After placing first in the local competition, UPEI's Jill Harris was then chosen by a national selection panel to take part in the 2013 National Nicol Entrepreneurial Award Competition and Gala Dinner held in Ottawa recently. Harris, a mature student in her fourth-year of the UPEI business studies program, was one of six finalists selected among students from 17 participating universities across Canada to present at the prestigious Ottawa event.

Harris, an avid gardener and full-time student, was told by the judges that she had a great pitch, Q&A period, logo design, and brand name for her business idea which introduces a nutrient-rich, organic mulch and soil conditioner packaged as a premium light-weight product for the gardening market, both on a regional and national scale. During her studies, Harris compiled information from research that revealed a valuable commodity to the horticulture industry. This business also presents an opportunity for a new manufacturing and employment venture for rural PEI.

She continues to pursue the research and development of her business idea, and although it's still in the preliminary stages, Harris anticipates starting the business upon finishing her degree in the fall.

'The courses I studied during my program such as integrated communications, managerial accounting, corporate finance, project management, operations, and marketing strategy gave me the knowledge and skill-set to feel confident enough to present any product to potential consumers,' said Harris. 'Competing and being judged by a distinguished panel of seasoned entrepreneurs in the Nicol competition was verification that my idea may indeed be viable.'

UPEI's Dean of the School of Business Alan Duncan believes entrepreneurship is a key engine that will drive future prosperity in Prince Edward Island. 'The Nicol competition is a fantastic forum that encourages students to take their ideas to the next stage. Jill has demonstrated knowledge and passion, and has convinced both local and national judges that she can transform her concept into a successful business,' he said. 'Just watch her succeed and thrive. We are fortunate to have such students here at UPEI.'

The Nicol Entrepreneurial Award is a national program designed to generate and reward interest in entrepreneurship on the part of undergraduate students in any faculty or field of study at participating universities across Canada. Launched in 1997, this program now awards over $100,000 in prize money each year to individual students or student teams who submit winning plans for their entrepreneurial business ideas.

The 2013 first place prize was awarded to University of Waterloo's Emily Peat and her business idea 'EcoPlace Organics.'

UPEI is receiving a number of calls regarding what happens if a storm occurs during the exam schedule.

Storm closure procedures are administered by the Office of the Vice-President Administration and Finance. Any decision to postpone or cancel morning classes or exams due to poor weather will be made by 7:00 am, if possible, on the day in question. Announcements of this decision will be made on the UPEI website, Campus Closure and Alert Line and to local radio stations. The website will also include information on when exams will be rescheduled as soon as it becomes available.

Please check upei.ca for updates.

UPEI women's hockey Head Coach Bruce Donaldson is pleased to welcome Winsloe native Emma Martin to the Panther program for the 2013-14 season.

'We are excited to have Emma join the Panther program,' said Donaldson. 'She has great size, she's a very strong skater, and she's someone we feel will develop into a key defensive player as she moves through her AUS varsity career.'

Martin, a Colonel Gray high school student, was dubbed 'Female Rookie of the Year' for 2011-12. She was also the recipient of the 'Atlantic Bantam Female MVP' in 2011-12, and captain of the 2012 Team PEI U17 women's hockey team. In 2010, Martin was selected for a Hockey Canada Skills Competition during the 4 Nations Cup, an annual women's ice hockey tournament held among four major national teams in the sport-Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland.

UPEI is happy Martin has decided to join the Panther family. 'I'm sure Emma will enjoy her experience as a student-athlete at the university level,' said Bill Schurman, Director of UPEI Athletics and Recreation.

'I'm honoured and excited to be a Panther next year,' said Martin. 'I'll do my best to contribute to the team in any way I can.'

Martin will begin her business administration degree at UPEI in September 2013.

UPEI women's hockey Head Coach Bruce Donaldson is pleased to welcome Glenboro, Manitoba native Teagan Pringle to the Panther program for the 2013-14 season.

'I look forward to Teagan joining the program this fall,' said Donaldson. 'She comes from a very well run organization that fits nicely with our team's objective of working hard and continuing to develop each and every year. Teagan will bring some offence to our line-up along with size and speed.'

