UPEI faculty members were honoured at Faculty Recognition Night, May 7, held this year on campus to celebrate and honour faculty achievements. The annual dinner and gala is co-sponsored by the UPEI Faculty Association and the Office of the President.
This event honours the winners of the Hessian Award for Excellence in Teaching and the UPEI Merit Award for Scholarly Achievement. It is also an opportunity to honour the service of retiring academic staff, as well as to recognize those who have served UPEI for 25 years or more.
The Hessian Award is given to a faculty member who has shown outstanding competence in teaching; this year’s recipients include: Inge Dorsey, University 100; Stacey MacKinnon, Psychology; LeeAnn Pack, Companion Animals; and Jason Pearson, Chemistry.
This year, three faculty members were recognized for their outstanding achievements as researchers....
The UPEI Men’s Basketball Panthers are excited to announce that six-foot-five Brian Ofori, from Dawson College in Montreal, has committed to attend UPEI in September. Ofori led his team in rebounds and blocked shots, and was among the league leaders in the Quebec CEGEP league.
Tim Kendrick, head coach of the UPEI men’s basketball team was thrilled to learn Ofori would be attending UPEI in the fall. “We are excited to add Ofori to our Panther family. He comes to us with tremendous potential, and I see him as a great fit for our program,” said Kendrick. “He is a very physical athlete with a solid work ethic and attitude. Most importantly, like all of our players, he is a fine young man.”
Ofori is excited to join the Panthers lineup in September. “I am very pleased to have been chosen to play with the UPEI Panthers, and to be a part of this...
Over 900 graduates crossed the stage to receive their degrees, diplomas, and certificates, during convocation on Saturday, May 12. UPEI’s class of 2012 and their proud family and friends gathered in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre for two ceremonies, the first beginning at 10:00 am and the second at 2:30 pm.
Three honorary degrees were conferred upon J. Michael Bliss, historian and academic; Frank Zakem, businessman, politician, and administrator; and Derek Key, lawyer and community leader.
In his convocation remarks to the morning graduates, Bliss advised them not to take themselves too seriously, and although he surmised that they would not remember what he said (Bliss states in one of his books, “whoever remembers what a graduation speaker says?”), he hoped they would remember one word, “balance.”
Bliss went on to challenge graduates to...
On Friday, May 11, academic and senior student awards were presented during a ceremony held in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. The celebration is an opportunity to honour fellow graduating students for academic and campus spirit achievements before they embark on new journeys after convocation on May 12.
The ceremony was attended by the deans of each faculty and other faculty members who joined together to acknowledge the years of dedication and sleepless nights the graduates endured to achieve their goals. The ceremony was also attended by many individuals and business representatives who have generously donated prizes to deserving students.
All graduates were encouraged to attend the awards ceremony to promote spirit for the Class of 2012 and to acknowledge the donors for prizes that students received. Students received awards for academics, campus and class spirit, a resident...
UPEI Applied Human Sciences professor Jennifer Taylor was named a Female Food Hero by Oxfam Canada recently. Oxfam's Female Food Heroes are "women who are working to build a movement for good food, food that is grown well and shared fairly."
Taylor is a female food hero because of the amazing variety of food-related community contributions that she makes on PEI. She is an award-winning leader in the community, and works with others to promote access to healthy food. She is a strong proponent of local food and of ensuring local producers are part of the solution to providing local healthy food for all.
Oxfam Canada will hold its regional meeting on PEI on May 11-12, where they will discuss local and global food issues, celebrate and support the critical role of women around the issues of food both nationally and internationally. Oxfam believes ending global poverty...
For the first time on PEI, the Canada-Wide Science Fair 2012 will take place in Charlottetown from May 12 to 19, on the University of Prince Edward Island campus.
This national event brings together Canada’s 500 top scientists from grades 7 to 12 who have won their local, regional and provincial science competitions. And beyond showcasing their projects and competing for top awards and prizes, finalists will share a week of fun, discovery, and networking with other Canadian students, scientists and researchers, industry, and Islanders who are also interested in science and technology.
