As a part of UPEI's Winter's Tales Author Reading Series, Madeleine Thien, author of Certainty and Dogs at the Perimeter, will present her fiction on Thursday, February 7 at 7:30 pm in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. A reception and book signing will follow her reading.

Thien was born in Vancouver in 1974, the year her Malaysian-Chinese parents immigrated to Canada. Her novels and short stories powerfully explore her heritage in the Asian-Canadian communities of Canada's west coast, and the tragic and heroic struggles of people in post-war Southeast Asia.

Her visit to PEI is sponsored by the UPEI English Department, in collaboration with Confederation Centre Art Gallery, and with support from The Canada Council of the Arts.

The UPEI student conference-'Difficult Dialogues: Exploring Relationships Between Identities and Power'-takes place February 8 and 9 with registration beginning on Friday, February 8 at 12:30 pm in Main Building, room 520.

Over 25 students from UPEI, Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, St. Thomas University, and the University of New Brunswick will be presenting papers from many disciplines/areas of study which relate to the theme of exploring relationships between identities and power. Topics include troubling categories; bodies; power and privilege; gender, violence, and rights; communities and networks; interpreting texts; and labour and other markets.

This year's keynote speaker is S. Bear Bergman, author playwright, and storyteller, who will deliver his lecture entitled 'Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Gender.' The keynote will take place in the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre, room 104, on Friday at 5:00 pm.

The conference and keynote presentation are made possible through the generous contributions of the UPEI Action Committee on Sexuality and Gender Diversity, the Office of the Dean of Arts, and the following departments in the Faculty of Arts: English, Philosophy, Psychology, Theatre Studies, and Women's Studies.

The conference is free and all are welcome to attend. For a full event schedule, visit http://www.upeidifficultdialogues.ca/program/. For more information, contact Ann Braithwaite at abraithwaite@upei.ca or 628-4312.

A recognition event was held on Monday, January 28, to honour members of the family of G. Stewart and C. Jean (Ross) MacKay and their contributions to the capital campaign for UPEI's Health Sciences Building which houses the School of Nursing and the Department of Applied Human Sciences. The second floor collaboratory was officially named after the family during the event and a plaque was unveiled.

The MacKay family has a recognized tradition of support to Island communities. Their volunteer efforts and financial support to charitable causes continue to have impact. The MacKay family has contributed over $100,000 to the University through student scholarships and support to the health sciences building campaign.

The annual G. Stewart MacKay Scholarship supports the educational, athletic, and leadership development of students, while the annual C. Jean (Ross) MacKay, RN Nursing Scholarship is awarded to a returning UPEI student enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program who intends to pursue an international learning experience. The first-ever recipient of the nursing scholarship is second-year nursing student Amanda Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick spoke during the celebration to express her appreciation to the MacKay family.

UPEI's Interim Vice-President Academic, Christian Lacroix, brought greetings and thanks to the family on behalf of the University. 'On behalf of the President, my colleagues, and the students here, we're very appreciative of the support your family has provided to UPEI. It's a point of pride for us to be able to say that we have friends like the MacKays who believe in this institution, who want to see it succeed, and we are doing just that.'

Rosemary Herbert, Dean of the School of Nursing, explained that the collaboratory is an important gathering space for nursing students to review their work and assignments with faculty before entering the laboratories that include high-fidelity simulation mannequins within the Vera E. Dewar Learning Resource Lab.

Gordon MacKay and his sisters Carole MacKay Ellis, Connie MacKay-Carr, and Lori MacKay Loggie, were present for the unveiling of the plaque. Not able to be present was their sibling Marilyn MacKay-Lyons who resides in Halifax. Gordon said a few words on behalf of the MacKay family and on behalf of his parents. 'My mother was very proud as a nurse; it was something that she carried with her throughout her whole life. She made lifelong friends at the PEI School of Nursing-friends so close they were like sisters,' said Gordon. 'I know my parents would both be so proud to have this named in their memory.'

The University extends its gratitude to the MacKay family and is pleased to express its appreciation through the official naming of the G. Stewart and C. Jean (Ross) MacKay Collaboratory.

For more information on contributing to UPEI's capital campaign, please contact advancement@upei.ca.

Dr. Blake Jelley, Associate Professor of Management in UPEI's School of Business, recently achieved the nation's top score on the National Knowledge Exam (NKE) offered by the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations in October 2012.

Over 1,650 candidates wrote the NKE-a 150-question, multiple-choice exam that assesses knowledge of professional practice; organizational effectiveness; staffing; employee and labour relations; total compensation; organizational learning, training, and development; and occupational health, safety, and wellness. The NKE is one of the requirements to obtain the Certified Human Resources Professional designation.

