The UPEI Women’s Basketball team is excited to announce the addition of Darcy Zinck to the roster for next season. Zinck, a 5’9” guard from Halifax, NS, is joining the Panthers after spending two seasons at Lakehead University, where she was named to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West All-Rookie Team before tearing her ACL in pre-season play this past year.
“UPEI was within my top choices coming out of high school, not only based on its strong academics, but the fact that the team was young and developing,” said Zinck. “I'm excited that the Panthers found a place for me on their team. This season will be my first in a year, and I can’t wait to play with this amazing group, while fulfilling my academic goals.”
According to Head Coach Carly Clarke, Zinck has great experience playing with winning programs. “Darcy has had...
The University of Prince Edward Island Board of Governors recently accepted the recommendation of the search committee for the Dean of Education and approved the decanal appointment of Dr. Miles Turnbull for a five-year term effective July 1, 2012 until June 30, 2017. Dr. Turnbull has been interim Dean since 2011.
“I am especially pleased to erase the ‘interim’ label from Dr. Turnbull’s title as UPEI’s Dean of Education,” said Vice-President Academic Jim Randall. “Miles has already proven to be a strong leader and I look forward to working with him to further the goals of the faculty and of UPEI.”
Since 2002, Dr. Turnbull has worked in and provided leadership to UPEI’s pre-service and graduate programs. He was Coordinator of the Bachelor of Education—français langue seconde from 2002–2010. As Coordinator of...
The UPEI Men's Basketball team is excited to announce that six-foot-four guard Joe Kendrick, will be joining the program in the fall. Kendrick was Rookie of the Year and a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National champion with the Brock Badgers in 2008. This past season, he was named MVP and was an All-Conference selection with the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association (ACAA), while playing with the Crandall University Chargers. Kendrick finished 5th on the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) league scoreboard.
Tim Kendrick, head coach of the UPEI men’s basketball team is no stranger to this new recruit, “We are pleased to have Joe join us. As his father, I’m proud of his accomplishments, and know he will be a great addition to the Panthers,” said Kendrick. “He has won championships at the high school and CIS levels, and will bring a...
Over the past four months, UPEI has engaged its campus and community in a consultation exercise to help develop the University’s vision. The exercise, known as the UPEI Reflections and Future Directions initiative, has focused on determining the University’s core strengths and how these can be used to shape the future of UPEI, its people, and communities.
“The level of engagement and consultation within this initiative has been tremendous,” says Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President of UPEI and Chair of the UPEI Reflections and Future Directions Steering Committee. “More than 200 people from our campus and communities have been involved in helping UPEI rediscover its strengths and determine the vision of our university. This is a huge success that we are eager to build upon.”
The result of UPEI’s consultative discussions is the UPEI Vision Document...
The search committee for the Vice-President Research is pleased to announce that the two candidates for the position will deliver public presentations to campus during the week of May 21. Both presentations will be held in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Room 242, Don and Marion MccDougall Hall.
Dr. Robert F. Gilmour, Jr. will present on Tuesday, May 22, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
and
Dr. David C. Malloy will present on Wednesday, May 23, 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
The campus community is invited and encouraged to participate; for more information and to view the candidate CVs, please click here.
The end is near. It seems the end is ALWAYS near. And the end is always being brought about by hadron-crazy particle physicists, or predicted by ancient Mayans, or the result of betrayal by our trusted friend, the Sun, erupting in a temper tantrum of a solar superstorm.
Will time itself end later this year? What's science and what's science fiction? And what is, sometimes both at the same time? How do astronomers think the universe might end? The closing chapters in the Big Bang Theory used to be either an infinitely long slide towards absolute zero or a "Big Crunch". Why are some cosmologists now talking about "The Big Rip"?
On Saturday, May 19, Professor Jaymie Matthews, an astrophysicist with the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UBC will answer some of these questions at a free, public lecture presented by the Canada-Wide Science Fair 2012 and the...
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...
