Campus Notices

Connections program for undergraduate students!

The UPEI Health Research Network is inviting full-time and part-time undergraduate students to join the Connections Program. This is a research program focused on health and well-being for undergraduate students on campus. The program will begin last week of January OR the first week of February 2026 (will be confirmed soon).

Are you interested in meeting new people in a friendly, inclusive, and non-judgmental environment? In this program, you will learn about food, health, stress, coping strategies, and physical activity.

The Health Research Network is offering this free, eight-week program to help students learn about health and well-being while connecting with the student community. Participants must be able to complete the pre and post-screening assessments (completed before the program begins and also once more after the program finishes) and be able to attend all eight sessions.

The program includes:

  • Eight weekly group sessions (2 hours each):
    • 1 hour with a Registered Dietitian and Health Educator
    • 1 hour of physical activity led by a Kinesiologist
  • Optional open gym times
  • All sessions take place in the lower level of the Steel Building
  • Snacks are also provided at each session!

The sessions are student-centered, and all levels of experience and ability are welcome.

If you are interested, please email Anja and Laurie at connections@upei.ca to get more information or to book the required pre-program screening assessment.

Call for Nominations: 2025 UPEI Founders

The University of Prince Edward Island honours its rich heritage and traditions by acknowledging members of the campus community who have contributed to its mission in an exceptional way by naming them “Founders,” an initiative established by President Emeritus Wade MacLauchlan in 2000.

The award is presented to members of the campus community—often retired faculty and staff—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. 

To submit a nomination, please complete the online form, or email your submission to communications@upei.ca by Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 12:00 pm AT (noon). 

Recipients will be honoured at a Recognition of Founders Ceremony, date to be confirmed.

For more details on nominations visit Call for Nominations: 2025 UPEI Founders

Reminder: Library building reopening January 12

During the week of January 5, 2026, the Library team will be working remotely; the Library building will remain closed until Monday, January 12 to allow for the completion of essential repair/remediation work. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause: further information about our online services during this period is available here. Please contact interim University Librarian Simon Lloyd (university-librarian@upei.ca | 902-394-1301) with any questions or concerns. 

TLC team - Jan. 5 to 9

Members of the TLC team will be working remotely the week of Jan. 5 to 9 during construction work in the library. You can contact them via email or Teams.  

2026 Winter Sessional Faculty Academy

The Teaching and Learning Centre invites you to the 2026 Winter Sessional Faculty Academy, an online onboarding session designed to support new and recently hired sessional instructors. This session is a great opportunity to explore:

  • Instructional design support and professional development opportunities available through the Teaching and Learning Centre
  • Moodle, UPEI’s Learning Management System
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—strategies to design courses where all learners can access, engage, and succeed
  • Assessment best practices, including grading, feedback, and considerations for generative AI
  • Syllabus essentials, including guidance on incorporating Gen AI statements

Date and Time:Thursday, January 8, 6:00 – 7:00 pm (Online)

Register here: Teaching & Learning Centre 2026 Winter Sessional Faculty Academy Registration Form

Can’t attend live? No problem! The sessions will be recorded and shared upon request.

For questions, please contact TLC@upei.ca. 

Contact

Jason Hogan and Angie Petty

TLC@upei.ca

Changes to UPEI degree requirements re: first-year courses, UPEI 1010, 1020, and 1030
UPEI has several graduation requirements common to all UPEI students, as outlined in Academic Regulation # 1 Requirements for a Degree. Requirement 1h) stipulates that, before a student can graduate, they must complete IKE 1040; a writing-intensive course; and one of the following three options: UPEI/English 1010 (Writing Studies); UPEI 1020 (Inquiry Studies); or UPEI 1030 (University Studies).
Following an external quality assurance review, a recommendation from a Working Group (chaired by Dr. Nola Etkin), and recent approval at Senate, students will no longer have this mandatory requirement among UPEI/English 1010, 1020, or 1030 courses, except where it may still apply within individual program requirements. 
 