Everyone is invited to come to the UPEI campus to welcome, congratulate and meet Canada’s future science leaders during the public viewing times:
Monday, May 14: 6:00-7:30 pm
Thursday, May 17: 10:30-11:30 am
Friday, May 18: 9:00 am–12:00 pm
Admission...
Members of UPEI’s Class of 2012, along with their family and friends, will gather in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on Saturday, May 12, to celebrate convocation, the biggest event of the academic year. Over 900 students, the largest graduating class to date, will receive degrees, diplomas, and certificates during two ceremonies, the first beginning at 10:00 am and the second at 2:30 pm.
UPEI will confer honorary degrees upon J. Michael Bliss, historian and academic; Frank Zakem, businessman, politician, and administrator; and Derek Key, lawyer and community leader. Bliss will address the morning convocation while Key will address the afternoon convocation.
The following degrees, diplomas, and certificates will be granted during the morning convocation: Accounting Certificate, Business Certificate, Adult Education Certificate, Inclusive Education Certificate, School Librarianship...
With a difficult financial landscape facing institutions and organizations across Prince Edward Island, the UPEI Board of Governors was pleased to approve a balanced operating budget for 2012-13 at its May 8 meeting.
The University addressed its budget with a goal of minimizing the impact on students during these fiscally challenging times. The “bare bones” budget is based on specific enrolment projections, conservative assumptions for expenditure growth, and budget reductions across campus. An increase in student tuition was limited to $20 per credit course—a 4 per cent increase—similar to the average tuition increase over the past 10 years at the Island’s only university. Tuition at UPEI remains highly competitive.
President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz admits that he faced hard decisions with his budget team, “This has been a challenging first year as...
Dr. Barbara Campbell, Director of UPEI's Webster Centre, Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, and interim Presidential Advisor International Relations, received a prestigious award at the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC) Conference held in Montreal recently.
Campbell received this year's SWAAC Recognition Award, an award granted each year to a member who has continually demonstrated innovative leadership in advancing the mission of, and achieving outstanding contributions to, their institution and/or to higher education.
Anne Bartlett, Pathways to Academic Success Coordinator in UPEI’s Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning, was one of Campbell’s nominators, and believes that Campbell demonstrates innovative leadership daily. “The success of the Webster Centre is greatly due to Dr Campbell’s infectious...
UPEI welcomed 20 high school students from 10 local high schools to campus over the weekend as they took part in UPEI's annual Math Camp. The event, organized by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and co-sponsored by the Canadian Mathematical Society, took place May 4-6.
The students involved are among the best math students in the province and the camp is an opportunity for them to hone their skills through problem-solving competitions including math relays, as well as some recreational activities in the evenings. Faculty sessions by Dr. Shannon Fitzpatrick, Dr. Sami Khedhiri, Dr. Gordon MacDonald, Dr. Max Burke, Dr. David Horrocks, Dr. Nasser Saad, and Dr. Ken Sulston also took place on various mathematical topics.
“Math Camp brings some of PEI's best math students to campus. They get introduced to some new math concepts and tackle some challenging...
Fiddler’s UPEI Dream Team consisting of UPEI men’s basketball coaches—Tim Kendrick, Marvin Rhyno, and Patrick Havard—are working to drop a total combined weight loss of 100 pounds from May 4 to September 4, as part of a weight loss challenge to get healthy, and raise funds for their team’s upcoming exhibition season.
The whole idea for the challenge arose when local media sports pundit, Fred "The Fiddler" MacDonald, noted the girth of the UPEI basketball coaches on Compass, the CBC supper hour show. The UPEI coaches thought an appropriate response would be to address their weight in a positive way.
The Dream Team won’t be doing this on their own, as they have recruited four professionals from the campus community to help with tips on healthy eating and exercising throughout their process. Teri McComber, BSc Foods and Nutrition and...
Bonnie Stewart, a PhD student at UPEI, whose thesis explores the trend of online learning, is studying the benefits of Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs) in higher education. Her work recently garnered attention in two highly reputable news sources—The Guardian (UK) and Inside Higher Ed.
Stewart believes that online learning will complement traditional learning rather than replace it. In her articles she claims that the education sector will learn from the experiences of students who study both online and in the classroom.
