The UPEI women's hockey team received a 2012 RBC Play Hockey grant of $10,000 for their 'Newcomers Play Hockey' program to help keep hockey vibrant in Charlottetown. UPEI kicked off their program this week during the Esso Cup, Canada's National Female Midget Championship being held in Charlottetown.

'Newcomers Play Hockey'-a concept developed by UPEI women's hockey Head Coach, Bruce Donaldson, aims to get youth who are new to Canada involved in the sport through skill sessions put on by the members of the women's team. UPEI will work with the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada, and various government and local agencies that are directly connected to PEI's newest Canadians. With the help of RBC and the RBC Play Hockey grant, this new program offers newcomers on-ice sessions that will focus on skill development, rule interpretation, and of course, having fun playing 'Canada's game.'

'This program will enable us to reenergize and focus on promoting female hockey in the province,' said Donaldson. 'Linking varsity players to the program will provide a clear example for young players and newcomers to Canada to see the importance of staying active with the sport, and excelling, for a chance to play for their province, university, and beyond.'

For the past 25 years that Donaldson has been coaching hockey, he noticed a decrease in the number of female hockey players entering the PEI hockey system and introduced skill sessions and hockey clinics to attract female athletes to the sport. He believes the 'Newcomers to Canada' program will accomplish the same-to encourage newcomers to Canada, including girls, to become interested in the game of hockey. 'We are so appreciative to RBC for this opportunity,' added Donaldson.

'The RBC Play Hockey Grant program has allowed us to shine a spotlight on the people and programs that help hockey happen in communities across Canada,' said Lisette Michaud-Carrier, RBC Regional Vice President, Eastern NB and PEI. 'Over the past year, we've awarded more than $1 million to 87 deserving hockey programs and we're proud to support the hard work and dedication of UPEI's 'Newcomers Play Hockey' program that helps make a difference in our community.'

The University of Prince Edward Island graduates and their families and friends are invited to a gathering to celebrate-in prayer and song-the accomplishments of the Class of 2012. The event will take place on Sunday, May 6 at 6:30 pm at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.

Mass celebrants will be The Most Reverend Richard J. Grecco, Bishop of the Diocese of Charlottetown, and University Chaplain Father Andrew MacDonald. A reception will follow after the mass celebration.

Please RSVP to Sister Susan Kidd, Campus Minister, sukidd@upei.ca or 894-2876.

UPEI's first students in the Nurse Practitioner stream of the two-year Master of Nursing program (MN)- Laurie Brehaut, Marion MacDonald, and Kelsey MacPhee- have completed their first year of study. Upon successful completion of their second year, and after writing their national certification, they will be the first NP students to receive didactic and clinical advanced practice nursing education here on the Island. The students bring a diversity of knowledge and experience to their work, and UPEI is being congratulated for introducing the program in September 2011, recognizing the need for this stream of health-care delivery.

This summer, Health PEI has hired the NP students into the Primary Health Care Networks, providing an opportunity for the students to develop their skills, serve as ambassadors of the NP role, and help raise awareness of the importance of the role in our health-care system.

Terri Kean, Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Professor in UPEI's School of Nursing, believes the willingness of UPEI to undertake the development of such a program speaks to the University's commitment to educating skilled health-care providers as a partial solution to health-care challenges.

'The Nurse Practitioner students are welcomed pioneers and ambassadors of a role that has proven itself time after time in all areas of nursing. This is history in the making... all who are involved in the delivery of patient care understand the planets have aligned, and the time for nurse practitioners is now,' said Kean.

Kean is not the only one to welcome these advanced practice nursing students; Dr. Lana Beth Barkhouse mentored one of the students during a placement this past semester. 'It's a brave step that the first NP students at UPEI have taken. Theirs is a relatively new role in primary health care on the Island and they are showing others how NPs are part of comprehensive health care,' she said. 'I am privileged to have been involved as a preceptor in these first years.'

