The University of Prince Edward Island announced today that Mark English has accepted the position of head coach of the UPEI Women's Basketball program, effective immediately.

English, who holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from Memorial University, has an extensive basketball background. He was most recently the assistant coach of the men's basketball team at Lakehead University and was their chief recruiting officer. While English was at Lakehead, the team had four consecutive appearances in the CIS nationals. He is also the director of Blaze Basketball, the local club program in Thunder Bay.

Previously, English was the coordinator and lead instructor of Memorial University's basketball camps and assistant coach with the men's basketball team. He has been both a head coach and an assistant coach with numerous Newfoundland provincial teams.

UPEI Vice-President Administration and Finance Jackie Podger said, 'On behalf of the University, I extend a warm welcome to Mr. English. Mark brings with him significant experience, a proven track record of success, and a wide range of connections that will help him recruit top-notch student athletes to the program. We know he will inspire and lead our women's basketball team to new heights.'

English said, 'I am extremely excited to have this opportunity to coach this talented group of young women and cannot wait to get started. It's obviously late in the process, but we will get organized and on the court as quickly as possible.'

Podger added, 'I also would like to sincerely thank all of those who applied for the position as well as the community members and alumni on the volunteer selection committee, George Morrison, SDU'68, Doug Newson, BBA'97, and Heather Howatt, BBA'91 along with chair Stephanie Knickle-Currie for their time and effort given to the hiring process.'

Over twenty people applied for the position with candidates shortlisted based on several criteria including coaching credentials, proficiency in fundraising and recruiting, and coaching experience at the university level.

English will be arriving on Prince Edward Island next week.

Harry Thurston is one of Atlantic Canada's premier nature and environmental writers, and also one of the region's finest poets. Thurston has collaborated with New Brunswick poet and songwriter-musician Allan Cooper on a poetic dialogue about the natural world.

Thurston and Cooper will read from their new book The Deer Yard on Monday, September 22, at 7:30 pm in UPEI's Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building. They will also read on Tuesday, September 23 at 7:00 pm in the Summerside Rotary Library.

These readings are organized by the UPEI English Department, with funding from The Canada Council for the Arts. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

For information:
Dr. Richard Lemm
Professor, Department of English, UPEI
Winter's Tales Authors' Reading Series
(902) 566-0592, rlemm@upei.ca

UPEI is pleased to announce a program that will enhance its student support services. Through a partnership with Shepell, UPEI will now offer a Student Support Program (SSP) for all students, effective September 1, 2014.

Students will have access to many different professionals 24/7, 365 days a year, including counsellors, nutritionists, lawyers, financial experts and others. Students can receive support on a variety of topics including relationships, childcare, landlord/tenant issues, and health and financial issues. These services are available in over 200 different languages.

'I am so excited to be able to expand the supports offered to UPEI students,' said UPEI's Manager of Student Affairs Treena Smith. 'Our students are always on the top of our minds and now that they can receive support 24 hours a day, that helps me sleep better at night. Student Affairs continues to offer all supports for our students with fantastic professional counsellors, academic coaches, accessibility services professionals, writing professionals, student life events, student diversity, and our student leaders, and the Shepell Student Support Program is one more support that students can add to their list.'

Barb Veder, Vice President, Clinical Services and Research Lead with Morneau Shepell spoke on behalf of Shepell and shared the enthusiasm of this new partnership. 'We're honoured to be a partner with the University of Prince Edward Island and to be able to provide assistance and support to its students,' said Veder. 'Our innovative and unique service will be able to give students support anytime, anywhere, and anyhow as we offer support solutions around the clock using our digital platforms through our EAP app, online, or by telephone.

For more information on this new program, contact Treena Smith, Manager of Student Affairs at (902) 566-0674 or trlsmith@upei.ca

CLIVE, the coastal erosion visualization tool created by UPEI's Climate Research Lab and the Spatial Interface Lab at Simon Fraser University, has reached the FINALS in MIT's CoLab Communicating Coastal Risk and Resilience contest. Now it needs your votes to help it win the Popular Choice award. Register to vote at the contest website.