Pringle, an honour roll student, is a hard working and consistent performer for the Westman Wildcats out of Hartney, Manitoba. Currently in her third season with the team, she has scored 34 goals and 56 assists. She has proven she is the ultimate team player as many of her teammates look up to her both on-and-off the ice.

'We are pleased that Teagan is coming to eastern Canada to become a Panther,' said Bill Schurman, Director of UPEI Athletics and Recreation. 'We will do everything possible to help Teagan excel both academically and athletically.'

'I can't wait to be a UPEI Panther,' said Pringle.

Pringle is enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts program at UPEI and plans to major in Psychology.

UPEI case teams travelled to Halifax last month to compete in the third annual Atlantic Throwdown Case Competition hosted by Dalhousie University. UPEI teams placed second and third and were awarded the challenge trophy once again this year for highest cumulative total competition points.

This competition is designed to give new UPEI and Dalhousie case students a competitive analysis experience in preparation for next year's competition class. Members from UPEI's current team took part as mentors.

'The hard work by both the new case students and their mentors paid off and I'm proud of their dedication and commitment to this extracurricular program,' said faculty advisor Edward Gamble. 'Seeing the students excited about the case competition and eager to spend their weekend working on a tough business problem speaks volumes to their characters.'

Success at these events does not come easily, and is the result of many hours of preparation combining classroom knowledge with analytical skills precisely wrapped in a commanding style to present their conclusions.

Case competitions are an integral part of business education. The scenarios provide students with the requirement to analyze real-world business situations and make recommendations as if they were the business executives or consultants.

More about the Atlantic Throwdown Case Competition

• In its third year of competition, UPEI has retained the challenge trophy each year

• Second-place team: Michelle Clow, Josh Hayden, Justin Lank, and Kelcy McNally

• Mentors: Allison Baillie, Michael Both, and Mary Whitrow

• Third-place team: Katie Adams, Rebecca Cole, Colin Cornish, Patrick MacIntyre, and Cearagh Vessey

• Mentors: Andrew Harding and Alex Whalen

• UPEI faculty advisor: Edward Gamble

An exciting new coaching structure for UPEI soccer is underway as the 2013-14 season draws closer. Award-winning UPEI soccer coach Lewis Page has been asked to lead both the men's and women's varsity soccer programs. UPEI is moving forward with Page's dual coaching role as a pilot project.

Page has been head coach of the UPEI men's soccer team since 2000, having won an AUS championship in 2002, and has taken teams to the CIS Nationals in 2002, 2005, and 2009. Page has been named AUS Coach of the Year on four occasions, as well as CIS Coach of the Year in 2002. He holds an 'A' license coaching certification from the Canadian Soccer Association. Page has served for eleven years as a national team coach, winning a silver medal at the 2002 U19 FIFA Women's World Cup, and a gold medal at the 2011 Pan Am Games.

In addition to his coaching duties, Page has been asked to develop the soccer programming for the new Panther Academy-'a high performance experience'-which will introduce programming and camps available for youth of all ages. The 2013 spring/summer offerings include youth spring training, active-start mini soccer, and summer soccer camps. Page will direct the groups while members of the UPEI men's and women's soccer teams will act as instructors.

'It's great timing to pilot the Panther head coaching model, and Lewis is the right coach for the opportunity,' said Bill Schurman, director of UPEI Athletics and Recreation. 'Lewis will be spending equal time with each program while helping to develop our Panther Academy as the soccer leader.'

'I'm excited about the opportunity to guide both programs on a full-time basis. We have great coaching staff to support both the men's and the women's teams and our goal is to do the ‘double' and win national championships in both programs,' said Page. 'I'm equally as excited about building the soccer development programs in the Panther Academy and helping to develop the next generation of Panther soccer players.'

Page will have two lead assistant coaches on his soccer coaching staff-Bruce Norton on the men's side and Amy Connolly on the women's side.

Norton is a former football, soccer, and curling Panther. In 1990 and again from 1994-99, Norton was head coach of the men's soccer team and, in 1996, was named AUS Coach of the Year. In 1998, Norton led the men's team to an AUS championship, and returned to UPEI in 2003 to assist Page. In 2011, Norton was named co-AUS Coach of the Year alongside Page. Norton has also coached at both the high school and junior high levels for over 30 years.

