Dear Students,

With the 2017–18 academic year about to begin, I would like to thank you for choosing the University of Prince Edward Island. Whether you are a brand new student or returning for another great year, I am honoured to welcome you to our University. UPEI offers innovative, experiential learning opportunities in a close-knit, safe, Island community. 

We strive every day to create a welcoming environment on our diverse campus. At UPEI, we embrace and respect one another because of our beautiful differences. Our outstanding faculty and staff work hard to create safe, inclusive spaces, where you can thrive academically, socially, and culturally.

I look forward to another year of creating future-focused programming by collaborating with faculty and staff and consulting with the community. We have many things to celebrate from last year, including the opening of the School for Sustainable Design Engineering building, the launch of the School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, and the approval of our new program—Applied Communications, Leadership, and Culture—that starts this semester.

With the start of our new academic year also comes a commitment to renew our University’s strategic plan. Building on the momentum and considerable success of our existing plan (which was developed for 2013 to 2018), our campus community will once again explore the possibilities and priorities that will help us to achieve our vision of being a leader in delivering outstanding experiential learning opportunities that encourage our students to develop to their full potential in both the classroom and the community. As we undertake our plan’s renewal in the coming months, we look forward to refreshed dialogue and discussions, while maintaining our focus on ensuring continual growth in the quality of the education and experiences we provide our students.

UPEI is a community. As a community, we are all connected. And university is not a journey you need to take alone. UPEI has numerous departments and resources in place dedicated to your success, including the Student Health Centre, Counseling Services, the Mawi'omi Aboriginal Student Centre, the Chaplaincy Centre, the Campus Life program, the Student Diversity office, Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning, Career Services, and many more. I encourage you to reach out and explore the many different networks we have created to support your university experience.

Whether this is your first year or fourth, I urge you to take advantage of the many opportunities, activities, and celebrations that UPEI has to offer. Going to university is more than what happens in the classroom! The 2017–18 AUS season is kicking off, and our Panther varsity and club sports teams are striving to make this the best year ever. You can see the game-day details on gopanthersgo.ca. You can also view the University’s upcoming events on upei.ca. Participating in extra-curricular activities is a great way to have fun, make a difference, and build friendships that last a lifetime.

I wish you all the very best for a wonderful year at UPEI. You will receive an exceptional education in a warm, friendly atmosphere that is notably located on one of the most beautiful Islands in Canada.

Best wishes,

Alaa

Dr. Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Prince Edward Island
 

It’s a brand new season for the UPEI Panthers! This weekend sees the UPEI home-opening games for Women’s Soccer, Men’s Soccer, and Men’s Rugby.

UPEI Women’s Soccer starts off the weekend with a game on the UPEI Turf Field Saturday at 3:00 pm against St. Francis Xavier University.

“I’m looking forward to our home opener,” said Graeme McDonald, coach of UPEI Women’s Soccer. “There is an extra edge to it going up against last year’s AUS champions. The squad is in a positive mood coming off a successful pre-season. We are heading into this game full of confidence.”

The men’s soccer team takes the field at 5:15 pm against St. FX.

“We have had a great pre season and our looking forward to playing St. FX in our home opener,” said Lewis Page, coach of UPEI Men’s Soccer. “St. FX is one of the top teams in our conference. It will be a great early season test."

UPEI Men’s Rugby takes on St. Thomas University at home Sunday at 2:00 pm.

“If the past few years are anything to go by, STU is a team on the rise, so they'll be a good opponent to start the season,” said coach Charles Waddell.  “I'm feeling very optimistic about our chances. We've had great numbers out in training, and we're looking strong in every position. Our back row, especially, is looking incredibly strong.”

The start of a new season is a great time to pick up your Panther Package. For just $75, you get admission to every home game for UPEI Women’s and Men’s Soccer, UPEI Women’s and Men’s Rugby, UPEI Women’s and Men’s Basketball, and UPEI Women’s Hockey. Head to gopanthersgo.ca and click on ‘tickets’!

And don’t forget, UPEI students get into all Panther home games for free. Let’s fill the stands and make 2017–18 the best season ever!

The University of Prince Edward Island has a number of resources available to students whose families may be affected by Hurricane Irma, and other storms in the Caribbean, as well as the recent earthquake in Mexico.

