At UPEI, our people make a difference. The University Awards of Excellence recognize employees who go above and beyond in teaching, research, service, leadership, and more! Categories include

• University Teaching Excellence Award
• University Research Excellence Award
• University Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Supervision
• University Award for Exemplary Service
• University Ambassador Award
• University Award for Support of Student Success

Taking time to nominate a colleague or individual who has made a difference in your experience at UPEI is a powerful way to show appreciation and foster a culture of gratitude. Recognition can bridge gaps, uplift individuals, and strengthen our sense of belonging.

Nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff, and students. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, February 28, 2025. Submit your nomination today! 

For more information about each award including eligibility and the nomination process, please click here.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence in November, the UPEI Student Union Mental Health team and the UPEI Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO) invited students, staff, and faculty to create a community “quilt” for gender-based violence prevention. Each participant created a canvas square for the quilt. Thank you to all who contributed to this important art piece!

The art shares messages of hope for survivors as well as messages about gender-based violence prevention. For Love & Sex Week (February 10-14), we encourage everyone to visit the quilt on display at the Robertson Library. As you enjoy the art pieces, reflect on ways you can foster healthy relationships in your life and commit to consent in all interactions.

The quilt will be on display from 9 am on Monday, February 10 to Friday, February 14. 

IT Systems and Services (ITSS) will perform upgrades to the border firewalls between 7:30 and 9:30 am on Saturday, February 15, 2025. During this period, users on campus will have no access to internet resources on wired or wireless systems. There will be no impact on printing, security systems, department shares, facilities management systems, and local system use.

ITSS apologizes for the inconvenience.

The UPEI Writing Centre will remain open during the mid-semester break except on Islander Day (Monday, February 17) and the weekend. To make an in-person or online appointment, please go to https://upei.mywconline.com/ or drop by Robertson Library 274.

We look forward to working with you!

The UPEI Faculty of Science invites the campus community to its regular Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series. On Friday, February 14, Dr. Suzanne Gray, Department of Biology, will present a seminar titled "A fish-eye view of a changing, multi-stressor world." The presentation will take place from 12:30-1:20 pm, Duffy Science Centre 204. 

Everyone is welcome.

UPEI is conducting a study for the PEI Veterans Success Centre. As a veteran transitioning from military to civilian life or a supporting family member of a veteran transitioning, you are invited to participate in this study, titled “Understanding the challenges of veterans and their families,” which will make a difference and inform future support services needed by veterans and their families.

Participation will entail a 30-to-60-minute interview by phone or in person at the location of your choice.

For more information, contact Dr. Olive Bryanton at obryanton@upei.ca or 902-566-0627.

The University Award for Exemplary Service will be presented to a UPEI employee who has demonstrated outstanding service and/or who has made significant contributions to the University community beyond that normally expected of their position. This award has two categories: i) staff; and ii) faculty members.

Nominated candidates will have demonstrated outstanding service to the University community. Among the factors to be considered by the committee will be consistent, long-term, outstanding service to the UPEI community; and evidence of successful efforts to improve the university experience for students, employees, and visitors to UPEI.

Nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff, students, or a combination thereof. Nominations must be supported by two nominators at least one of whom must be a member of the faculty or staff of UPEI.

Nominations must include a dated statement of no more than two (2) pages proposing the nomination, describing and justifying the achievements in the category for which the application is being made. Nominations must provide specific examples to support the nomination.

Nominations close on Friday, February 28, 2025.

For more information about this and other awards including eligibility and the nomination process, please click here.

UPEI's Human Resources team has grown and services have expanded. Check out our informational document outlining our services and respective team members! 

This guide can be found by visiting myUPEI>Menu>Administrative Services>Human Resources. The PDF link will be found at the top of the Human Resources page, under our contact information. You can also visit our Teams site to access the informational document.

This is a living document, so please check back from time to time to ensure you are referencing the most up-to-date information.

The deadline for animal care protocol submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, March 7, for the March meeting. 

Please note that as of June 1, 2020, all animal user protocols must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal at https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/

For new protocols, select "applications," and for renewal or amendment protocols, select "events."

UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx. 

Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month. The committee requires at least one month for processing applications.

The UPEI Writing Centre will remain open during the mid-semester break except on Islander Day (Monday, February 17) and the weekend. To make an in-person or online appointment, please go to https://upei.mywconline.com/ or drop by Robertson Library 274.

We look forward to working with you!

On Wednesday, February 12, ITSS will conduct a short maintenance on the myUPEI portal and related services from 8:00 to 8:30 pm. During this time, there may be intermittent access to and performance issues with myUPEI, Self-Service, and Colleague.

We encourage students, faculty, and staff who may need documents or links located on myUPEI to plan ahead and bookmark or download the resources they may need during this period.

As a reminder, you can access Moodle directly using https://moodle.upei.ca and Outlook email using https://outlook.office.com.

If you have any questions, please contact the ITSS help desk at 902-566-0465.