Nearly 600 projects were submitted to MIT's Climate CoLab for this year's competition. CLIVE made it through several rounds of competition and broke through to the finals against two other projects. It is eligible for the 'Popular Choice Award,' as determined by online voting, and for the 'Judges Choice Award,' based on the project's merits as determined by a panel of judges.

Voting is currently open and runs until September 30. Log on and vote to support this great co-initiative with SFU and UPEI!

For information:
Dave Atkinson, Research Communications Officer, UPEI
(902) 620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca

As UPEI is busy with the first week of classes and welcoming new and returning students to campus, its focus remains on upcoming priorities around delivering high quality educational programs, strong student experiences, a growing exploration and discovery agenda, long-term sustainability and building vibrant communities.

The recent discussion of UPEI Athletics and Recreation touches on the majority of these priorities in various ways, and a public search is now underway for a Director of Athletics and Recreation at UPEI. The position posting can be found here.

The hiring committee consists of Jackie Podger, Vice President, Administration and Finance - Committee Chair; Dave MacNeill, Lead Consultant, Athletics Review - Community Member; Norman Beck, Principal Stonepark Intermediate School - Community Member; Tracey Ellsworth, Principal Sherwood Elementary- Representative of Athletic Advisory Board; Tony Sauer - Scotia McLeod Wealth Advisor- Community Advisor; and Jonathan Oliver - Director Ancillary Services at UPEI.

A research project at UPEI is looking for volunteers who enjoy gardening, cooking, and working with children. Dr. Lyndsay Moffatt, assistant professor of education at UPEI, is looking for 23 elders (50+), and 23 young adults (16-30) or adults (30-50) who are willing and able to meet approximately once a month during the school year to plant seeds, make food, sing, talk, and tell stories with Kindergarten students.

Dr. Moffatt is studying how this kind of intergenerational project can support the kindergarten language and literacy curricula. To participate in 'Start With A Seedling,' volunteers will need an up-to-date police record check. This police record check is free if you present a letter from Dr. Moffatt that outlines the study.

Interested? Contact Dr. Moffatt at lemoffatt@upei.ca or (902) 620-5177.

'Start With A Seedling' is supported by a Joint Education Research Grant (JERG) from the Prince Edward Island English Language School Board, UPEI's Faculty of Education, and the PEI Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, as well as a Charlottetown Micro-grant.

For information:
Dave Atkinson, Research Communications Officer, UPEI
(902) 620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca

UPEI Women's Rugby Head Coach Shannon Atkins is very pleased to announce that former rugby player Cassie MacKenzie will join the Panther coaching staff for the 2014-15 season.

MacKenzie, a two-time team MVP, two-time AUS All-Star, during her first season with UPEI, was also selected to play rugby for the U-19 Canadian Women's Rugby team. MacKenzie is known as a 'no-nonsense' scrum half who directed her team on both offensive and defensive strategies. She was admired and respected throughout the league for both her athletic ability, as well as her community involvement, in particular with rugby in PEI.

'Cassie played rugby at UPEI from 2004-08, and received many awards for her contributions on the field,' said Atkins. 'Since then, she has gone on to coach both at the high school level (for nine years), and as a provincial rugby coach (for five years). Cassie has always made the University proud in the classroom and on the pitch, and has received two degrees from UPEI (BSc and MBA). She is second to none in her coaching abilities, and I am really looking forward to the team benefiting from all of her expertise.'

'I am very excited to be joining the Panthers coaching staff this season, and look forward to coaching at a new elite level,' said MacKenzie. 'As a former Panther, this team is very special to me and I am grateful to have the opportunity to give back to a program that provided me with so many opportunities. The Panthers have a talented group of women, and I look forward to helping this young dynamic team build on their potential.'

In addition to being introduced, MacKenzie will also be honoured for her rugby accomplishments during the Women's Rugby home opener tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm on MacAdam Field where the team will take on the Acadia Axewomen.