If students want to talk to someone or require assistance, they can drop into Student Affairs (second floor, W.A. Murphy Student Centre), call 902-566-0488 during business hours, or email Manager Treena Smith at trlsmith@upei.ca. Other on-campus supports include:

Office of Recruitment and International Relations
Robertson Library, 230
iro@upei.ca
(902) 566-0576

Residence Life Office
Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, 121
(902) 566-0330
residence@upei.ca

Chaplaincy Centre (Sister Sue Kidd, Chaplain)
(902) 894-2876
sukidd@upei.ca

If students need support at any time, they can also call The Island Helpline at 1-800-218-2885, which operates on a 24 hour, 7 day-a-week basis.  

To keep up-to-date on Hurricane Irma and other storms, visit the Canadian Hurricane Centre website.

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Carly Connell (women’s soccer) and Sam Smiley (men’s soccer), the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the week for September 4–10!

Carly Connell is a second-year Science student from Charlottetown, PEI and a midfielder for UPEI Women’s Soccer. The Panthers dropped a pair of games over the weekend, but Connell showed tremendous battling spirit, determination, and confidence. “Her consistent perseverance to take the tackles and get back on her feet is a great example of a player who gives it her all and is proud to wear the Panther jersey,” said coach Graeme McDonald.

Sam Smiley is a third-year fullback on UPEI Men’s Soccer and a Bachelor of Arts student. The Panthers lost their home opener Saturday against St. Francis Xavier, but rebounded with a win Sunday against Université de Moncton. “Sam was excellent in both games this weekend,” said coach Lewis Page. “He created chances and scored two goals from his midfield position.”

With four home games coming this weekend at UPEI, there really couldn’t be a better time to pick up your Panther Package. For just $75, you get admission to every home game for UPEI Women’s and Men’s Soccer, UPEI Women’s and Men’s Rugby, UPEI Women’s and Men’s Basketball, and UPEI Women’s Hockey. Head to gopanthersgo.ca and click on ‘tickets’!

And don’t forget, UPEI students get into all Panther home games for free. Let’s fill the stands and make 2017–18 the best season ever!

Two UPEI students recently presented their summer research projects at an international offshore renewable energy symposium in Ireland. Kellen Devries, a second-year student in sustainable design engineering, and Patrick Connolly, a fourth-year student in physics, attended the annual European symposium of the International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy—an organization that promotes connections and collaboration among graduate students, early-stage researchers, and industry.

Devries and Connolly worked with Dr. Matt Hall in the School of Sustainable Design Engineering to design and create simulation models for floating offshore wind turbines. This new technology sees wind turbines mounted on floating platforms, allowing for the harvesting of wind energy far offshore. Devries worked to improve design tools for mooring lines, which anchor the turbine platforms in place. Connolly explored new ways to interconnect farms of offshore turbines to reduce their cost.

Dr. Hall says both students presented posters and represented UPEI well among an international group of mostly graduate students. They also participated in industry-directed collaborative tasks from Cascadia Coast Research and Nova Innovation. Dr. Hall, who was in Ireland for the European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference, anticipates the students’ trip will lead to new research collaborations.

Devries and Connolly’s travel and summer work was supported by Regis and Joan Duffy, UPEI’s SURA program, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island. UPEI is located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People.

UPEI’s Dr. Sean Wiebe will launch a new book of poetry Friday, September 22 at 6:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. His latest work, Blue Waiting, is a collaboration with West Coast poet Celeste Snowber.

Writing on opposite coasts of Canada, Wiebe and Snowber explain the collection was formed through the geography of living. This geography takes shape in the edges of islands, mountains, families, and most of all the terrain of the inner life. In two voices, Blue Waiting explores many issues facing the coasts from both a male and female perspective.

Dr. Sean Wiebe is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island. Since the inception of the International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry, he has been an integral part of the poetic inquiry community. He is the co-editor of Resonance: Poetic Inquiries of Reflection and Renewal (2016, in press), and was the co-editor of “Poetic Inquiry in/for/as,” a special issue of in education, 2014. He has been the principal investigator on four Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded projects investigating the digital economy and new literacies. His current grant, based on findings generated from multiple sites across Canada, investigates how establishing a creative ethos in schools might support teachers as contributors to Canada’s creative economy.