Kean is currently working to secure fall clinical placements for the NP students. This past semester, the students worked with Central Queens Family Health Centre, Harbourside Health Centre and Dr. Barkhouse. The NP stream of the MN program has been well-received by physicians and nurse practitioners across PEI; there is currently a waiting list of providers hoping to work with a student NP.

Admission to the NP stream occurs every second year, with the next intake of students scheduled for 2013.

Prince of Wales College alumnae and UPEI honorary graduand Sister Mary Olga McKenna passed away on Tuesday, May 1. The well-loved member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, passed peacefully at Caritas Residence in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Born in Charlottetown, Sister McKenna can trace her forebears back to some of the first settlers from Monaghan County who came to PEI. She was educated at Prince of Wales College, Mount Saint Vincent College, Boston College, and the University of London, England.

Though her roots in PEI run deep, she ranks among the Island Irish who have made distinguished contributions elsewhere while maintaining strong ties with their home province.

Sister McKenna joined the Sisters of Charity at a young age and began a long and distinguished teaching career. After graduation from Kensington High School and Prince of Wales College, she earned a BA at Mount Saint Vincent, an MA in Philosophy and a PhD in the history of philosophy of education from Boston College. In 1977, her Canadian and American credentials were supplemented by an Associateship at the Institute of Education, University of London, England. Upon retirement in 1986, she was granted the title of Professor Emeritus at Mount Saint Vincent University.

In the fall of 1990, UPEI held a special convocation ceremony at the Confederation Centre of the Arts to honour the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers from Ireland's County Monaghan. Sister McKenna was honoured at this ceremony with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Sister McKenna successfully blended teaching, administration, and prayer with an active scholarly life. She is the recipient of ten research awards and the author of articles on education, religion and the history of education.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 3, in Caritas Residence from 3-7 pm and the Mass of Christian burial will take place on Friday, May 4, in Immaculate Conception Chapel at Caritas Residence at 10 am. For more information, visit Sister McKenna's obtituary

Bonnie Stewart, a PhD student at UPEI, whose thesis explores the trend of online learning, is studying the benefits of Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs) in higher education. Her work recently garnered attention in two highly reputable news sources-The Guardian (UK) and Inside Higher Ed.

Stewart believes that online learning will complement traditional learning rather than replace it. In her articles she claims that the education sector will learn from the experiences of students who study both online and in the classroom.

'The Mooc augments my PhD studies by making it possible for me to be a public thinker and learner, by giving me up-to-the-minute access to the conversations shaping and driving my field, and the opportunity to participate in these conversations,' said Stewart in her guardian.uk article. 'Forget the business case, open online courses are about learning.'

Another of Stewart's articles, 'Learning in-and from-the Great Disruption,' was posted on Insider Higher Ed's website as part of GenX Women in Higher Ed, Writing from Across the Globe.

Stewart is also the 2011 recipient of the Joseph Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship valued at $105,000, and granted through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). She is also the recipient of the 2011 PEI Literary Award for creative non-fiction.

Stewart has been involved in higher education since 1997, and has lived and taught on all three coasts of Canada, in Eastern Europe, and Asia. Bonnie blogs her education ideas at http://theory.cribchronicles.com and her experiences on identity and parenthood at http://cribchronicles.com. Find her on Twitter at @bonstewart.

Fiddler's UPEI Dream Team consisting of UPEI men's basketball coaches-Tim Kendrick, Marvin Rhyno, and Patrick Havard-are working to drop a total combined weight loss of 100 pounds from May 4 to September 4, as part of a weight loss challenge to get healthy, and raise funds for their team's upcoming exhibition season.

The whole idea for the challenge arose when local media sports pundit, Fred "The Fiddler" MacDonald, noted the girth of the UPEI basketball coaches on Compass, the CBC supper hour show. The UPEI coaches thought an appropriate response would be to address their weight in a positive way.