'To score the top mark in the country is a fantastic accomplishment. This demonstrates the calibre and quality of faculty that the UPEI School of Business is fortunate to have,' said Alan Duncan, Dean of the School of Business. 'To be able to mix the academic theory with the practical application is a difficult skill. Blake's achievement highlights that we have faculty who know the evidence and are wonderful resources for our students and our Island community.'

Jelley is the son of Lorraine and the late Paul Jelley of Charlottetown. He holds a PhD in industrial-organizational psychology from Western University. He teaches undergraduate and executive MBA courses in organizational behaviour, human resource management, and business research methods.

His scholarly research has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including acclaimed outlets such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Human Resource Management. He is past chair of the Canadian Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has worked and consulted in both the private and public sectors. Much of his current work focuses on evidence-based management which involves using management research to inform practice in organizations as well as using practitioners' needs and insights to inform management research.

For more information on the NKE, visit http://www.chrp.ca/rpc/nke/.

It's a busy weekend for UPEI Panthers as they host the AUS swimming championship and regular season basketball and hockey games.

The AUS swimming championship takes place February 8-February 10 at the CARI Complex, with swim heats beginning at 10:00 am and finals at 6:00 pm daily. Tickets can be purchased for $10 per day or $15 for the weekend by contacting Carol at heartz@upei.ca or (902) 566-0432.

In Friday's action the UPEI Panthers basketball teams host the University of New Brunswick with the women's game at 6:00 pm, and the men's game at 8:00 pm. The men's hockey team finishes off its regular season at home against St. Thomas University where they will honour senior players, Dylan Quaile, Matt Boyle, Harrison McIver, and Zach McCullough before the puck drops. Game time is 7:00 pm.

On Saturday, UPEI basketball teams take on Cape Breton University with women's action at 6:00 pm and the men's game at 8:00 pm. UPEI women's hockey team hosts l'Université de Moncton at 7:00 pm at the MacLauchlan Arena.

UPEI Athletics & Recreation reminds all Panther fans to visit gopanthersgo.ca for game updates and cancellations.

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz recently returned from an eight-day UPEI/PEI mission to Egypt and Turkey as part of his student-faculty mobility and international recruitment strategy.

The President met with senior higher education government officials and with several universities in both countries. UPEI's focus is on enhancing current, and developing new, partnerships in the Middle East as well as China, Japan, and parts of Africa such as Nigeria and Ethiopia.

While in Egypt, Abd-El-Aziz was accompanied by Premier of Prince Edward Island Robert Ghiz and Canadian Ambassador to Egypt David Drake, who was a great support in facilitating many meetings. After meeting with the Minister of Higher Education and Deputy Minister of Higher Education at the Cairo University campus, Abd-El-Aziz said, 'Premier Ghiz and his grasp of the Island's post-secondary education system was very well-received at the universities we visited. I was proud to participate in our joint mission, educating our colleagues on how PEI offers a safe, stable environment in which to pursue post-secondary education. UPEI has a strong tradition of educating and welcoming people from around the world dating back to its St. Dunstan's University and Prince of Wales College roots and we were successful in reinforcing an already positive reputation.'

A highlight of the Egypt portion of the trip was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with October 6 University, located just outside Cairo, to establish a teaching and learning centre on the October 6th campus and to explore 2 plus 2 programs (where students complete two years of study at one university and finish the final two at the other). Premier Ghiz signed as a witness to the agreement.

The President and Premier also met with students from many different fields as well as medical students. Students were very interested in the Canadian democratic system and the potential for further studies in Canada. Representatives from the October 6 University student union and ENCTUS (formerly known as SIFE or Students in Free Enterprise) were also in attendance.

Meetings also took place with longstanding partner Misr International University to discuss establishing a collaborative Centre for Professional Development, and with the British University in Egypt (BUE) President Ahmed Amin Hamza to discuss a possible agreement to begin student mobility projects between BUE and UPEI.

Premier Ghiz and President Abd-El-Aziz then travelled to Istanbul to meet with Canadian Ambassador to Turkey John Holmes, and business leaders of the Turkish business council to discuss opportunities for cooperative work in both PEI and Turkey. Ambassador Holmes was instrumental in the organization of a number of events including a meeting with the Deputy Governor of Istanbul City to discuss mutual collaboration in industry and post-secondary education.

While in Turkey, the president, chair of the Board of Trustees, vice-presidents, deans, and students of Bahcesehir University hosted the UPEI delegation for meetings, resulting in the signing of an MOU between UPEI and Bahcesehir University. Preliminary discussions entertained the possible establishment of an Institute for English Academic Preparation (EAP) on the UPEI campus; international practicum experience opportunities for UPEI Education and Nursing students; engineering and climate change research collaborations; and student exchange and mobility programs.