These courses will continue to be offered but based on student choice and enrolment. Also, where they may have interest, students will be permitted to take more than one of the three courses early in their academic programs.
This change will be applied to all previous academic catalogue years at the time of implementation (Fall 2026). For those programs with a defined (prescribed) requirement from this group of courses, no change will be made at this time, as that would require a future curriculum change at the program level.
 
For more information, contact the Registrar's Office.
 
Office of the Registrar
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am–4:00 pm 
Office location: Dalton Hall, second floor
Phone: 902-566-0439

Office Closure: Procurement and Financial Services

The offices of Procurement and Financial Services (KMB 131) will be closed on January 7, 2026 between the hours of 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm for a staff meeting. This closure will also effect the Student Financial Services office (DH 202). 

Please email procurement@upei.ca or financialservices@upei.ca or leave a message at 902-566-6000. Messages received during the closure will be answered as soon as possible.

Call for Nominations: 2025 UPEI Founders

The University of Prince Edward Island honours its rich heritage and traditions by acknowledging members of the campus community who have contributed to its mission in an exceptional way by naming them “Founders,” an initiative established by President Emeritus Wade MacLauchlan in 2000.

The award is presented to members of the campus community—often retired faculty and staff—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. 

To submit a nomination, please complete the online form, or email your submission to communications@upei.ca by Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 12:00 pm AT (noon). 

Recipients will be honoured at a Recognition of Founders Ceremony, date to be confirmed.

For more details on nominations visit Call for Nominations: 2025 UPEI Founders

Reminder: Library building reopening January 12

During the week of January 5, 2026, the Library team will be working remotely; the Library building will remain closed until Monday, January 12 to allow for the completion of essential repair/remediation work. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause: further information about our online services during this period is available here. Please contact interim University Librarian Simon Lloyd (university-librarian@upei.ca | 902-394-1301) with any questions or concerns. 

TLC team - Jan. 5 to 9

Members of the TLC team will be working remotely the week of Jan. 5 to 9 during construction work in the library. You can contact them via email or Teams.  

Call for Nominations - Regional and National Teaching Awards

Colleagues are invited to participate in an open call for nominations for the AAU Teaching and Educational Leadership Awards in 2026 and the 3M National Teaching Fellowship for 2026-2027. Consider nominating a deserving colleague. Self-nominations, an important option for colleagues who identify as an equity-deserving group member, are encouraged. Self-nominators must identify a sponsor to support their nomination.  

Submitting a nomination takes only a few minutes using this nomination form.  Initial screening will begin January 15, 2026 

 

SSHRC Exchange Publication Award – Call for Applications - Deadline January 31, 2026

The SSHRC Exchange Publication Award supports the publication of manuscripts, written or edited by UPEI faculty, by Island Studies Press (ISP). This award is being funded by a SSHRC Institutional Grant, therefore, the subject matter of the publication must be compatible with SSHRC’s mandate (see http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_FEE7261A.html for more information). One (1) award is available for fiscal 2025-26.

The award of $7,000 will be disbursed to Island Studies Press to cover publication costs (including editing, photo and other permissions, design, printing, marketing, and other costs associated with publishing a book). Authors will be offered ISP’s standard publication contract, which ensures authorial copyright and includes a royalty structure. Authors will also see their manuscripts reviewed through a peer-review process where appropriate.

ELIGIBILITY:

  • Eligible applicants must be Tenured, Tenure Track, Term or Sessional UPEI Faculty, who are employed by UPEI at the time of application.
  • Manuscripts may be single- or multi-authored results of academic research projects; textbooks; edited proceedings of a conference; or works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, or drama that pertain to the author(s)' discipline.
  • The subject matter of the manuscript must meet SSHRC’s mandate.
  • Past recipients of the SSHRC Exchange Publication Award or UPEI Internal Publication Award cannot apply for support for the previously funded manuscript.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31, 2026

Submit documents electronically to Research Services, researchservices@upei.ca.

