The University of Prince Edward Island Board of Governors recently accepted the recommendation of the search committee for the Dean of Education and approved the decanal appointment of Dr. Miles Turnbull for a five-year term effective July 1, 2012 until June 30, 2017. Dr. Turnbull has been interim Dean since 2011.

'I am especially pleased to erase the ‘interim' label from Dr. Turnbull's title as UPEI's Dean of Education,' said Vice-President Academic Jim Randall. 'Miles has already proven to be a strong leader and I look forward to working with him to further the goals of the faculty and of UPEI.'

Since 2002, Dr. Turnbull has worked in and provided leadership to UPEI's pre-service and graduate programs. He was Coordinator of the Bachelor of Education-français langue seconde from 2002-2010. As Coordinator of Graduate Studies from 2008-2011 he led in establishing the PhD in Educational Studies, and a special cohort of the MEd program for community college educators. His research interests include French as a second language (core and immersion), code switching, teacher development, teacher beliefs, and project-based and experiential learning.

'I'm proud to be Dean of Education at UPEI,' said Turnbull. 'Our faculty is an innovative, passionate, creative group of educators and educational researchers, and I join, along with them, in welcoming students to the many unique programs we offer.'

Dr. Turnbull is a past-president of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT) and before joining the faculty at UPEI, was an Assistant Professor in the Modern Language Centre at OISE-University of Toronto, and worked in core and immersion French programs in three Canadian provinces. He has his BA (French) from UPEI, MA (Études françaises in teaching French as a second language) from McMaster University, and PhD in Second Language Education from the University of Toronto.

The UPEI Women's Basketball team is excited to announce the addition of Darcy Zinck to the roster for next season. Zinck, a 5'9' guard from Halifax, NS, is joining the Panthers after spending two seasons at Lakehead University, where she was named to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West All-Rookie Team before tearing her ACL in pre-season play this past year.

'UPEI was within my top choices coming out of high school, not only based on its strong academics, but the fact that the team was young and developing,' said Zinck. 'I'm excited that the Panthers found a place for me on their team. This season will be my first in a year, and I can't wait to play with this amazing group, while fulfilling my academic goals.'

According to Head Coach Carly Clarke, Zinck has great experience playing with winning programs. 'Darcy has had the opportunity to be a part of very successful programs, and has experience and leadership qualities that should help take us to the next level,' said Clarke. 'She has a tremendous work ethic, and understands what it will take for us to achieve our goals.'

Prior to playing with Lakehead in Ontario, Zinck was a member of the Citadel Phoenix, the 2010 Nova Scotia Provincial Champions, and was a starter on the Nova Scotia Canada Games team that competed in Prince Edward Island in 2009.

For more information on UPEI women's basketball, visit http://www.upei.ca/athletics/womens-basketball/

Two business graduates, Janell MacDonald and Kristina MacLean, placed first and second, respectively in the 2012 Estey Undergraduate Student Paper Competition, hosted by the University of Waterloo's Centre for Accounting Ethics.

After three blind reviews, the national competition rated MacDonald's paper, 'Microfinance in the Modern World,' as the best in the nation. Her paper focused on ethical issues surrounding microfinance, specifically in developing nations. The major issues were related to transparency (fees for the individual), excessive interest rates, and group lending practices. MacDonald was awarded a $500 cash prize and the opportunity to present her paper to accounting faculty from across the country at the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA) annual meeting.

MacLean's paper, 'Women in Accounting: Ethical Issues Surrounding the Advancement of Female Accountants,' was selected second in the nation and received Honourable Mention. As a female pursuing a career in accounting, MacLean wanted to explore why there are so few female partners in the profession. Her paper discussed various ethical issues that may inhibit female accountants from advancing to the top of the profession. She also analyzed other potential factors that could contribute to the phenomenon.

'It was such an honour to place 2nd in this national competition,' said MacLean. 'Janell and I had an extraordinary year-placing 1st and 2nd at the Estey Undergraduate Essay Competition is really the 'icing on the cake' to an incredible year at UPEI.'

MacLean was asked to present her paper at the 2012 CAAA Annual Conference on June 3, as MacDonald is in Kenya volunteering this summer.

The students originally wrote their winning papers for Amy MacFarlane, Assistant Professor in UPEI's School of Business' fourth-year class. MacFarlane was thrilled to learn of their national success. 'Both Janell and Kristina are incredibly special and talented students, and I am very proud of their accomplishments (on top of all their other accolades!),' she said. 'They diligently worked on editing and finalizing their papers while out in British Columbia at their case competition... just to give you an idea of their commitment and incredible work ethic.'

MacDonald and MacLean competed together on the UPEI case team that placed 1st at the IIBD Case Competition in Hong Kong and 2nd at the Royal Roads University International Undergraduate Case Competition in British Columbia.

Thursday, May 31, is the final day of my service as Chair of the University of Prince Edward Island's Board of Governors, and I wish to share a few thoughts with the whole University community before taking my leave.

