
• No need to remember phone numbers for internal calls—search by name and connect instantly
• Some phones (e.g., labs, shared spaces, meeting rooms) will remain as dedicated analog devices and are being updated to the new infrastructure as the next phase of the project
• Analog phone users must dial the full 10-digit number for internal calls; 4-digit dialing will no longer work reliably

Please note that support for Teams Telephony has been transitioned to the ITSS Help Desk.  This means that all telephony-related requests (calling issues, voicemail, devices, configuration changes, troubleshooting) should be submitted through the ITSS Help Desk. The M365 team continues supporting complex cases and remaining exceptions. 

Full details outlining the points above can be found https://upeica.sharepoint.com/sites/ITSS-Communication/SitePages/UPEI-Update--Migration-to-Microsoft-Teams-Telephony.aspx 

The UPEI Chaplaincy Centre is collaborating with PEERS Alliance to present an interfaith forum on Wednesday, May 20, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, at the Chaplaincy Centre. Join us for a meaningful community conversation on faith, inclusion, belonging, and strengthening support for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals on PEI. Snacks and refreshments provided.

Registration is free. Everyone is welcome. 

Please register in advance to help us plan seating and refreshments. Bring a friend, neighbour, or colleague.

Together, let’s build understanding and strengthen the community.

Join us as we come together to celebrate the remarkable achievements and unwavering dedication of our faculty and staff at UPEI!

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Time: 10:00 am–12:00 pm

Location: Room 121S, UPEI Performing Arts Centre

We’ll kick off the celebration with a reception at 10:00 am—enjoy refreshments and connect with colleagues, including this year’s award recipients.

At 10:30 am, we will welcome guests to the Years of Service Awards and University Awards of Excellence presentations, honouring the individuals whose commitment and contributions make UPEI an exceptional place to learn, work, and grow.

To learn more about this year’s recipients:

• Years of Service Awards
• University Awards of Excellence

Let’s come together to applaud the spirit, service, and success of our amazing community. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Are you looking for a meaningful way to give back and create a lasting impact? Establishing a scholarship or award in your name—or in honour of someone you wish to recognize—is a powerful way to support UPEI students.

Your scholarship or award helps reduce financial barriers, allowing students to focus on their studies and reach their full potential. Recipients of scholarships and awards are deeply grateful for donor support, which plays an important role in shaping their academic success. 

There are two established options for creating a scholarship or award:

• Annual scholarship or award: A commitment of $875 per year for five years provides meaningful annual support to a deserving student through a scholarship or award.
• Endowed scholarship or award: A $25,000 gift is invested in perpetuity. Based on the current approved 4% expenditure rate, it generates a $1,000 annual scholarship or award for a student every year, forever. 

We would be honoured to work with you to create a scholarship or award that reflects your values and leaves a lasting legacy at UPEI. To learn more or get started, please contact Kathy Weatherbie, Senior Development and Donor Relations Officer, at krweatherbie@upei.ca or (902)-626-6791.

The deadline for the Employee and Spouse/Dependent Tuition Waiver forms for the Summer 2026 semester is July 10, 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.