In another cost-cutting move, the University of Prince Edward Island has eliminated the senior administrative position of Assistant Vice-President Graduate Studies. Services offered to graduate students services and postdoctoral fellows by the Office of Graduate Studies will continue from its new location within the Research Services department.
The Assistant Vice-President, 3M Canada Teaching Fellow Dr. Brian Wagner, will step down from his administrative role as of July 31, 2013 and return to the Faculty of Science where he is a Professor of Chemistry.
Interim Vice-President Academic Christian Lacroix, who currently has graduate studies in his portfolio, thanked Wagner for his leadership and dedication.
“Brian Wagner was instrumental in establishing the Office of Graduate Studies, which was needed at a time when the number of graduate students at UPEI was...
UPEI women’s rugby Head Coach Shannon Atkins is pleased to welcome Island native Leah Corrigan to the Panther program for the 2013–14 season.
“Leah is a hard runner and powerful tackler; she can run on angles and read the opposition,” said Atkins. “Her powerful running will be a welcome addition to the backline which has been depleted this past year.”
A Covehead resident and grade 12 student attending Charlottetown Rural High School, Leah played this past year as an inside and outside centre for the Raiders in the PEI School Athletics Association.
“Being asked to play rugby for the UPEI team is a privilege,” commented Corrigan. “I would never have this opportunity without the great coaching I've received over the last couple of years”.
“It is a pleasure to welcome...
UPEI women’s rugby head coach Shannon Atkins is pleased to welcome two Island rugby players to the Panther lineup—Sidney Corrigan and Holly Hartlen. Corrigan, a native of Sherwood plays wide side flanker for the Charlottetown Rural Raiders rugby team, while Hartlen of Summerside plays for the Three Oaks Axewomen.
“Sidney is aggressive, dominant, and fast on the field, and having Holly on the team will make a big difference to our backline as she’s considered to be one of the best backline players to come out of the PEISAA league this year,” said Atkins.
“It’s great that these two strong Island rugby players have committed to UPEI,” said Bill Schurman, UPEI Director of Athletics and Recreation. “As we do with all new recruits, we will work with them individually to ensure they thrive as student...
In the fall of 2012, a research team at UPEI launched a website where the public could report their sightings of red foxes on Prince Edward Island. Today, the team behind upei.ca/redfox launches a new crowd-funding project to help fund the next stages of their research so that we can improve our understanding of one of PEI’s largest predators.
“A fox-sightings map gave us information regarding the distribution and relative abundance of foxes in Charlottetown, particularly during the fall. We have also collected anecdotal evidence regarding their behaviour, including the potential location of dens. All this information has helped us to identify the next steps of the project,” said Dr. Marina Silva-Opps, a terrestrial ecologist and associate professor of biology at UPEI. “For instance, we have used this information to...
The 11th annual Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS)/UPEI Math Camp was recently held on campus May 3–5. The Math Camp is a national initiative that sponsors close to two dozen regional camps across Canada.
UPEI’s Math Camp is the main community outreach activity of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. This year, the camp hosted a group of sixteen students—ten girls and six boys from grades 10 and 11—from eight Island high schools and one home scholar.
This group represents some of the best math students on PEI, with goals to enhance student education, and to encourage students to continue studying math when they reach the university level. Most of the math and statistics faculty present 60-to 90-minute sessions with the camp attendees, introducing some mathematics that is understandable to the students, but unfamiliar in a...
The UPEI Department of Athletics and Recreation was especially proud on Saturday during the afternoon convocation when UPEI women’s hockey player Jaime Lynn Donaldson was named the first recipient of the Rory Beck Outstanding Academic and Athletic Leadership Award.
Friends and family created this award to honour the late Rory Beck’s passion for sports and his belief that education and community service are critical components of a meaningful life. The award is granted to the graduating student who has displayed the most outstanding dedication to athletics, academics, leadership and campus spirit throughout their post-secondary under graduate studies at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Roderick (Rory) Beck was one of those rare individuals who touched the lives of so many people through his professional careers, sports involvement, and...
This year’s Presidential Recognition Awards of Merit and 25-year Service awards were presented to staff and faculty at a special ceremony on Monday, May 6. The awards recognized outstanding performance and dedication to students and our community—on-campus, provincially, and globally.
The Presidential Recognition Awards of Merit for Faculty and Librarians are awarded based on teaching, scholarly endeavours, service, or combined achievement. Awards for librarians are based on exceptional performance, in one or more of professional practice, scholarly endeavours/professional development, and/or service. The following is a list of faculty and librarian award winners: Teaching: Dr. Susan Dawson, Dr. James Polson, Ms. Charlene VanLeeuwen; Scholarly Endeavours: Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, Dr. Dany MacDonald, Dr. Larry Hammell, Dr. Kate Tilliczek, Dr. John Vanleeuwen; and...
*For a complete list of graduates, click here
A record 954 graduates were conferred with degrees, diplomas, and certificates as they crossed the stage at UPEI’s convocation on Saturday, May 11.
The Class of 2013 and their proud families and friends gathered to celebrate in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre for two ceremonies—the first beginning at 10:00 am and the second one at 2:30 pm.
Both events were led by Chancellor William Andrew and featured remarks by President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz.
Abd-El-Aziz challenged the graduates and said, “As you begin this next stage of your life, you will choose a path. Ask yourself, ‘What is next?’ and make sure you have a good answer! Be adventurous, define a goal, and boldly move towards it with the...
The University of Prince Edward Island Board of Governors approved a balanced budget for the 2013-14 operating year at its regular monthly meeting Thursday night on the UPEI campus.
It was reported earlier this year that UPEI faced a shortfall of $9 million between projected revenues and expenditures for the time frame May 1, 2013–April 30, 2014. According to the University Act, UPEI must table a balanced budget; therefore, the proposal to the Board needed to strike a balance between tuition revenue increases and expenditure reductions to preserve services, maintain quality, and keep education affordable at the Island’s only university.
President and Vice-Chancellor Abd-El-Aziz said, “The University administration addressed its budget with a thoughtful approach and kept students and staff at the forefront of our deliberations. As of tonight, we have an...
UPEI was saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Mary (Nicholson) Ross, honorary degree recipient and former head resident of Marian Hall. Ross passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at the Dr. John Gillis Memorial Lodge, on Saturday, May 4. She was 94 years old.
Raised in Flat River on her family farm, she graduated from Prince of Wales College and began her teaching career at the age of 16. After 32 years of teaching, Ross accepted a position with UPEI where for 13 years, she became the head resident of Marian Hall, a men’s dormitory. In 1995, the University paid tribute to Ross and her work by awarding her with an honorary degree.
“On behalf of the entire University community, I’d like to extend sincere condolences to Mary’s family and friends,” said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “UPEI was fortunate...
