Campus Notices
The next Town Hall will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2026—the second annual edition of "Hearts and Flowers." February is a month sometimes known for giving “hearts and flowers,” as well as for the short days of midwinter. Our Town Hall will be an opportunity to share examples of success, what we are proud of at UPEI, and to give heart emojis and flower bouquets! Let's give a shoutout to campus community members and celebrate our Panther Pride.
President's Town Hall: Hearts and Flowers!
Thursday, February 12, 2026
3:00–4:00 pm
Amphitheatre, Performing Arts Centre and Residence building (PAC121S)
If you are unable to attend in person, you are welcome to join us virtually at this Teams Town Hall link.
We are pleased to officially launch the new Low-Value, Low-Risk Fee for Service (FFS) Process, effective February 9, 2026.
What’s Changing?
Under the new process, Fee for Service engagements valued at $50,000 or less that meet established low-risk criteria no longer require Fee for Service Agreements.
Documentation
A process overview document explaining the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS Process, along with supporting materials to assist staff, are now available on the Procurement SharePoint.
Departments are required to review these materials before initiating an engagement under the new process.
Updates Based on Feedback
We thank members of the campus community for the feedback shared throughout development, including during recent campus presentations and information sessions. This feedback has informed updates to our materials. The most up-to-date documentation is available on the SharePoint page. Reference documents include version dates to track changes, and significant updates will be communicated to the campus community.
Questions, Support, and Feedback
For questions or assistance with the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS Process, please contact the Contracts and Insurance Office at contracts@upei.ca. Our team is happy to provide general guidance and to assess specific scenarios on a case-by-case basis.
The UPEI Alumni office invites members of the campus community to gather at the Fox and Crow and cheer on alumnus and former varsity curler Brett Gallant (BBA'19) as he competes in Men's Curling at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Wednesday, February 11, 2:05 pm
Friday, February 13, 2:05 pm
Fans are encouraged to wear green and white or Panther gear and to participate in door prize draws.
Go Brett! Go For Gold!
The UPEI Office of Study Abroad & International Partnerships is excited to host a Study Abroad Information Session on Thursday, February 12, from 1:00-2:00 pm in the Robertson Library Annex, Room 209. We will explain the different Study Abroad Programs, explore UPEI's various partner schools, discuss funding opportunities, share past student experiences, and answer any questions you may have! To claim a seat, please sign up here!
The University Ambassador Award will be presented to a UPEI employee who has made a significant positive impact on the University by advancing the strategic priorities of their unit, department, or faculty or by fostering a sense of excitement on campus and promoting fellowship, goodwill, and belonging within the University community.
Nominated candidates will have exemplified campus spirit to the University community. Among the factors to be considered by the Committee will be: collaboration as a strong team player who promotes goodwill within UPEI; leading or supporting initiatives that advance the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion; and/or, acting as a creative problem solver who brings innovative solutions to University challenges or opportunities.
- Nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff, students, or a combination thereof.
- Nominations must be supported by two nominators. At least one nominator must be a member of the faculty or staff of UPEI.
- Nominations must include a dated statement of no more than two (2) pages proposing the nomination, describing and justifying the achievements in the category for which the application is being made. Nominations must provide specific examples to support the nomination.
Nominations are submitted in confidence through the online nomination form.
Questions may be directed to universityawards@upei.ca.
Nominations close on Friday, February 27, 2026
For more information about each award including, eligibility and the nomination process, please click here
The campus community is invited to a Retirement Reception in honour of Myrtle Jenkins-Smith, Director of Institutional Priorities and Government Relations, and former Executive Director of Development and Alumni Engagement. After years of dedication and commitment to UPEI, it's time for Myrtle to plant the seeds for her next project—retirement!
Please join us to extend best wishes and enjoy light refreshments.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 2:30-3:30 pm
Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship
Robertson Library Annex
The Office of Research Services and the Teaching and Learning Centre are collaborating to put on a workshop about incorporating equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) in Research*.
Dr. Shilpa Dogra is Professor in Kinesiology in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ontario Tech University. Dr. Dogra’s diverse research program has been funded by NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR. Some of her CIHR funded projects focus on the inclusion of older adults from equity deserving groups in research. She has co-authored papers on the development of a sex and gender-based analysis tool (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0323834), a call to action on Indigenization and EDIA (https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jpah/22/6/article-p644.xml), and has served on several CIHR review panels, including the Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI) Early Career Transition Award.
Dr. Dogra will join Dr. Nola Etkin, Dr. Josh MacFayden, Dr. Marissa Clapson, Dr. Cinthya Guzman, and Research Grants Coordinator Leslie Cudmore for an interactive workshop on incorporating EDIA into grant applications.
In this session, researchers will explore their positionality, integrate EDIA into their proposal and highly qualified personnel (HQP) sections, and leave with actionable material to include in their next grant application.
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 10:00 am–12:00 pm
Location: FSDE 128A
Open to all faculty members. Please RSVP here: EDIA in Research Workshop – Fill out form
Storm date: Friday, February 20, 2026, 1-3 pm. FSDE 128A
*This session was previously marketed as a Indigenization and EDIA in Research Workshop. However, due to scheduling conflicts, the Indigenization portion has been removed from this session. We hope to run a separate Indigenization in Research session in the future.
