The UPEI Research Ethics Board (REB) wishes a good end to the semester, start to the new year, and restful and joyous break in between to our UPEI community!

Please be advised that REB applications submitted or resubmitted after Friday, December 19 will be received and assigned for review on Monday, January 5.

The VHM 8120: Research Methods in Epidemiology (Epidemiology II) for the 2026 Winter Semester will take place from January 6 to March 13. The lectures will be held in person on Tuesdays from 1-4 pm and Fridays from 9 am-12 pm in The McCain Foundation Learning (278N) at AVC.

Prerequisites for the course are VHM 8010, VHM 8110, or permission of the coordinator. Instructors are Dr. Javier Sanchez and Dr. Hendrik Stryhn.

To (informally) register for the course, send an e-mail with your name and affiliation to jsanchez@upei.ca (Dr. Javier Sanchez, Dept. of Health Management). Formal registration at the Registrar's Office takes place through the myUPEI portal.

For information about the course content and texts, please contact Dr. Sanchez at jsanchez@upei.ca.

The deadline for the employee and spouse/dependent tuition waiver forms for the Winter 2026 semester is January 9, 2026. We encourage you to have your tuition waivers submitted as soon as possible to assist in timely processing. Tuition waiver forms must be submitted electronically.

The online tuition waiver fillable forms can be found on the HR Portal of the myUPEI site, under Training and Development.

Please note that the employee or spouse/dependent must be registered in the course prior to applying for the tuition waiver.

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at (902) 566-0514 or hrgeneral@upei.ca.

The fourth meeting of the UPEI Senate will take place on Friday, December 19, 2025, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in Room 102 at Alumni Hall (618 University Avenue). To view the 2025-2026 calendar of Senate meetings or documents for the upcoming meeting, click here. (Posted one week before the meeting)

All meetings are open to members of the University community, although certain in-camera items (e.g., granting of degrees) may require the Senate to go into a closed session. Only members of Senate are permitted to address the Senate unless otherwise recognized by the chair. 

For logistical purposes, members of the UPEI community who wish to attend the open session of a UPEI Senate meeting are asked to contact senate@upei.ca one week prior to the meeting. While Senate is an in-person meeting, members of the University community may request a virtual connection when they are unable to attend in person. 

The UPEI Counselling Services and Academic Support Services office (5th floor Dalton Hall) will close at 10 am on Friday, December 19 for a staff meeting. The office will re-open on Monday, December 22 at 8:30am. 

To book an appointment, please email studentserv@upei.ca. Messages received during the closure will be answered as soon as possible. 

Often, our users upgrade their phones, especially over the holidays, and forget that their UPEI Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) was tied specifically to their old device. When they attempt to log in to UPEI services using their new phone, they are unable to do so, resulting in Help Desk resets and delays.  This article can save everyone time and frustration.

Before you switch phones:

• Open the Microsoft Authenticator app on your old phone.
• Go to Settings → Backup and turn on Cloud Backup (Android) or iCloud Backup (iPhone).
• Confirm your Microsoft account is linked for recovery.

On your new phone:

• Install Microsoft Authenticator from the App Store or Google Play.
• Open the app and select Begin Recovery.
• Sign in with the same Microsoft account you used for backup.
• Your accounts will restore automatically. Some may require revalidation (e.g., scanning a QR code).

Add a backup method:

• Visit aka.ms/mfasetup.
• Click Add Method and choose an alternate option (phone number or email).
• This ensures you can still log in if your primary device is unavailable.

Do NOT remove the app from your old phone until the new one is fully set up.

For more information, visit go.upei.ca/itss 

Are you teaching a course for the winter semester (or beyond!) and planning or considering work-integrated learning components? Experiential Education staff can support your work, from brainstorming to assessment. Reach out to Shannon at smsnow@upei.ca to schedule a time to talk about your goals and how we can help!

The SSHRC Exchange Publication Award supports the publication of manuscripts, written or edited by UPEI faculty, by Island Studies Press (ISP). This award is being funded by a SSHRC Institutional Grant, therefore, the subject matter of the publication must be compatible with SSHRC’s mandate (see http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_FEE7261A.html for more information). One (1) award is available for fiscal 2025-26.

The award of $7,000 will be disbursed to Island Studies Press to cover publication costs (including editing, photo and other permissions, design, printing, marketing, and other costs associated with publishing a book). Authors will be offered ISP’s standard publication contract, which ensures authorial copyright and includes a royalty structure. Authors will also see their manuscripts reviewed through a peer-review process where appropriate.

ELIGIBILITY:

• Eligible applicants must be Tenured, Tenure Track, Term or Sessional UPEI Faculty, who are employed by UPEI at the time of application.
• Manuscripts may be single- or multi-authored results of academic research projects; textbooks; edited proceedings of a conference; or works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, or drama that pertain to the author(s)' discipline.
• The subject matter of the manuscript must meet SSHRC’s mandate.
• Past recipients of the SSHRC Exchange Publication Award or UPEI Internal Publication Award cannot apply for support for the previously funded manuscript.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31, 2026

Submit documents electronically to Research Services, researchservices@upei.ca.

APPLICATION PROCESS: 

Applicants are to submit a package that includes:

• Book proposal/summary (maximum of one page)
• A completed or close-to-complete manuscript and a Table of Contents. Note: the manuscript must be complete no later than three months after winning the award
• A curriculum vitae that includes your credentials as author(s)/editor(s)
• Two letters of support (e.g., from your Department Chair, Dean, professional association)

Selection Committee: A selection committee comprised of the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Island Studies, plus two members of the ISP Publishing Committee, will assess the proposals and make a recommendation to the Associate Vice-President Research. The Managing Editor of the ISP will be a member of the Committee in a non-voting capacity.

