On Monday, December 7th at 3:00 pm the English Academic Program (EAP) staff of the International Relations Office will be hosting a holiday celebration in the Robertson Library "PIT". Light refreshments will be on hand, and students are welcome to take part in some caroling.  As part of the holiday celebrations student Farah Al-behadili would like to invite all students to attend a "unity tree" lighting ceremony at 3:30 pm. Farah asks all students to show their support by attending the event and hearing her message of peace and unity.

The Department of Religious Studies invites students, faculty, and staff to the following presentation for a tenure-track position in Religious Studies.  Dr. Patrick McBrine, University of Toronto, will be presenting "Sacred Language in Early Christainity".  

Come hear ten instructors presents ten fast and furious ideas for teaching first-year Arts courses. You'll get a variety of strategies, solutions, or activities, each in no more than five minutes: or else! While our focus will be on the teaching of first-year Arts courses, there will be lots of ideas here that you can adapt across disciplines and years: all are welcome. For more information (or to suggest a Furious Five), contact Shannon Murray (smurray@upei.ca).

More than 65 delegates from a cross-section of groups from across the country will gather at UPEI for The Consultation on Culture and Language Learning 2015: Perspective for the Future. The symposium is presented by UPEI and Canadian Parents for French PEI, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. More than 17,000 people on Prince Edward Island speak French, including more than 5,000 who speak it as a first language. With more young people than ever seeking the benefits of bilingualism, participants at today’s symposium discussed their challenges and opportunities. Participants will discuss ways to encourage both first and second French language speakers to live more fully in French: at work, at home, and in public. Dr. Ronald MacDonald, UPEI’s Dean of Education, spoke of education’s role in encouraging a flourishing French community. The symposium will operate with a think-tank approach, which a variety of open space sessions to encourage dialogue. The day will include a special presentation by Graham Fraser, Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages and music from local young entertainers Julien Kitson and Zakery Cormier. The inaugural symposium is an opportunity to bring together educators and community to network, strengthen partnerships, and identify shared priorities for improving teaching and learning, addressing achievement gaps, and sharing best practices for supporting the well-being and educational outcomes of PEI students. Organizing groups for the symposium include the PEI Department of Education, Early Childhood Development and Culture, the English Language School Board, La Commission scolaire de langue français, Collège Acadie de Î.-P.-É., Holland College, UPEI Faculty of Education, UPEI Department of Modern Languages, UPEI Faculty of Arts, and Canadian Parents for French PEI.

Canadian hockey icon Ron MacLean will be in Charlottetown Monday, December 14th, headlining a fundraising event for the UPEI Men’s Hockey program. Organized by the Friends of UPEI Hockey, MacLean will be sharing stories and answering questions during the fundraiser at the PEI Brewing Company. Doors open at 6:30 pm with MacLean mixing and mingling, then taking the podium at 7 pm. Tickets are $60 per person and are available by contacting Forbie MacPherson at mhockey@upei.ca, Mike O'Brien at mike.obrien@live.ca or Lennie Kelly at lennie.kelly@apei.ca. This event is for those 19 years of age or older.

The Department of Religious Studies invites students, faculty, and staff to the following presentation for a tenure-track position in Religious Studies. Dr. Shobhana Xavier, Franklin and Marshall University, Lancaster, PA., will be presenting: "The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship and the Dynamics of Sufism in North America"

Rescheduled: The Department of Religious Studies invites students, faculty, and staff to the following presentation for a tenure-track position in Religious Studies. Dr. Shobhana Xavier, Franklin and Marshall University, Lancaster, PA., will present: "The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship and the Dynamics of Sufism in North America."

The Department of Religious Studies invites students, faculty, and staff to the following presentation for a tenure-track position in Religious Studies. Dr.  Ariana Patey, Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies in Toronto, will present  "Charles de Foucauld: A Catholic Imitation of the Qur'anic Isa?" The presetation will take place in SDU Main Building - Room 320 at 2:30 p.m.  

In the past several years, travel by Islanders to Iceland has grown from a rarity to a phenomenon. “So you want to go to Iceland…” is a guide for both the never-been-there-yet set, and for experienced travellers looking for new ways to scratch their Iceland itch. The program includes Icelandic basics, a sample itinerary, a chance to question veteran Icelandic trippers, and a showcase of Iceland photos, submitted by the public. Send up to eight of your best shots to davidkcairns@gmail.com, and let him know if you want to do an oral commentary about your own adventure in Iceland. And if you don’t want to talk in the formal part of the evening, come anyway! There’ll be an opportunity for informal discussion and travel-tip-sharing during the intermission and afterward. The event takes place in the Faculty Lounge in UPEI's SDU Main Building, at 7 pm on January 19. Sponsors are the Vinland Society of PEI and the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI. Admission is free and donations are welcome. This is the first in a series of an Island Studies Winter/Spring Lecture Series. Watch for details for another lecture about islands – near and far – February 23! For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The UPEI Department of Music Recital Series is thrilled to present soprano Tracy Cantin on Friday, January 8 at 7:30 pm at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall. The Summerside native is returning to UPEI where, as she says “my serious training all began ten years ago.”  Tracy will be accompanied by pianist Frances McBurnie and jazz guitarist Dave Miller.  Her program of art songs will include Bach’s Ave Mariaand works by Debussy, Richard Strauss, Puccini and Britain. This recital has become a passion project for Tracy as it includes her favourite pieces composed by her favourite composers. Two of the Strauss pieces are songs she first learned and performed while a student at UPEI. Praised for her “full, gleaming sound” (Chicago Tribune), soprano Tracy Cantin “has it all - agility, power and dazzling coloratura”(Chicago Sun-Times), not to mention “vocal and physical allure, with interpretive intelligence and stage presence to boot” (Chicago Tribune). A recent graduate of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ms Cantin won magnificent critical acclaim last season at Lyric as Berta/Il barbiere di Siviglia, has appeared with the company in Elektra, Rigoletto, Parsifal, and most recently in the title role of Donizetti’s demanding Anna Bolena, in which she replaced ailing super-star soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. An avid concert performer, Tracy has performed around the world and has recently made debuts with the Melbourne Symphony (under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis), the Ravinia Festival, Grant Park Festival, Oregon Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Ms Cantin holds degrees from McGill University, the University of Western Ontario and the University of Alberta. Among  Tracy’s numerous awards are a 2014 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, a 2013 Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation career development grant, and first place in Canada’s prestigious Lois Marshall Memorial Competition (2010). Tickets are $15 Adults & $10 Seniors/Students and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/573446 or by calling or e-mailing the music office at 902-566- 0507/music@upei.ca.