The Dream Team won't be doing this on their own, as they have recruited four professionals from the campus community to help with tips on healthy eating and exercising throughout their process. Teri McComber, BSc Foods and Nutrition and registered dietician, and currently completing MSc Human Biology (Nutrition); Sarah Sparks, BSc Dietetics, MSc Human Biology (Nutrition) and personal chef; Brittany Lockwood, BA, currently completing Master of Applied Health Services Research (MAHSR); and Katie Beck, Bachelor of Kinesiology Honours (Co-operative) and certified personal trainer (CSEP-PT), currently completing MSc Human Biology, are looking forward to working with the coaches on their weight loss journey.

As the Dream Team's fitness and conditioning trainer, Baker's role is to consult with each of the coaches and create individualized training programs. 'The ultimate goal is to increase physical activity to aid in weight loss, and to improve physiological function,' said Baker. 'But my mission is also to make the activities creative and fun. There's no doubt this will require a lot of hard work on their part, but I think they have the tenacity and drive to be successful. As coaches, they are used to being in charge, so it will be a change for them to have a group of women calling the shots. This is going to be an adventure!'

'I'm really looking forward to being a part of Fiddler's UPEI Dream Team. It will be a lot of fun, and will obviously have health benefits...and anything we can do that might help the Panthers is worth it,' said Kendrick. 'I want to thank our Athletic Department staff for all of their help, and especially our team of weight loss specialists: Katie, Teri, Brittany, and Sarah, who sure have their work cut out for them!'

The coaches will weigh in on Friday, May 4, and will continue to weigh in every second Monday until the final weigh on September 4.

Pledges to the coaches can be made to the team as a set amount or per pound lost. For pledge information, contact Coach Kendrick at mbball@upei.ca or call (902) 566-0562.

UPEI welcomed 20 high school students from 10 local high schools to campus over the weekend as they took part in UPEI's annual Math Camp. The event, organized by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and co-sponsored by the Canadian Mathematical Society, took place May 4-6.

The students involved are among the best math students in the province and the camp is an opportunity for them to hone their skills through problem-solving competitions including math relays, as well as some recreational activities in the evenings. Faculty sessions by Dr. Shannon Fitzpatrick, Dr. Sami Khedhiri, Dr. Gordon MacDonald, Dr. Max Burke, Dr. David Horrocks, Dr. Nasser Saad, and Dr. Ken Sulston also took place on various mathematical topics.

'Math Camp brings some of PEI's best math students to campus. They get introduced to some new math concepts and tackle some challenging problems. Hopefully, they leave with an increased appreciation that math is both fun and useful,' said Sulston, event co-organizer and faculty session presenter.

Along with co-organizer and colleague, Dr. Shafiqul Islam, Sulston solicited applications to the tenth annual event by approaching high school math teachers-with an attempt to reach the brightest and most enthusiastic math students. The camp is another great example of UPEI's teaching excellence and community service.

With a difficult financial landscape facing institutions and organizations across Prince Edward Island, the UPEI Board of Governors was pleased to approve a balanced operating budget for 2012-13 at its May 8 meeting.

The University addressed its budget with a goal of minimizing the impact on students during these fiscally challenging times. The 'bare bones' budget is based on specific enrolment projections, conservative assumptions for expenditure growth, and budget reductions across campus. An increase in student tuition was limited to $20 per credit course-a 4 per cent increase-similar to the average tuition increase over the past 10 years at the Island's only university. Tuition at UPEI remains highly competitive.

President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz admits that he faced hard decisions with his budget team, 'This has been a challenging first year as president. However, despite budget reductions, pension issues, and five collective bargaining processes underway, it is critical that we were able to maintain our focus on students and employ an open, thoughtful approach to address these challenges, ensuring that we did not burden students with a large tuition increase.'

