The UPEI Student Union is thrilled to announce the launch of our new website! Developed by Hi There Designs, the new site is a more modern and accessible hub for all things Student Union. 

Take a look through: www.upeisu.ca.

Graduates: All graduates are required to rent and wear a gown and hood to their Convocation ceremony on May 7, 2016. Graduating students will need to order their gown and hood online on the Gaspard website, www.buildagrad.ca/upei by Saturday, April 23, 2016. Students must order by this date to guarantee that a gown and hood will be available for them on Convocation Day.

The cost to rent convocation regalia is $25.00 + taxes (or $30 onsite). Prepaid regalia can be picked up on Friday, May 6 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday, May 7 starting at 8:00 am at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, room 114 upon presentation of a UPEI ID and the Gaspard online confirmation form. Regalia must be returned an hour and a half following each ceremony.

Faculty: Faculty who are planning to attend Convocation may order their academic regalia also through Gaspard at www.buildagrad.ca/upeifaculty 

For more information on Convocation 2016, visit the UPEI Convocation webpage.  Questions about Convocation tickets and gown/hood rental should be directed to Eileen Kinch at kinch@upei.ca

The University of Prince Edward Island and TD Wealth Private Client Group would like to invite you to a panel discussion on Women & Philanthropy. This exciting session presents the findings of a TD report entitled "Time, Treasure, Talent: Canadian Women and Philanthropy" which was conducted independently by iNVESTOR ECONOMICS and provides reflections from the perspective of a unique group of female philanthropic leaders in our community.

Please join us for an insightful discussion on the findings of this groundbreaking report. Guest panelists are Alicia Bremner, Catherine Callbeck, Kathy O’Rourke and Shauna Sullivan Curley while the featured keynote speaker and panelist is Jo-Anne Ryan, VP Philanthropic Advisory Services, TD.

Thursday, April 21, 2016
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Don and Marion McDougall Hall

Panel discussion will be followed by a cocktail reception.

RSVP to Jo-Ann Thomsen: jthomsen@upei.ca or 902 628 7984
(This is not a fundraiser. No cost to attend. Space is limited.)

Time to Write faculty writers retreat, May 11-15

If you have difficulty carving out uninterrupted time for writing, if you struggle with motivating yourself to write, or if you would simply like the supportive collaboration of a writing retreat, consider Time to Write, UPEI's faculty writers retreat.

When: Wednesday, May 11 to Sunday, May 15.

Where: Stanley Bridge Resort

Cost to participants: $200, which includes four nights accommodation, meals and snacks

 Is Time to Write for You?

Your project must be at a stage where sustained writing time makes sense. Your research and/or data collection and analysis must be completed to the point that you are ready to write. You must also be prepared to commit to the full program: a total of 3½ days focused on writing.

The retreat is open to tenured and tenure stream University of Prince Edward Island faculty in any Department/Faculty/School.

How to Register

Email Research Communications Officer Dave Atkinson, datkinson@upei.ca, with a brief summary of the project you plan to work and your writing goals for the retreat. There is room for six participants at Time to Write.

Join us at Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall for our Impressions Catering Open House, doors open at 1:00pm on April 21, there will be samples, door prizes, catertrax online ordering system demo, meet & greet the catering team. Please RSVP Marc at marc.doiron@compass-canada.com.

The next UPEI on-site training session in animal use and care will be held....                             

Tuesday, May 3, 2016
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
AVC - The McCain Foundation Learning Commons Rm 287N

This will be a 3 hour training session with handouts, based on CCAC Recommended Syllabus (exam included).                                                                                                                       

The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) requires that all personnel involved with the use of animals in research, teaching, testing and service take this course.  (A refresher course is required every 5 years.)        
Please notify me by e-mail animalcare@upei.ca by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 if you or any of your staff will be attending this session.

“PEI has Burger Love and UPEI has Chili Love” is one of the more memorable quotes from April 2016 Chili Fest at the Chaplaincy Centre. 3 cases of kidney beans, 50 lbs of ground beef, 300 lbs of potatoes, 80 litres of milk, 6000 mints, 45 volunteers, 576 bowls, one chief cook and one very grateful campus minister! UPEI steps up again to reach out to students during a stressful time.  Thank you! Sister Sue.