I first want to compliment everyone associated with the institution for the great good work being done here each day. The work of this University is a major determinant to the advancement and prosperity of our province. Even more important is the understanding and wisdom being inculcated to the coming generation, equipping them to build a good and generous society.

I am confident that our energetic new President will be bringing to life ideas and suggestions expressed in the recent Reflections and Future Directions consultation.

There will be challenges ahead, and I caution everyone to understand that the present fiscal and demographic limitations are not temporary and must be accepted as our new reality.

The University is fortunate indeed that Tom Cullen has agreed to become Board Chair, for he has a lifelong association with the place, and a sensitive understanding of its role within the social and economic life of our province.

A few weeks ago, I savoured the spectacle of Convocation when the University puts forward its best. I found myself ruminating on the title of Dr. Michael Bliss' most recent book Writing History-for it is your challenge and privilege to write tomorrow's history today.

I deeply appreciate the many kindnesses and considerations extended to me, and I wish you all well.

In peace,

Frederick E. Hyndman, CM

The UPEI Men's Basketball team is pleased to announce that 6'2' guard, Will Caesar, from Markham, Ontario, has committed to attend UPEI in September. After graduating from Milliken Mills High School in 2007, where he averaged 26 points per game, he then headed to New Creations Prep Academy in Richmond, Indiana, coached by Tony Cole. In 2009-10, he attended Rend Lake Junior College in Illinois, and then Manitoba's Brandon University in 2010-11.

'We are expecting Caesar to play a major role for us right away,' said Coach Kendrick. 'He is the type of player that we think will get better and better in our system, and I am looking forward to having him with us for the next four years.'

'UPEI seems and feels like the perfect fit for me,' said Caesar. 'It's an up-tempo system, which is my style. The coaching staff is excellent as well, Coach Kendrick received AUS Coach of the Year and Coach Harvard and I have a great relationship already, which is something I couldn't overlook when choosing to join the Panthers.'

Caesar's goals at UPEI are to receive his Arts degree, be the best teammate both on and off the court, and help turn UPEI into a powerhouse at the CIS level. He also hopes to become an All-Canadian throughout his basketball career with the Panthers.

Caesar has recently recovered from a torn ACL and is now eager to get back into the game. 'Now that I'm healthy and ready to roll, I was considering other schools all over Canada, and even in the States. But as I said, with UPEI's program on the rise and the coaching staff, I wanted to be a part of it,' said Caesar. 'I'm excited to get on campus and to compete for the AUS title right away, and then of course, a spot at the CIS nationals!'

The Robertson Library development team at UPEI is pleased to announce the successful launch of its Telling Island Stories (TIS) application. The application is now available worldwide in Apple's App Store.

The TIS project is a collaborative community digitization and economic development project led by the Robertson Library. Student developers-Dylan Sawyer, Peter Workman, and Nick MacAulay-were involved in the project and successfully completed the proof of concept last summer. Team members include Nelson Hart, Kris Bulman, and Courtney Matthews who all expended considerable hours and effort to make the proof of concept into an attractive and useable discovery tool.

'We've created something that is uniquely PEI, that highlights the creative energy of the Library, and most importantly, provides a new way to access our rich digital collections,' said Matthews, Community Liaison Librarian and team lead.

TIS was made possible by a Rural Broadband grant awarded to the Robertson Library, in partnership with Discovery Garden Inc., the Islandora services company. TIS exemplifies the innovative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial possibilities that exist at UPEI. Islanders and visitors alike can discover historic materials, participate in their enhancement and preservation, while helping to increase cultural tourism.

TIS will draw on the existing archive of books, reports, letters, diaries, and other print material produced by and about Prince Edward Island and currently accessible on the islandarchives.ca portal. Much of the material will come from the collections of the Robertson Library, Public Library Service branches, and Public Archives and Records Office of PEI.

For more information about TIS, please contact, Courtney Matthews at (902) 620-5183; or cmatthews@upei.ca. To download the app, click here.

Carly Clarke announced her resignation as head coach of the UPEI Women's Basketball Panthers today at a team meeting as she has accepted an offer from Ryerson University to fill their vacant Women's Basketball Coach position. Clarke had completed her third season with the Panthers.

UPEI Director of Athletics and Recreation Ron Annear said, 'It's disappointing to lose a quality, young female coach but this is a good career step for Carly and also an opportunity to be closer to her family who resides in Toronto.'

Clarke said, 'I could not be more thankful for the opportunity UPEI has provided me over the past three years. I would like to thank the athletics department, university, alumni, and community for their support during my time as a Panther. Most importantly, I would like to thank the student-athletes for their hard work and dedication, I will miss them greatly and am excited to follow them as the program continues to move in the right direction.'

'I know it was with mixed emotions that Carly made this decision, but I respect her situation and thank her for all her efforts in building the team over the last few years,' added Annear.