'There are a few female players on the Island that have directly contributed to the success of women's rugby in the province, and Cassie is one of them,' added Atkins, who is also the Women's Coordinator for the PEI Rugby Union.

Go Panthers Go!

For information:
Ron Annear
UPEI Athletics and Recreation
(902) 566-0991, annear@upei.ca

The University of Prince Edward Island signed two articulation agreements with Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. today to provide the opportunity for Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. graduates to gain admission into UPEI's Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Child and Family Studies degree programs.

Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. students who complete a two-year diploma in Human Services will now be able to gain admission into the third-year of the Bachelor of Arts program at UPEI; while Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. students who complete a two-year diploma in Early Childhood Education will now be able to gain admission to the third-year of the Bachelor of Child and Family Studies, through the Department of Applied Human Sciences.

These agreements were signed by UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz; UPEI Vice-President Academic Christian Lacroix; President of Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. Donald DesRoches; and Vice-President of Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. Colette Aucoin. The agreements mirror similar agreements for corresponding programs at Holland College.

'We are very pleased to welcome Collège Acadie as a partner institution,' said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. 'We look forward to recognizing the graduates of the Collège as they transition to an articulated degree program here at UPEI.'

'This is the first articulation agreement between the University of Prince Edward Island and Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. and we couldn't be more thrilled as our graduates will now be able to continue their post-secondary studies in the province. We hope that this partnership will pave the way to collaboration in additional program areas in the future,' said Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É. President Donald DesRoches.

For information:
Sheila Kerry
Media Relations and Communications Officer
University of Prince Edward Island
(902) 566-0760, skerry@upei.ca

Tina Robichaud
Collège Acadie Î.-P.-É.
(902) 314-3332, tina@trobichaudconsulting.ca

The UPEI soccer program will host 'UPEI Alumni Night' on Friday, September 12. All UPEI alumni will be granted free admission to the soccer games; drink and food specials will be available at The Wave prior to, and after the games; and a licensed beer garden will be available during the games. Alumni in attendance will also be entered to win a Panther prize pack from the UPEI Alumni Office.

The evening kicks off with the UPEI Women's Soccer team facing Mount Allison at 5:00 pm, followed by the UPEI Men's Soccer game at 7:15 pm. This will be a great chance for UPEI alumni to reconnect with former classmates and teammates, and cheer on this year's UPEI Panther student-athletes. For more information on upcoming games and events, check out www.gopanthersgo.ca.

For information:
Ron Annear
UPEI Athletics and Recreation
University of Prince Edward Island
(902) 566-0991, annear@upei.ca

The UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week for the week of September 1-7 are Emilie Pelletier, Women's Soccer; and Logan Dawson, Men's Soccer. UPEI Athletics and Recreation showcases these talented athletes to recognize their hard work and dedication to their respective sports throughout the season. UPEI Athletes of the Week are also nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Who: Emilie Pelletier, Women's Soccer; and Logan Dawson, Men's Soccer

What: UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week

When: Week of September 1-7

Why: Pelletier, a fourth-year science student from Fredericton, New Brunswick had a strong opening weekend for the Panthers. She scored in the Panthers 5-2 loss to Acadia University on Friday, September 5, and had two assists in the team's 4-0 win over Université de Moncton on Sunday, September 7.

Dawson, a fifth-year business student from Hampton, PEI returned to the team after a year off. He quickly returned to his high level of play, winning the 'Player of the Game' award in Friday night's 1-0 loss to Acadia, and had a strong performance in the Panthers 2-2 tie against Moncton on Sunday.

Panther Action this weekend:

Friday, September 12
UPEI Soccer Alumni Night presented by Cox & Palmer
5:00 pm (W) Soccer vs. Mount Allison University
7:15 pm (M) Soccer vs. Mount Allison University

Sunday, September 14
1:00 pm (W) Soccer vs. St. Francis Xavier University
3:15 pm (M) Soccer vs. St. Francis Xavier University

All Panther home games are available on http://austv.ca/

Go Panthers Go!

Emilie Pelletier, Women's Soccer