APPLICATION PROCESS: 

Applicants are to submit a package that includes:

  • Book proposal/summary (maximum of one page)
  • A completed or close-to-complete manuscript and a Table of Contents. Note: the manuscript must be complete no later than three months after winning the award
  • A curriculum vitae that includes your credentials as author(s)/editor(s)
  • Two letters of support (e.g., from your Department Chair, Dean, professional association)

Selection Committee: A selection committee comprised of the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Island Studies, plus two members of the ISP Publishing Committee, will assess the proposals and make a recommendation to the Associate Vice-President Research. The Managing Editor of the ISP will be a member of the Committee in a non-voting capacity.

To assist in making its recommendations, the selection committee will use a single-blind peer review of the submitted manuscript. Final decisions on publication remain with the Island Studies Press and the Institute of Island Studies.

Reporting: A copy of the book, along with a narrative outlining the publication process – prepared in collaboration with staff at Island Studies Press – must be submitted when the book is complete.

Previous recipients of the UPEI Internal Publication Awards include Lori Mayne, Department of English, Laurie Brinklow, Institute of Island Studies, Linyuan Guo, Faculty of Education, and Josh MacFadyen, Faculty of Arts.

For more information on the Publication Awards program, contact Dr. Laurie Brinklow at brinklow@upei.ca or 902-894-2881.

TLC team - Jan. 5 to 9

Members of the TLC team will be working remotely the week of Jan. 5 to 9 during construction work in the library. You can contact them via email or Teams.  

ITSS Ask-Me-Anything session January 20

Who’s it for?
All UPEI staff, faculty, and students who want direct, plain‑language answers from IT Systems and Services (ITSS). Bring your questions about services, support, projects, security, and how to work effectively with ITSS.

What is an AMA?
An AMA is a live Q&A where you ask anything related to ITSS—no slide deck, no long presentations. Managers from across ITSS are on hand to answer and point you to the right next step.

Who will be there?

  • Information Security & Information Management: Dave Kubert
  • Operations: Douglas Burton, Deryl Gallant
  • Enterprise Applications: Cory MacDougall
  • Solution Development & Deployment: Leigh McIsaac
  • Network & Infrastructure: Graham Nixon
  • HEF Technology & Solutions: Kelly Dawson, Tyler Dickieson

Why attend?

  • Direct answers. Ask about services, priorities, timelines, and how to get things done.
  • Clarity on support. Learn how tickets are triaged and escalated, when the phone line is for critical issues, and how to get after‑hours help in true emergencies.
  • Actionable takeaways. Leave with links and steps you can use the same day.

What we covered last time (highlights):

  • Help Desk access & the phone line
  • Support hours
  • Ticket priorities & escalation
  • Responsible AI & Copilot
  • “Speaking IT” resources
  • Asset inventory

How to ask questions (before or during):

  • Live: Ask in the session on January 20 from 11:45-1:15—no need to submit in advance.
  • In advance or if you can’t attend: Send your question via email to itss-admin@upei.ca
2026 Winter Sessional Faculty Academy

The Teaching and Learning Centre invites you to the 2026 Winter Sessional Faculty Academy, an online onboarding session designed to support new and recently hired sessional instructors. This session is a great opportunity to explore:

  • Instructional design support and professional development opportunities available through the Teaching and Learning Centre
  • Moodle, UPEI’s Learning Management System
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—strategies to design courses where all learners can access, engage, and succeed
  • Assessment best practices, including grading, feedback, and considerations for generative AI
  • Syllabus essentials, including guidance on incorporating Gen AI statements

Date and Time:Thursday, January 8, 6:00 – 7:00 pm (Online)

Register here: Teaching & Learning Centre 2026 Winter Sessional Faculty Academy Registration Form

Can’t attend live? No problem! The sessions will be recorded and shared upon request.

For questions, please contact TLC@upei.ca. 