Dr. Celeste Snowber is a dancer, writer, poet and educator, who is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. Her essays and poetry have been published in journals and book chapters. She is the author of Embodied Prayer and co-author of Landscapes in Aesthetic Education. Her most recent collection of poetry is Wild Tourist. Her book, Embodied Inquiry: Writing, Living and Being through the Body, was released in 2016. She is recipient of the 2016 Ted T. Aoki Award for Distinguished Service in Canadian Curriculum Studies. Celeste continues to create/perform site-specific work in connection to the natural world and is presently the Artist in Residence in the UBC Botanical Garden.

Blue Waiting is published by Acorn Press. All are welcome!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island. UPEI is located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People.

AVC’s popular Open House takes place on Saturday, September 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A free event hosted by students, faculty and staff, AVC Open House offers the community an opportunity to get an inside view of a busy veterinary college.

There is something for everyone including family-friendly activities, tours, exhibits, lots of different animals, a parade of dog breeds, community organization displays, and much more. Children can bring their stuffed animals to the teddy bear clinic where they will be examined by a veterinary student. They can also have their faces painted and get a balloon animal to take home. And they can get an animal-themed bracelet to take home (supplies are limited).

A great way to spend a late fall Saturday afternoon. Don’t miss it!

Fort McMurray-based independent theatre company Theatre; Just Because recently named UPEI alumnus Justin Shaw as its new artistic director. Shaw graduated from UPEI in 2014 with his Honours History and a minor in Theatre Studies before attending the National Theatre School in Montreal.

“I was instantly impressed by his ambition, professionalism, and enthusiasm to bring artists together and to put them in the spotlight,” says outgoing artistic director Michelle Thorne. “He was a huge influence in the formation and success of Theatre; Just Because without him really knowing. Having this young man come into our community and really shake things up and make things happen really lit the fire under many theatre artists in the community to step up the level of professionalism in their work.”

Shaw is an actor, writer, producer, and comedian who has been celebrated for his work on Island and off. He was recently awarded the Patron’s Prize for his debut as a playwright with The Wrestling Play at the 2017 Island Fringe Festival.

Congratulations, Justin!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island. UPEI is located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People.

The University of Prince Edward Island takes the safety and security of its students, faculty, staff, and the entire campus community very seriously. As part of UPEI’s commitment to emergency preparedness and response, the Advantage Emergency Mass Notification System (EMNS) will be launched later this month.

The new system will improve efficiency and enhance UPEI’s current channels of communication during an emergency. Currently, emergency notifications are sent to UPEI email addresses (name@upei.ca) and media outlets as well as posted on the front page of upei.ca, the UPEI Campus Screen network, Twitter (@UPEI), and UPEI’s Facebook page.

A key feature of Advantage EMNS is that it will allow UPEI to also send emergency notifications by text (SMS or email).

During the week of September 25, students, faculty, and staff will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download the Advantage EMNS “app” from their respective operating system stores.

The email will also invite campus members to voluntarily add their cell numbers to their profile so that users can take full advantage of the system and receive notifications by text. (Employees with UPEI-issued cell phones will have their numbers automatically added to their profile.)

UPEI strongly encourages all members of the campus community to monitor their UPEI email inboxes and to download the Advantage EMNS “app” to keep informed on emergency incidents that may impact them.

In his third book, Dr. Gil Germain critically examines the perception of reality that informs our technological world. Thinking About Technology: how the technological mind misreads reality is published by Lexington Books.

From the publisher’s website:

“The world we make reflects the way reality is perceived, and today the world is perceived primarily in technological terms. So argues Gil Germain in Thinking About Technology: How the Technological Mind Misreads Reality. Given the connection between perception and action, or thinking and doing, Germain first highlights the central features of technological worldview to better understand the contemporary drive to master the conditions of human existence. He then boldly proposes that the technological worldview seriously misreads the nature of the world it seeks mastery over, and shows how this misinterpretation invariably leads to the technologically related challenges currently vexing the contemporary social order, from the drift toward a post-human future to the anti-globalization backlash. Germain closes Thinking About Technology by articulating an alternative worldview to the technological perspective and illustrating how this re-reading of reality might help us inhabit the technological landscape in ways better attuned to the human condition.”

Dr. Gil Germain is an associate professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island. UPEI is located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People.