Message from the President: End-of-Semester Update

The following message was also distributed by email to UPEI students, faculty, and staff on December 2, 2024.

Dear UPEI Community,

Happy December! A lot has been happening at UPEI—too much to recount in just one message. I hope that you are easing into the winter break and the many festivals of lights that will brighten the winter, and everyone has a chance to reflect on the many achievements and experiences we have had over the fall term.  

November has been marked by grey and rainy weather, and of course the marking of many different kinds of remembrance. I encourage everyone to pause for a moment, and then to appreciate the privilege we enjoy, appreciating those who fought for it. We should also recognize those who continue to fight for equity and inclusion, sometimes at great personal cost.  

We continue to work on developing the culture of trust, safety, and inclusion here at UPEI.  This has been a prominent theme in the ongoing consultations that we have held recently to build our strategic plan for 2025–2030. The information gathering stage has been insightful so far. We have engaged with faculty, staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, UPEI Student Union, and senior leaders, and held meetings in Summerside, Three Rivers, West Prince, and Charlottetown. We have met with municipal councils, partner organizations, and will continue to engage through January, when the steering committee will go to work to organize and expand on all the input received. You can find more information about the process here. You can also send in your thoughts to strategicplan@upei.ca.

We continue to implement the UPEI Action Plan, with its 240 actions, and compile evidence for the completed activities in Year 1. We have just launched the process to replace the Fair Treatment Policy, one of the bigger tasks to be completed across Year 1 and Year 2 of the UPEI Action Plan. You can find more information about the process here.

I was lucky enough to be involved in the development of the Canadian Council of Academies’ Report on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Post-Secondary Research System. The report reviews and evaluates the effectiveness of measures (interventions) taken in the post-secondary sector in terms of increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion, particularly in research, as well as enhancing the experience of individuals from marginalized or underrepresented groups. I encourage everyone to have a look at the report as it aligns well with UPEI’s goals for cultural change and inclusion.  

I’m hearing that there is more hopefulness across the University, and a great willingness to participate in the changes we need to make, mostly laid out in the UPEI Action Plan and the Governance Review. The governance changes are key to meeting our goals and obligations for reporting, transparency, documentation, and strong decision making. A subversion of good governance contributes to a lack of transparency and detracts from a positive institutional and organizational experience for all. Late in the term, as winter officially begins, we also see little pockets of frustration, the legacy effects of past harms, and sometimes the retreat to patterns of behaviour we would like to replace with good process, with thoughtfulness, and with inclusive approaches. As we come into exams and the winter break, I encourage everyone to think about self-care, self-awareness, and also opportunities to show kindness and inclusiveness. Where systems are still not supporting best practices, contribute to the processes that will address or replace them with fresh systems and practices.

I continue to see great participation in forums to discuss the changes, as well as opportunities to gather at events across the University. December brings many such opportunities to come together, to build friendships and community, and enjoy displays of the many great talents of the UPEI community. I hope to see you at these events as I do my best to take in as many as I can.

Best wishes to our students and faculty as they head into end-of-term assignments and exams, and the marking of both, that signal the fulfilment of our academic cycles. I hope that everyone has a chance for recreation and restoration over the holiday break to be ready to start again in January.

With best wishes,

Wendy