Originally from Halifax, Clarke attended Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec, where she competed with the Gaiters women's basketball program for five years while earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

Following her playing career, Clarke joined the Dalhousie Tigers as an assistant coach for two seasons while completing a Masters in Business Administration. Prior to being hired by the Panthers, she spent a year in Hamilton working with the Canada Basketball's National Elite Development Academy.

In addition to coaching the Panthers, Coach Clarke led several Basketball PEI programs including the U-15 girls provincial team (2010), U-17 girls provincial team (2011), Centre for Performance, and Superskills Basketball Camp. Most recently, she was the head coach for the Cadet Women's National Team that competed at the FIBA America Championships earning a bronze medal, and a berth in the u17 World Championships being held August 17-26, 2012, in the Netherlands.

UPEI will begin its search for a replacement immediately and Annear hopes to have a job description posted through local and national channels by the first of next week.

UPEI alumnus, Evan O'Connor, successfully defended his PhD thesis on core-collapse supernovae-black-hole formation-at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. Under the supervision of Caltech's Dr. Christian Ott, O'Connor developed a computational code to simulate core-collapse supernovae and explored which stars are more likely to create black holes.

O'Connor is a native of Souris, PEI, and a former UPEI student who graduated in 2007. During his time at the University, he completed his Honours Physics Co-operative Education degree, holding some exciting work placements including terms at the Herzberg Institute, and the TRIUMF Lab, a world-class subatomic physics research laboratory in Vancouver, BC.

When asked what his time at Caltech was like, O'Connor mentioned the differences he saw between graduate students who attended larger universities with extensive programs during their undergraduate degrees, versus students, like him, who came from a smaller university.

'I feel that UPEI's core physics program prepared me well for the challenge of graduate physics,' said O'Connor. 'UPEI helped me discover what I wanted to do for post-graduate studies. The personal attention from the faculty and staff at UPEI assisted me in determining my post-graduate course of study, and that's something that wouldn't have happened if I had attended a larger university for my undergraduate degree.'

Dr. Sheldon Opps, associate professor and chair of UPEI's Physics department, supervised O'Connor's honours research thesis, and said he did a fantastic job during his time at UPEI. Opps and O'Connor studied Langmuir monolayers, with special interest in collapse phenomena, which has relevance on lung function and can play a vital role in infant respiratory distress syndrome. O'Connor continued working voluntarily on the Langmuir monolayer project while engaged in graduate research at Caltech.

'Evan has made substantial contributions in the area of theoretical astrophysics, and his research has provided us with a better understanding of core collapse and black hole formation,' said Opps. 'I expect great things from Evan over the coming years, and anticipate that he will be a leader in this field of research.'

'By performing research during the summer in the UPEI Physics department, I gained valuable computational experience,' said O'Connor. 'Through the cooperative education stream, I was able to learn more about areas of physics that I was interested in.'

This fall, O'Connor will continue his studies on core-collapse supernovae through a post-doctoral degree at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Toronto.

UPEI congratulates Evan on his recent achievement!

A new online survey panel-PEI Perspectives-is being launched to offer Islanders the opportunity to provide feedback regarding a variety of topics relevant to themselves and PEI.

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) is developing and launching the panel which is exclusive to Prince Edward Island residents. An independent research organization based at UPEI, the TRC has extensive experience managing an online panel of travellers that are surveyed regularly about tourism, usually in relation to PEI. The organization has now turned its attention to capturing information about Island life, recognizing the valuable and unique perspectives that PEI residents can offer regarding Island events, culture, community, and other tourism topics.

'Islanders have a wealth of information and insights that would be extremely beneficial to the tourism industry here on PEI and beyond, and we believe PEI Perspectives is an excellent platform for gathering their feedback and ensuring it gets into the hands of planners and decision-makers,' noted Kent Hudson, manager of the TRC.

As technologies evolve, researchers are seeking new ways to connect with the public. Telephone and paper surveys, while still valuable tools for research, are considered by many to be less convenient than an online survey that is accessible via one's PC, laptop, or mobile device.

To ensure all Islanders are aware of the opportunity to join PEI Perspectives, an invitation is being sent to every household across PEI in mid June. As an incentive for joining the panel, the TRC will draw for ten $100 prizes at the beginning of August.

'We are confident that Island residents will recognize the importance of joining PEI Perspectives. Islanders have a long-standing reputation of community engagement here on PEI and this online panel offers new opportunities to interact and provide feedback on important issues,' Hudson observed.

Initially, PEI Perspective panel members will be asked to complete surveys concerning different aspects of tourism; however, the TRC has a broader long-term vision for PEI Perspectives.

'In the long run, we want to partner with other research institutions, community organizations, industry stakeholders, and government to extend the reach of PEI Perspectives beyond tourism. Research is valuable and applicable to just about every facet of life, business, and governance, and we believe that engaging Islanders through this online panel will benefit all involved,' said Hudson.

PEI residents who are interested in learning more about, or want to join, the online panel can visit www.feedbackpei.ca.

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