Connolly is a former UPEI Panther soccer all-star-winning UPEI Rookie of the Year and numerous UPEI Most Valuable Player awards. She also received three AUS first team all star awards, and one CIS first team all star award. Connolly was also named UPEI Athlete of the Year in 2005-06 for her outstanding soccer career where she finished her final season strong receiving the AUS Female Soccer Most Valuable Player award and the CIS Female Soccer Most Valuable Player award. In addition to her experience as a varsity athlete, Connolly has coached for the past six years-from 2007-09 she acted as Colonel Gray high school's head coach, before moving on to Holland College where she became assistant coach for two years followed by head coach for two years.

Want to know what university is really about? UPEI is launching Experience U (XPU)-a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for free, delivered on Facebook, and open to anyone-hopeful new students, supportive parents, high school teachers, or just interested observers who are eager to engage and connect with some of the key concepts that make the university experience unique. XPU provides a platform for students to chat with their peers and faculty members, get answers to their questions, meet great people, and make connections before classes even begin.

XPU is a free, five-week course, organized by current UPEI students and begins on Thursday, April 25. Students can enroll at any time between April 25-May 30. Topics include 'what's a student,' 'what's a syllabus,' 'what's research,' 'how do I succeed at university,' and 'what's a professor'?

'The internet gives us an amazing opportunity to work and learn together. We've been doing that with MOOCs here on campus in one form or another since the first one in 2008. This time we're hoping to get high school students involved,' said Dave Cormier, UPEI's manager of web communications and innovations who is spearheading the XPU initiative. Cormier also coined the term MOOC in 2008.

This open course provides an overview of university, offers a context for the preparations and decisions students need to make, and provides a fun and engaging way to share questions about university. Each week, the course will introduce guest lectures, videos, live Q&A sessions, and some assignments.

As course participants, students will get a window into the UPEI university experience and get a handle on some of the 'ins and outs' of succeeding at the next level. The student organizers will put together discussions based on participant questions and answers to build a survival guide for starting university.

To sign up for the course, or to simply check it out, visit XPU.ca

The University of Prince Edward Island's IT Systems and Services (ITSS) department announced this month that UPEI is now a member of the federated network access service, 'eduroam.'

eduroam, a worldwide educational and research institution initiative provides 'education roaming' or a simple way for students, faculty, and staff to get instant and secure access to the Internet while visiting other participating institutions. eduroam participants simply enter their own institution's login credentials to gain access to the eduroam service while visiting other campuses.

'We are very pleased to participate in eduroam which serves to break down barriers to wireless network access among participating institutions,' said Blair Vessey, director of UPEI's ITSS department.

eduroam is a secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community. The service is offered at more than 5,500 institutions in over 50 countries. At UPEI, the eduroam service is provided throughout campus where wireless access is available.

For more information on eduroam, and for a complete list of participating institutions, visit https://www.eduroam.org/index.php?p=where

The UPEI Panther Golf Classic will have a new look beginning this summer after securing Stewart McKelvey, one of Atlantic Canada's leading law firms and the largest law firm on the Island, as a presenting sponsor for the next three years.

'The UPEI Panther Golf Classic is one of the premier golf tournaments held on the Island each summer and we are very pleased that Stewart McKelvey has agreed to be the presenting sponsor for the next three years,' said UPEI Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Schurman. 'This is a wonderful commitment to the UPEI Panthers by a valuable member of our corporate community.'

'Stewart McKelvey shares a long, rewarding relationship with UPEI,' said Spencer Campbell, Stewart McKelvey Charlottetown's managing partner. 'Many of us are UPEI alumni, have worked and taught at UPEI, and we are proud, long-standing supporters of the University. UPEI is an integral part of our community and we are excited to have an opportunity to partner in this important and unique event.'

The UPEI Panther Golf Classic presented by Stewart McKelvey takes place on Friday, July 26 at Green Gables Golf Course in Cavendish. Registration is $650 per team of four and the individual fee is $170 per person. Shotgun start at 8:15 am. The tournament is held annually on the last Friday in July, which is also the beginning of Reunion Weekend at UPEI.

For more details on the UPEI Panther Golf Classic presented by Stewart McKelvey visit, gopanthersgo.ca or call Panther Central, (902) 566-0368.