Questions can be directed to Julie VanLeeuwen (jmvanleeuwen@upei.ca), Research Navigator.
Join us for a relaxed and informative Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) Lunch and Learn session focused on Maintaining Motivation and Engagement in your classes. This is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues, share ideas, and gain insights into connecting learning to real‑world purpose, building an interactive learning environment, fostering a sense of belonging, providing clear structure and expectations, offering autonomy and choice, giving meaningful feedback, and integrating active learning technologies.
RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/c5DsnwcRTu
Bring your own lunch and join us for an engaging session hosted by: The Teaching and Learning Centre
Calling all Panthers! On Friday, February 13, we’re inviting students, staff, faculty, and alumni to join us at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre for a Paper Airplane Toss during halftime at the Women’s basketball game!
UPEI Alumni and Experiential Education has partnered with Provincial Credit Union to provide the opportunity for UPEI students interested in banking and finance to connect with employees working at Provincial Credit Union.
Remember to RSVP on UPEI Connect to receive FREE game snacks and drinks for you and your friends and family.
Arrive as early as 5:15 pm to talk with students/alumni and start crafting your winning plane. At halftime, it's time to see whose plane flies the furthest.
This is a fun, laid-back chance to connect with the UPEI community, boost your Panther pride, and build lasting connections.
Friday, February 13 | 6PM
Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre
Students, get your game tickets online - https://upei.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1485
Airplane-making materials provided
Prizes for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place
***Please note: To receive your complimentary FREE game snacks and drinks, you must sign up for the event via UPEI Connect. You can register here.
In honour of Apukna'jit and Indigenous Story Telling Month, we are hosting a "Sharing Our Stories and Apukna'jit Spirit Ceremony" event with local knowledge keepers, community members, and UPEI staff and students on Wednesday, February 10, from 12:30-3:30 pm in McMillan Hall, Room 110. Four local knowledge keepers will share stories in a sharing circle.
Apukna'jit is the spirit of the winter. In some ways, the tradition involves making offerings to Apukna'jit with the hope of a light winter and an early spring. We do so by making tobacco offerings and a plate of food to feed Apukna'jit.
We have 30 seats available; others may stand outside the circle.
Join Ashton Dougan (Nursing) and Marissa Clapson (Chemistry) for an interactive lunch-and-learn on February 26 from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the TLC, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230, where you won’t just hear about escape rooms--you’ll experience one.
In this session, participants will take part in a mini educational escape room, explore the tactile and digital materials we use to design them, and learn how escape rooms can promote engagement, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving across disciplines. We will share examples from nursing and chemistry, discuss student reactions and learning outcomes, and walk you through the first steps of planning your own classroom escape room. Whether you teach in the sciences, health, or beyond, you’ll leave with practical ideas, adaptable resources, and inspiration to bring playful, high-impact learning into your courses.
Volunteers wanted for sauna and blood sugar and sauna study
Research study at the University of Prince Edward Island
Principal Investigator: Dr. Étienne Myette-Côté
Study Title:
The Effects of Acute Sauna Therapy on Glucose Control in Individuals at Risk for Metabolic Impairments.
What’s involved: Help us understand how a single 45-minute infrared sauna session affects blood sugar levels. Participants will complete two sessions (sauna and rest), wear a small blood sugar sensor (CGM), and attend a total of three lab visits. All meals for study days will be provided.
You may be eligible if you
- are 30–49 years old
- have a body mass index of ≥ 27 kg/m2
- have a waist size >102 cm (men) or >88 cm (women)
- have access to transportation for the last 2 visits (e.g., car, public transit, or drop-off) or live within a five-minute walk of the university.
- are cleared for participation based on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+).
You cannot participate if you
- take medications that affect blood sugar
- exercise intensely 2+ times/week
- have diabetes, heart issues, low blood sugar or pressure
- are pregnant
- regularly use saunas or other heat therapy
Location: All sessions take place at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Interested? Contact us to learn more or see if you're eligible: researchupei@outlook.com
UPEI is seeking input from community members and users of the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on whether to develop a high-performance strength and conditioning facility for UPEI and PEI athletes. A dedicated high-performance training centre would support approximately 250 varsity and 200 club student-athletes. UPEI is considering the creation of this training centre by redeploying 3,146 square feet of space in the Sports Centre from current use as squash courts and “Studio One” (a flexible exercise space). For more details, click here. Please provide input to Tim Walker, Vice-President, Administration and Finance, at vpaf@upei.ca by February 20, 2026.
The UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre is hosting its annual full-day Teaching Community Conference on Tuesday April 28, 2026. This year’s theme will be: Connected Teaching: Connecting with Community, Self, and Place. Please plan to join us and save the date in your calendars.