“The Mooc augments my PhD studies by making it possible for me to be a public thinker and learner, by giving me up-to-the-minute access to the conversations shaping and driving my field, and the opportunity to participate in these conversations,” said Stewart in her guardian.uk article. “Forget the business case, open online courses are...
Prince of Wales College alumnae and UPEI honorary graduand Sister Mary Olga McKenna passed away on Tuesday, May 1. The well-loved member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, passed peacefully at Caritas Residence in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Born in Charlottetown, Sister McKenna can trace her forebears back to some of the first settlers from Monaghan County who came to PEI. She was educated at Prince of Wales College, Mount Saint Vincent College, Boston College, and the University of London, England.
Though her roots in PEI run deep, she ranks among the Island Irish who have made distinguished contributions elsewhere while maintaining strong ties with their home province.
Sister McKenna joined the Sisters of Charity at a young age and began a long and distinguished teaching career. After graduation from Kensington High School and Prince of Wales College, she earned...
UPEI’s first students in the Nurse Practitioner stream of the two-year Master of Nursing program (MN)— Laurie Brehaut, Marion MacDonald, and Kelsey MacPhee— have completed their first year of study. Upon successful completion of their second year, and after writing their national certification, they will be the first NP students to receive didactic and clinical advanced practice nursing education here on the Island. The students bring a diversity of knowledge and experience to their work, and UPEI is being congratulated for introducing the program in September 2011, recognizing the need for this stream of health-care delivery.
This summer, Health PEI has hired the NP students into the Primary Health Care Networks, providing an opportunity for the students to develop their skills, serve as ambassadors of the NP role, and help raise awareness of the importance of the...
The University of Prince Edward Island graduates and their families and friends are invited to a gathering to celebrate—in prayer and song—the accomplishments of the Class of 2012. The event will take place on Sunday, May 6 at 6:30 pm at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.
Mass celebrants will be The Most Reverend Richard J. Grecco, Bishop of the Diocese of Charlottetown, and University Chaplain Father Andrew MacDonald. A reception will follow after the mass celebration.
Please RSVP to Sister Susan Kidd, Campus Minister, sukidd@upei.ca or 894-2876.
The UPEI women’s hockey team received a 2012 RBC Play Hockey grant of $10,000 for their “Newcomers Play Hockey” program to help keep hockey vibrant in Charlottetown. UPEI kicked off their program this week during the Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship being held in Charlottetown.
“Newcomers Play Hockey”—a concept developed by UPEI women’s hockey Head Coach, Bruce Donaldson, aims to get youth who are new to Canada involved in the sport through skill sessions put on by the members of the women’s team. UPEI will work with the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada, and various government and local agencies that are directly connected to PEI’s newest Canadians. With the help of RBC and the RBC Play Hockey grant, this new program offers newcomers on-ice sessions that will focus on skill development, rule...
UPEI's Math Camp, organized by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and co-sponsored by the Canadian Mathematical Society will take place May 4-6. The annual event will welcome 20 high school students from 10 local high schools, they are among the best math students in the province.
The camp offers faculty sessions on various mathematical topics, problem-solving competitions including math relays, as well as some recreational activities in the evenings.
Faculty sessions by Dr. Shannon Fitzpatrick, Dr. Sami Khedhiri, Dr. Gordon MacDonald, Dr. Max Burke, Dr. David Horrocks, Dr. Nasser Saad, and Dr. Ken Sulston.
For more information, contact event organizers: Dr. Ken Sulston at sulston@upei.ca or Dr. Shafiqul Islam at sislam@upei.ca
Joel Ward, right wing for the Washington Capitals, netted the overtime winning goal in Game 7 of the NHL matchup between the Capitals and the Boston Bruins. Having scored just six goals in the season, Ward is known as the Capitals’ improbable hero, scoring the most crucial goal in the series, to knock out the defending Stanley Cup champions.
“I’ve done it this way my whole life,” Ward said. “I’ve always been the underdog. I’ve never been a top guy. But I never doubted myself,” said Ward to a Washington Post reporter after the April 25 OT goal.
Ward's crucial goal within the first three minutes of OT was a backhanded rebound past Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. The goal secured the score at 2-1, an Eastern Conference quarterfinals victory to advance the Capitals.