To assist in making its recommendations, the selection committee will use a single-blind peer review of the submitted manuscript. Final decisions on publication remain with the Island Studies Press and the Institute of Island Studies.

Reporting: A copy of the book, along with a narrative outlining the publication process – prepared in collaboration with staff at Island Studies Press – must be submitted when the book is complete.

Previous recipients of the UPEI Internal Publication Awards include Lori Mayne, Department of English, Laurie Brinklow, Institute of Island Studies, Linyuan Guo, Faculty of Education, and Josh MacFadyen, Faculty of Arts.

For more information on the Publication Awards program, contact Dr. Laurie Brinklow at brinklow@upei.ca or 902-894-2881.

The thesis defence for Bailey Clark, a candidate in the Master of Arts in Island Studies program, entitled “If we had not that gentleman’s authority”: Domestic politicians, foreign promoters, and the narrow-gauge railway on Prince Edward Island, 1871, has been rescheduled to December 16, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

The defence will be held in Memorial Hall, Room 104.

Supervisors: Dr. Josh MacFadyen and Dr. Ed MacDonald

Everyone is welcome!

Classes are over; you just have to make it through exams! The library is here to help, and not just with books and research advice. On Tuesday, December 16 from 10:00 am - 1:00 am, join us for Library Coffee Break, co-sponsored with Dana Hospitality. Follow @RobertsonLibrary on Instagram and Facebook so you never miss a pop-up surprise. 

The Teaching and Learning Centre is calling for proposals for Internal Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Grants - VALUE: up to $2,000 for a two-year term. The Internal SoTL Research Grant (ISRG) program provides funding for SoTL research at UPEI. The scholarship of teaching and learning involves the systematic study of teaching practices and learning experiences that are grounded in context and methodologically sound. SoTL research is frequently conducted in partnership with students with findings made appropriately public. This call is open to all faculty, sessionals, lab instructors, CNIs, etc. in all faculties at UPEI. Applications are due by January 16, 2026, by 4 pm. Please review the general information in the guidelines for eligibility considerations. Support in developing proposals for these grant programs is available through the UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre. 

Program guidelines and application instructions can be found on the UPEI Internal Funding webpage.

Dr. Wendy Rodgers, President and Vice-Chancellor invites you to attend the 2025 President's Holiday Social for faculty and staff. 

Date: Wednesday, December 17
Time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Location: Lower Lobby and Concourse, Performing Arts Centre and Residence

Celebrate with your colleagues and enjoy complimentary appetizers and refreshments while listening to festive songs of the season.

DONATIONS TO THE UPEI CAMPUS FOOD BANK WILL BE MATCHED! You are encouraged to bring food and monetary donations for the UPEI Campus Food Bank—the Office of the President will match the value of your support up to $10,000! Tuna, black beans, pasta, pasta sauce, and $25 gift cards are popular items.

Looking forward to seeing you all at this special time of year!

The Faculty of Education invites all to attend the public presentation of Michael Ampong's PhD dissertation defence titled "Formative Assessment as a Tool for Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills Among Distance Education Students in a Ghanaian Public University: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study." The defence will take place on December 17 at 3:00 pm in Memorial Hall 417.

Please join us in person  or through Teams at Michael Ampong - PhD Dissertation Defense | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

Are you teaching a course for the winter semester (or beyond!) and planning or considering work-integrated learning components? Experiential Education staff can support your work, from brainstorming to assessment. Reach out to Shannon at smsnow@upei.ca to schedule a time to talk about your goals and how we can help!

The UPEI Research Ethics Board (REB) wishes a good end to the semester, start to the new year, and restful and joyous break in between to our UPEI community!

Please be advised that REB applications submitted or resubmitted after Friday, December 19 will be received and assigned for review on Monday, January 5.

Need help registering for courses or making a course plan? The Academic Support Services team is offering drop-in academic advising for returning undergraduate students! 

Drop-in appointments are first come, first served and will be offered Monday to Friday on the following weeks:

• January 5-9
• January 12-16
• January 19-23 

Come to the fifth floor of Dalton Hall and check in at the front desk to meet with an advisor!

**These are short, drop-in sessions so please do as much planning as possible before you attend.

For questions, please contact us at: studentserv@upei.ca or 902-566-0488.

The VHM 8120: Research Methods in Epidemiology (Epidemiology II) for the 2026 Winter Semester will take place from January 6 to March 13. The lectures will be held in person on Tuesdays from 1-4 pm and Fridays from 9 am-12 pm in The McCain Foundation Learning (278N) at AVC.

Prerequisites for the course are VHM 8010, VHM 8110, or permission of the coordinator. Instructors are Dr. Javier Sanchez and Dr. Hendrik Stryhn.

To (informally) register for the course, send an e-mail with your name and affiliation to jsanchez@upei.ca (Dr. Javier Sanchez, Dept. of Health Management). Formal registration at the Registrar's Office takes place through the myUPEI portal.

For information about the course content and texts, please contact Dr. Sanchez at jsanchez@upei.ca.

The thesis defence for Bailey Clark, a candidate in the Master of Arts in Island Studies program, entitled “If we had not that gentleman’s authority”: Domestic politicians, foreign promoters, and the narrow-gauge railway on Prince Edward Island, 1871, has been rescheduled to December 16, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

The defence will be held in Memorial Hall, Room 104.

Supervisors: Dr. Josh MacFadyen and Dr. Ed MacDonald

Everyone is welcome!