The Teaching Community Conference is an opportunity to breathe further life into our strategic commitment to innovative and connected teaching, research, and scholarship by sharing our experiences, challenges, and opportunities of advancing teaching and learning at UPEI. Conference participants are invited to reflect on this theme and consider relevant questions such as:
- What supports, skills, and critical capacities do faculty need to embrace the relational and connected nature of teaching?
- As we consider expanding the walls of our classrooms and broadening our partnerships, how do we ensure we aren’t simply supplementing traditional teaching practices but rather transforming what teaching itself means?
- How does a commitment to relational and connected teaching help build faculty capacity to recognize and respond to structural barriers students face?
We are looking for proposals from the UPEI community that highlight current teaching and learning initiatives, share new ideas, and build collaborative strategies for a more inclusive accessible, and courageous university. Proposals from staff and faculty are welcome. There are four formats suggested for proposals:
- Traditional Oral Presentation: Presenters share a talk about a teaching and learning project or topic related to the theme, speaking for about 20 minutes, followed by 5-10 minutes for questions.
- Lightning Talk: "Small Shifts, Significant Gains." Presenters share a teaching strategy or practice that they’ve found effective in supporting student learning, speaking for about ten minutes, followed by a short group discussion.
- Interactive Workshop: A hands-on session that encourages active participation and collaboration among attendees. The workshop could involve group activities, discussions, practical exercises, etc.
- Indigenous Sharing Circle: A facilitated, safe space for individuals to come together to discuss topics related to the theme, share their experiences, listen to each other, build relationships, offer support, and connect with each other.
- Facilitated Roundtable Discussion: A structured, collaborative conversation led by a facilitator to encourage open dialogue, balanced participation, and exploration of shared issues among participants. The session is guided by clear objectives and prompts, resulting in documented insights and agreed‑upon themes or recommendations.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 23, 2026. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to TLC@upei.ca.
Proposals can be submitted here.
Join the Master of Cleantech Leadership and Transformation (MCLT) for a hands-on, creative student mixer on February 25, 2026, from 1:30–3:30 pm in McMillan Hall.
Open to all students (undergraduate and graduate), participants can sign up in teams of three to build sustainability-themed miniatures—such as green homes and pollinator gardens—while learning about the MCLT program.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams, with additional door prizes, food, and a relaxed opportunity for students to connect and explore future pathways in sustainability and graduate studies.
The event is free to attend but space is limited, so sign up today: MCLT Mixer & Miniature-Making Event - Sign Up – Fill out form
Questions? Email cleantech@upei.ca
The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, March 6 for the March meeting.
Please note that as of June 1, 2020 all animal user protocols must be submitted through UPEI Researcher Portal at https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/
For new protocols select ‘applications’ and for renewal or amendment protocols select ‘events’.
To view any UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice, they can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx.
Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month. The Committee requires at least one month for processing applications.
The UPEI Alumni office invites members of the campus community to gather at the Fox and Crow and cheer on alumnus and former varsity curler Brett Gallant (BBA'19) as he competes in Men's Curling at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Wednesday, February 11, 2:05 pm
Friday, February 13, 2:05 pm
Fans are encouraged to wear green and white or Panther gear and to participate in door prize draws.
Go Brett! Go For Gold!
Now Live: Low-Value, Low-Risk Fee for Service Process
We are pleased to officially launch the new Low-Value, Low-Risk Fee for Service (FFS) Process, effective today, February 9, 2026.
What’s Changing?
Under the new process, FFS engagements valued at $50,000 or less that meet established low-risk criteria no longer require FFS agreements.
Documentation
A process overview document explaining the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS Process, along with supporting materials to assist employees, is now available on the Procurement SharePoint. Departments are required to review these materials before initiating an engagement under the new process.
Updates Based on Feedback
We thank members of the campus community for the feedback shared throughout development, including during recent campus presentations and information sessions. This feedback has informed updates to our materials. The most up-to-date documentation is available on the SharePoint page. Reference documents include version dates to track changes, and significant updates will be communicated to the campus community.
Questions, Support, and Feedback
For questions or assistance with the new Low-Value, Low-Risk FFS Process, please contact the Contracts & Insurance Office at contracts@upei.ca. Our team is happy to provide general guidance and to assess specific scenarios on a case-by-case basis.
The UPEI Office of Study Abroad & International Partnerships is excited to host a Study Abroad Information Session on Thursday, February 12, from 1:00-2:00 pm in the Robertson Library Annex, Room 209. We will explain the different Study Abroad Programs, explore UPEI's various partner schools, discuss funding opportunities, share past student experiences, and answer any questions you may have! To claim a seat, please sign up here!
UPEI annually acknowledges individuals for their outstanding contributions to the success of the University. The awards are valued at $1,000 each and given in recognition of the excellence of faculty, librarians, clinical veterinary professionals, clinical nursing instructors, sessional instructors, and staff.
Nominations are now open! This is your opportunity to celebrate the people and achievements that make a meaningful impact at UPEI. Please submit your nomination by Friday, February 27, 2026, by completing the online nomination form.
Questions can be directed to universityawards@upei.ca.
For further details about the awards and the nomination process, please visit https://www.upei.ca/president/university-awards-of-excellence