'UPEI continues to offer quality education by recognizing that international experiences for our students are equally as important as classroom learning. By experiencing other cultures either on campus or by travelling and studying abroad, our students will discover that our world is becoming 'smaller' and despite differences, there are many common challenges we face,' added Abd-El-Aziz. 'With a global perspective and the province of PEI serving as a laboratory-like environment, UPEI students will have even greater opportunity to develop and share creative solutions that have global applications.'

'This is why my goal is to continue building strategic relationships with universities around the world. The success of this mission to Egypt and Turkey was due in large part to having our Premier with us to present our province and our University as an excellent educational destination.'

As part of the Debut Atlantic tour, pianist Todd Yaniw will perform at UPEI's Dr. Steel Recital Hall on Tuesday, February 12, at 7:30 pm. Todd is a two-time national winner of the Canadian Music Competition, silver medalist at the Eastman International Piano Competition and was a recipient of the 2010 Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award. He received his Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto (ARCT) diploma at the age of twelve.

Since his debut with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra when he was thirteen, Todd has frequently performed at festivals and venues including the Banff Centre for Music, Edmonton's Winspear Centre for Music, and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. Todd has performed with the symphony orchestras of Edmonton, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor, and Guelph. He is preparing for his fourth concerto performance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with conductor Joana Carneiro.

Three UPEI students-Megan Hood, Brett Huestis, and Ben MacDonald-were chosen to take part in this year's Japan-Canada Academic Consortium (JACAC) student forum, February 16-24, hosted by York University in Toronto.

The forum provides undergraduate student representatives from member institutions in Japan and Canada with the opportunity to meet and exchange opinions about a common topic of interest to students today. Students are able to interact with peers from a different culture, gain insight into academic interests, and encourage ideas between Canada and Japan. The host institution alternates from Canada to Japan each year.

The theme of this year's forum is 'Current economic dynamics and challenges between Japan and Canada and the implications for the youth of today.' Sub-themes will include international human capital development, the current global economic climate, and economic partnership agreements.

Huestis, a second-year business student and prospective UPEI exchange student, hopes JACAC will help define his economic and social role as a Canadian, and provide him with a better understanding of his own academic and career goals. 'The opportunity to network with like-minded students will provide valuable insight into current economic and social challenges facing Canada and Japan,' said Huestis. 'It will also provide an understanding of human capital development and the global economic climate of today's international world.'

Hood is a fifth-year business student, while MacDonald is a fourth-year arts student studying French and Spanish.

Sherilyn Acorn-Leclair, UPEI's International Partnerships Coordinator, has been working closely with the students to prepare them for JACAC. 'These three students are really focusing on acquiring the Japanese language and learning from their peers from both Canada and Japan,' she said. 'Each one of them has an undeniable passion for Japan-whether it be as a result of them having lived there or planning an exchange or leisure trip to the country-and we couldn't be happier that they were chosen to attend this year's JACAC student forum.'

Close to 30 student representatives will take part in this year's forum. Canadian participants will travel from UPEI, Université Laval, Queen's University, Université de Montreal, the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, the University of Waterloo, and York University. Japanese participants will travel from Hokkaido University, Hosei University, J.F. Oberlin University, Josai International University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kyoto University of Education, Meiji University, Nagoya University, Ritsumeikan University, Sophia University, and Tsuda College.

For more information on the JACAC 2013 student forum, visit http://www.jacac.com/what-we-do/annual-forum/.

Despite the weather, the 2013 Subway AUS Swimming Championship wrapped up on Sunday, February 10 at the CARI Complex. UPEI swimmers were among the top, breaking both UPEI and personal best records.

The UPEI Healthy Campus Committee in conjunction with the Fair Treatment Office invites all students, staff, and faculty, and the broader community to wear pink on Wednesday, February 27, to raise bullying awareness and help make our campus a respectful and safe place to learn and work.

'Pink Shirt Day' was started by two Nova Scotia high school students after a bullying incident occurred in their school when a male student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school. The initiative has since spread to other schools, clubs, workplaces, and has even gone international.

In Canada, anti-bullying is promoted by wearing pink on the last Wednesday of February to symbolize a no tolerance policy on bullying. Last year, 6.4 million people took part in 'Pink Shirt Day.' Learn more about Pink Shirt Day by visiting http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/.

For more information on UPEI's Pink Shirt Day, please contact Peggy Leahey at (902) 566-6498 or mleahey@upei.ca.