UPEI’s Senate Committee on the Enhancement of Teaching (SCENT), the Faculty Development Office (FDO), and the UPEI Faculty Association (UPEIFA) have invited Dr. Len Findlay to give a presentation Wednesday, April 27 at 11am in room 243 of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. Dr. Findlay is a distinguished professor of English at the University of Saskatchewan and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His talk is entitled “Pedagogical Authority or Consumer Sovereignty? Academic Freedom and the Academic Mission.”

Dr. Findlay is past head of the academic freedom and tenure committee of CAUT. He is a staunch advocate for radical humanities, a strong critic of the contemporary university, and a steadfast defender of academic freedom.

Dr. Findlay’s talk is the culmination of SCENT and FDO’s semester-long focus on academic freedom, pedagogy, and curriculum. 

The African Society of UPEI is organizing their annual event - African Gala 2016! The event will bring the African cultural experience to the community.

The Gala is on April 21. Doors open at 8pm.

Tickets can be bought online for $10 via the African Gala Facebook event here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1561486234161485/ or for $15 at the door.

The University of Prince Edward Island is pleased to host the Irish Ambassador to Canada, Dr. Ray Bassett, to our campus this month. President Abd-El-Aziz and Dean of Arts Kujundzic invite the entire community to a public lecture by His Excellency called:

The Northern Ireland Peace Process, up close

Monday April 11, 2016 at 12 noon
Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building

A question and answer period and post-lecture reception will follow the talk.

Ambassador Bassett was closely involved with the negotiation of the Good Friday Accord. An experienced diplomat, he has held various positions in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and over the course of his career has worked on major files such as Anglo-Irish relations, equality, and human rights and discrimination issues.

All are welcome! Céad míle fáilte!

Clayton Harding, MSc and Adam Proud, PhD will each present a seminar on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 12:30 pm.  Clayton Harding's presentation is entitled "“Synthesis of a Hybrid Sol-Gel Coating” and Adam Proud's presentation is entitled "CIntex: Understanding Electron Pair Behavior Within Chemical Bonds”.  The seminar will be held in the Regis and Joan Duffy Research Centre, Lecture Theatre, Room 212.

All are Welcome!

All faculty members attending Convocation 2016 will need to register online on the UPEI Convocation webpage (https://www.buildagrad.ca/upeifaculty) from now through April 25, 2016, to preorder academic hoods and gowns through Gaspard Gown Service. 
The cost to rent convocation regalia is $25.00 + taxes.

Please note that the UPEI Accounting Office will be closed from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm on Friday, April 8 as employees are in training.

UPEI Research & Graduate Studies presents SPUR 2016: Summer Program for Undergraduate Research.

Undergraduate students working on a summer research project are invited to participate! Students will hear presentations by faculty members, learn about resources and be exposed to valuable information about careers in research.

WHEN: Wednesdays, May 11-August 10 (Weekly brown bag lunch sessions)
WHO: Open to UPEI students ONLY

Applicant Requirements:
1. Open to UPEI students following their first, second or third year
2. Students must register by Friday, April 22, 2016 
3. Students must attend 80% of lunch sessions to receive a $1000.00 stipend supplement.
4. No charge to participate

Program Details:
• Introductory/Orientation session will be held on Monday, May 9
• Brown bag lunch sessions will be held 12:00-1:00 pm weekly on Wednesday beginning May 11 with presentations by faculty members regarding their research careers
• Limited to 20 participants 
• Research mandatory poster symposium and reception at the conclusion of the program. Students may invite their lab partners, mentors, etc. to their presentations and to a reception following the poster symposium
• Prizes presented for the top 3 posters at the poster symposium; $500.00 grant to offset costs associated with attending an academic conference

TO REGISTER OR FOR INFO: cgallant@upei.ca
DEADLINE TO REGISTER: 4 pm on Friday, April 22, 2016 

The Atlantic Veterinary College is celebrating National Wildlife Week, April 10-16, 2016! On Wednesday, April 13, Fiep de Bie, AVC Wildlife Technician, will present “Giving Wings to Wildlife: Wildlife Care at AVC” in Lecture Theatre A at 12:30 pm. Falconer Jamie Stride will bring in two of his raptors and share information on falconry.

Raffle tickets will be available outside Lecture Theatre A from 9 am to 12:30 pm, featuring fabulous wildlife items and artwork (donated by Dr. Spencer Greenwood, Jamie Linthorne, and Jordi Seger). Wildlife cupcakes will also be available for sale. Monies raised will support renovations to the outdoor flight cage. Everyone is welcome!