The former UPEI Panther played four years on the University’s hockey...
Second-and-third year engineering students displayed their design skills at the annual UPEI Engineering Design Expo and Awards ceremony held April 19. The students, who formed into groups, were matched up at the beginning of the semester, with industry and government organizations—“clients”—that provided them with specific issues in hopes that they could provide real-life solutions.
The four clients included the PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry (DAF), Ducks Unlimited, PEI Bag Company, and Morning Star Fisheries. The student groups had roughly six months to meet, plan, build, analyze, and present their prototypes to their clients. The Expo then provided a venue to display projects to community members and industry professionals. Engineers PEI judged the projects and presented an award to the team that best demonstrated a high level of professionalism,...
The tenth offering of the International Biennial Conference on Lucy Maud Montgomery will be held at UPEI from June 20–24. Anyone interested in attending is reminded that the "Early Bird" deadline for discounted registration is May 1, so visit the Conference Website today to book your spot!
This year's theme is “Cultural Landscapes” which will draw speakers and delegates from some of the nations touched by Montgomery’s global impact, including Canada, the US, Japan, Sweden, and Finland.
The LM Montgomery Institute is pleased to be partnering with UPEI to host this year's Conference. A big factor in the success of past Montgomery conferences has been the efforts made by many members of the campus community to help make Conference attendees welcome.
This Conference wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers! If you’d like to...
UPEI recently held its annual co-operative education awards ceremony on March 22 to recognize co-op students and employers. Student of the Year awards were presented to Rebecca Nieuwhof (Business Co-op Student of the Year) and Caitlyn Darrach (Physics Co-op Student of the Year). Ben Docksteader was recognized as the Computer Science Co-op Student of the Year but was unable to attend the ceremony.
BDO Canada LLP received the Employer of the Year award for Business, Patrick Trainor, Partner at BDO Canada LLP, attended to accept the award on behalf of the company. Employer Recognition Awards for Computer Science and Physics were also presented at the ceremony. Timeless Technologies Inc received the award for Computer Science, Brad Pineau, Owner of Timeless Technologies was in attendance along with John Rowe, President of Timeless Technologies Inc. NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics...
Third-year UPEI women’s hockey player, Anja Weisser, has had an unforgettable six weeks. In that time frame, Weisser, originally from Kaufbeuren, Germany, played for both her university and her home country at regional, national, and international championships—the top tier competitions in her sport. With UPEI, Weisser competed at the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Women’s Hockey championships. She then competed at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championship for Team Germany.
Weisser’s hockey journey in Canada began after hearing about UPEI a few years ago at a minor hockey league camp in Finland. She had always wanted to play hockey in Canada and was urged to check out the UPEI women’s hockey program. Two years later, she contacted Head Coach Bruce Donaldson and...
Listening to Don Avery, Human Resources Manager, and Tim MacPhee, former Quality Control Coordinator, at Padinox Inc. speak about their work together, one might think they were long-time colleagues; yet, MacPhee was only with the high-end manufacturer of Paderno cookware for four months. It is amazing what they were able to accomplish in the span of a co-op work term. MacPhee, a fourth-year UPEI Business Co-operative Education student, spent his second work term with the company this past fall. He was brought in to assist in streamlining the quality control system at the kitchenware powerhouse.
In business since 1979, and the golden standard of cookware in North America, Paderno has secured longevity in a competitive market. By the time the “Pots for Eternity” hit the market, they had undergone a thorough quality control assessment, backed by their 25-year warranty....
UPEI Master of Education student Lech Krzywonos was recently awarded the 2012 Gary Filan Excellence in Leadership Award and Scholarship at the Chair Academy’s 21st Annual International Leadership Conference that took place on March 26–29 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Krzywonos was nominated by his academic facilitators for outstanding participation in a foundation Academy, as well as his contribution to the overall Academy experience. Not only was Krzywonos recognized at the conference’s awards ceremony, but he also received a scholarship to attend an Advanced Leadership Academy to further his leadership education.
UPEI’s Interim Dean of Education Miles Turnbull mentioned that it came as no surprise when Krzywonos was recognized for his outstanding leadership at this prestigious international conference. “Professors and colleagues who worked with Lech...