Contact

Jason Hogan and Angie Petty

TLC@upei.ca

Changes to UPEI degree requirements re: first-year courses, UPEI 1010, 1020, and 1030
UPEI has several graduation requirements common to all UPEI students, as outlined in Academic Regulation # 1 Requirements for a Degree. Requirement 1h) stipulates that, before a student can graduate, they must complete IKE 1040; a writing-intensive course; and one of the following three options: UPEI/English 1010 (Writing Studies); UPEI 1020 (Inquiry Studies); or UPEI 1030 (University Studies).
Following an external quality assurance review, a recommendation from a Working Group (chaired by Dr. Nola Etkin), and recent approval at Senate, students will no longer have this mandatory requirement among UPEI/English 1010, 1020, or 1030 courses, except where it may still apply within individual program requirements. 
 
These courses will continue to be offered but based on student choice and enrolment. Also, where they may have interest, students will be permitted to take more than one of the three courses early in their academic programs.
This change will be applied to all previous academic catalogue years at the time of implementation (Fall 2026). For those programs with a defined (prescribed) requirement from this group of courses, no change will be made at this time, as that would require a future curriculum change at the program level.
 
For more information, contact the Registrar's Office.
 
Office of the Registrar
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am–4:00 pm 
Office location: Dalton Hall, second floor
Phone: 902-566-0439
Island Lecture Series: Jeff Collins presents "Power Plays: Newfoundland's Fight Over Churchill Falls”

The Island Lecture Series presents a talk by Jeff Collins, “Power Plays: Newfoundland's Fight Over Churchill Falls,” on January 20, 2026, at 7 pm, in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building Room 201, University of Prince Edward Island. 

"No more giveaways" is a longstanding idea built into Newfoundland nationalism. Controlling resources and achieving as many benefits as possible for the local population even predates Confederation with Canada in 1949. However, it is the sense of betrayal and lost opportunity associated with a 1969 agreement with Quebec to develop the Churchill Falls hydro-electric dam that stands alone as the symbol of this sentiment. 

Now, as the people of Newfoundland and Labrador near the closing decade-and-a-half of that original contract, they are presented with a new deal, a “memorandum-of-understanding” between the two provinces that would extend the partnership and potentially develop even more hydro-resources in the province. The deal's proponents, chiefly the provincial Liberal party, which lost this year's election, say it will bring billions in new revenue to a province teetering on financial calamity. For detractors, chiefly the new provincial Progressive Conservative government, it is a deal that, at a minimum, is worthy of review given the legacy of 1969. 

This talk will situate the current debate within this historical context and show that for the government in St. John's, and the province as a whole, there are no nuanced answers when nationalist sentiment shadows public policy.

Jeffrey F. Collins is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Prince Edward Island. A native of Placentia, Newfoundland, he has written numerous articles and essays on Newfoundland political history and public policy challenges. 

The lecture is free, and all are welcome. For more information, contact Bren Simmers at 902-566-0386 or ispstaff@upei.ca.

TLC team - Jan. 5 to 9

Members of the TLC team will be working remotely the week of Jan. 5 to 9 during construction work in the library. You can contact them via email or Teams.  

Health, Safety and Environment News Flash!!

The new UPEI Laboratory Safety Manual, 3rd Edition, has been uploaded to the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) SharePoint site! You may use the HSE SharePoint search engine or click the ‘Laboratories’ button to access.

All laboratory workers - a person employed in a workplace; or a person in a workplace for any reason in connection there with are responsible for following all applicable safety rules and practices as outlined in the Laboratory Safety Manual.

For questions regarding the Laboratory Safety Manual, please reach out to HSE@upei.ca.  

Call for Nominations - Regional and National Teaching Awards

Colleagues are invited to participate in an open call for nominations for the AAU Teaching and Educational Leadership Awards in 2026 and the 3M National Teaching Fellowship for 2026-2027. Consider nominating a deserving colleague. Self-nominations, an important option for colleagues who identify as an equity-deserving group member, are encouraged. Self-nominators must identify a sponsor to support their nomination.  

Submitting a nomination takes only a few minutes using this nomination form.  Initial screening will begin January 15, 2026 

 

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