Message from the President: Welcome to the Fall Semester!
The following message was also distributed to UPEI students, faculty, and staff by email on September 9, 2024.
Dear UPEI Community,
This week marks the beginning of the 2024 Fall Academic Semester at the University of Prince Edward Island, and I am excited to welcome all students, from PEI, across Canada, and around the world.
Whether you are a new student, returning to continue your studies, a new or continuing member of our outstanding faculty and staff, I thank you for choosing UPEI.
It’s an exciting time at UPEI—we are in a period of renewal and we are all committed to creating a safe, welcoming environment and helping students, faculty, and staff reach their full potential. We continue to strive every day to create safe, inclusive spaces and offer innovative, learning opportunities for all members of our diverse campus community so everyone can thrive academically, socially, and culturally.
Everyone can participate in creating and maintaining a culture of trust, safety, and inclusion. We can listen with curiosity, make sure all voices are heard, welcome diverse points of view, and embrace opportunities to challenge our thinking and learn new things. We can help others do that too. We can check in with each other, do what we can to make sure there is a place to express and discuss difficult topics, to explore, and to create. Even those of us who have been in post-secondary, maybe at this post-secondary institution, for a long time, can seek new learning, ask questions and seek solutions that will move us all forward.
I recommend all students, staff, and faculty take advantage of the many opportunities that UPEI has to offer. The university experience will always be more than what happens in the classrooms, labs, theatres, and playing fields. Participating in extra-curricular activities, getting involved in student life, and cheering on our UPEI Panthers are just a few of the great ways to have fun, make a difference, and build friendships that last a lifetime. We are all Panthers and we all contribute to Panther Pride.
A big thank you to our New Student Orientation (NSO), Residence Life, and Recruitment and First-Year Advisement teams who have done a tremendous job introducing new students to supports and services available at UPEI.
For students, especially new students, University is not a journey to take alone. UPEI has numerous departments and resources in place that are dedicated to your success. These include the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre; Robertson Library; Counselling Services, Accessibility Services, International Student Office, the Mawi’omi Indigenous Student Centre, the Chaplaincy Centre, the Campus Life program, Work-Integrated Learning, Career Services, EDI and Human Rights department, and more. I encourage students to reach out and explore the many different networks we have created to support your UPEI experience.
If you are looking for me, my office has moved to Kelley Memorial Building in the centre of campus. The rest of the President’s Office Team will be moving to KMB soon. I’m going to be out and about more on campus—so please say hi! I can also be emailed at president@upei.ca.
I look forward to collaborating with faculty and staff to ensure the success of our students.
I wish you all the very best for a successful fall semester and academic year!
With best wishes,
Wendy