UPEI was able to sustain its high quality programs and limit increased costs to students despite receiving a recent 3 per cent cut in its operating grant from the provincial government. Interim Vice-President Administration and Finance Phil Hooper said, 'As a result of long-term fiscal prudency and unprecedented recent enrolments, the University entered the budget process with the ability-this year-to mitigate some level of financial challenges. However, dealing with a funding cut of $1.3 million from government, coupled with normal inflationary growth of 4-6% on the expenditure side, did create significant challenges in balancing the budget.'

Abd-El-Aziz indicated that further adjustments might be necessary during the year if the University doesn't achieve projected revenue targets or if core expenditures grow more than expected.

UPEI Student Union President Kate VanGerven acknowledged that the University faced a difficult predicament. 'While a tuition increase is always tough, given what has been taking place across the country at other post-secondary institutions, we could have been presented with a much worse scenario. I congratulate the UPEI administration for including students in the budget process and for consistently keeping our best interests at the forefront of their deliberations.'

Members of UPEI's Class of 2012, along with their family and friends, will gather in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on Saturday, May 12, to celebrate convocation, the biggest event of the academic year. Over 900 students, the largest graduating class to date, will receive degrees, diplomas, and certificates during two ceremonies, the first beginning at 10:00 am and the second at 2:30 pm.

UPEI will confer honorary degrees upon J. Michael Bliss, historian and academic; Frank Zakem, businessman, politician, and administrator; and Derek Key, lawyer and community leader. Bliss will address the morning convocation while Key will address the afternoon convocation.

The following degrees, diplomas, and certificates will be granted during the morning convocation: Accounting Certificate, Business Certificate, Adult Education Certificate, Inclusive Education Certificate, School Librarianship Certificate, Bachelor of Business Studies, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Business Administration (Co-operative Education), Bachelor of Business Administration-Honours, Bachelor of Business Administration-Honours Conversion, Bachelor of Business in Tourism & Hospitality, Bachelor of Business in Tourism & Hospitality (Co-operative Education), Bachelor of Education-Human Resource Development, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Education-Enseignement en français langue seconde, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Business Administration, Master of Education, Master of Applied Health Services Research, Master of Science-Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy.

During the afternoon convocation, the following degrees, diplomas, and certificates will be granted: Public Administration Diploma, Public Administration Certificate, Engineering Diploma, Bachelor of Integrated Studies, Bachelor of Applied Arts in Print Journalism, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts- Honours, Bachelor of Arts-Honours Conversion, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education, Bachelor of Child and Family Studies, Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiography, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science-Honours, Bachelor of Science-Honours Conversion Certificate, Bachelor of Science (Co-operative Education), Bachelor of Science-Honours (Co-operative Education), Master of Science, Master of Arts.

Sarah O'Donnell, from Goose Bay, N.L., who will receive her Bachelor of Education degree, will give the valedictory address during the morning convocation, and Amy Wilson, from Dumville, N.L., who will be awarded her Bachelor of Music Education degree, will address her fellow graduates at the afternoon ceremony. Macebearers at the morning and afternoon convocations, respectively, are Doctor of Veterinary Medicine recipient, Sadie Griffin, from Annapolis Royal, N.S., and Lauren Catherine Murphy, from Bedeque, who will receive her Bachelor of Arts-Honours degree.

Students will assemble in the Duffy Science Centre at 9 a.m. for morning convocation and at 1:30 pm for afternoon convocation. A reception for graduates, guests, and faculty will be held in the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall immediately following each ceremony (guests of graduates from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine can also attend a reception at the Atlantic Veterinary College). Visitors can park in any of the UPEI parking lots. Ceremonies will also be broadcast live on Eastlink TV, starting at approximately 9:50 am for the morning, and 2:20 pm for the afternoon ceremony.

Senior class awards will be presented at 12:00 noon following convocation rehearsal on Friday, May 11, at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. Awards and recipients will be printed in the convocation program.

For a complete list of graduates, visit: http://www.upei.ca/registrar/convocation/