There will be a basic biosafety training session on Friday, February 28, at 9:00 am in AVC 287N. Topics will include basic biosafety principles and how they are applied at the University of Prince Edward Island, as well as biosecurity training. This session is open to everyone, including graduate students.

To attend, you must pre-register by contacting Jacky Buell by the end of the day on Friday, February 21, 2025, via email (hse@upei.ca) or phone (902-566-0901). 

Please provide:

• Your name 
• Your supervisor’s name (if applicable)
• Department
• Email address
• Phone number
• Whether you're an employee or graduate student  

NOTE: An online biosafety training refresher course is available for those who completed basic biosafety training previously. Training must be renewed every three years. Please contact us for information on how to register for this training. 

The UPEI Faculty of Science invites the campus community to its regular Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series. On Friday, February 14, Dr. Suzanne Gray, Department of Biology, will present a seminar titled "A fish-eye view of a changing, multi-stressor world." The presentation will take place from 12:30-1:20 pm, Duffy Science Centre 204. 

Everyone is welcome.

Please note that ITSS, including the helpdesk, will be closed from 11:45 am to 1:15 pm on Wednesday, February 12. During this time, you can still submit a ticket by emailing helpdesk@upei.ca or calling 902-566-0465. We will respond to your inquiry as soon as we return. Thank you for your understanding!

ITSS Team

The University Research Excellence Award recognizes faculty members for outstanding research and scholarly accomplishments and significant contributions to advancing the University’s national and international reputation for research excellence.  

Nominated candidates will have demonstrated outstanding achievements in research, creative, or scholarly clinical or diagnostic activities. Among the factors to be considered by the committee will be sustained and outstanding research achievement of excellent quality as documented through publications and/or other scholarly outcomes; recognition by one’s peers in the field of research; intellectual and creative endeavors that have made an exceptional impact on the community of interest; and/or scholarly clinical or diagnostic activities of outstanding contribution to their disciplines.  

• Nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff, students, or a combination thereof. 
• Nominations must be supported by two nominators. At least one nominator must be a member of the faculty or staff of UPEI.
• Nominations must include a dated statement of no more than two (2) pages proposing the nomination, describing and justifying the achievements in the category for which the application is being made. Nominations must provide specific examples to support the nomination.

Nominations close on Friday, February 28, 2025.

For more information about this and other awards including eligibility and the nomination process, please click here.

A dossier to support a teaching award nomination is different from one you develop to apply for an academic position or for tenure and promotion. Right now, there are multiple calls for nomination open for teaching and educational leadership awards at UPEI. If you have been nominated by colleagues or students or are considering self-nomination, come and learn about what it takes. Bring your interest and questions about preparing a teaching award dossier to the Teaching and Learning Centre RL 230 on Monday, February 24, 2025, at 2:30 pm. If you have an existing teaching philosophy statement, bring it along too. 

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence in November, the UPEI Student Union Mental Health team and the UPEI Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO) invited students, staff, and faculty to create a community “quilt” for gender-based violence prevention. Each participant created a canvas square for the quilt. Thank you to all who contributed to this important art piece!

The art shares messages of hope for survivors as well as messages about gender-based violence prevention. For Love & Sex Week (February 10-14), we encourage everyone to visit the quilt on display at the Robertson Library. As you enjoy the art pieces, reflect on ways you can foster healthy relationships in your life and commit to consent in all interactions.

The quilt will be on display from 9 am on Monday, February 10 to Friday, February 14. 

IT Systems and Services (ITSS) will perform upgrades to the border firewalls between 7:30 and 9:30 am on Saturday, February 15, 2025. During this period, users on campus will have no access to internet resources on wired or wireless systems. There will be no impact on printing, security systems, department shares, facilities management systems, and local system use.

ITSS apologizes for the inconvenience.

Date: Thursday, February 13
Time: 12:00-1:00 pm Atlantic
Location: Virtual. Register for the link at https://forms.gle/Lh3SAjFguChUnk4K7
Audience: UPEI master's and doctoral Students

Virtual Workshop: Gen AI use as a grad student
As students, the draw of a time-saving tool is always of interest. When are the current Generative AI tools available truly useful, and when might they be distractions or time wasters? Join us for a review of relevant types of Gen AI tools, and discussion about potential uses and relevant concerns.

Facilitator: Keri McCaffrey, One Health & Scholarly Communications Librarian

Options: Attend the virtual workshop delivered live and/or receive access to the recording.

View the full schedule of upcoming monthly Lunch & Learns for Graduate Students in the self-enrolled UPEI Graduate Student Professional & Academic Development Resources Moodle: https://moodle31.upei.ca/course/view.php?id=19273

This lunch and learn event is a 45-minute working session created in collaboration between the TLC, EDIHR, and Accessibility Services. Make an impact on student learning by rethinking your slides. 

What to bring: A set of slides and a device to work on

Schedule:  

• 10-minute presentation 
• 30 minutes to work individually on your own slides; the hosts are present for questions 
• 5 minutes to reflect on how it went and ask more questions 

Email Kristy at kmckinney@upei.ca to RSVP.