Below is a message from President Abd-El-Aziz that was issued to the campus community.

Dear members of the University community,

With the first semester already behind us and winter on our doorstep, we can now reflect on the past year and prepare to usher in 2016.

I hope that the entire campus community had a wonderful first half of the academic year, full of personal and professional advancement. I am confident that everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved break.

Looking back, our first semester was a successful one. Our students, faculty, and staff were recognized for their academic, athletic, and community achievements. We saw improved first-year retention rates; growth in international, domestic, and graduate student enrolment; and even a new program approved. While these are great gains to be celebrated, we are always striving to do better. I look forward to continuing these efforts in the New Year and beyond.

Every year, the pace of life in general seems to increase. We communicate faster, witness incredible technological advances, and continue pursuing success in everything we do. The holidays are a window to pause, even if briefly, and relax. We have had some moments to gather as colleagues at various socials on campus throughout December, and now it is time to enjoy time with family and friends.

Whether you are here on the Island or travelling elsewhere, let us not forget those less fortunate this holiday season. Find a moment to give back to your community and assist those who might need it. I thank everyone who contributed to our collection at the President’s Holiday Social for the UPEI Food Bank, and applaud those who volunteered at various “study relief breaks” across campus or at the Chaplaincy Centre's Annual Chili Lunch where over 800 students were served a warm meal.

I wish everyone a peaceful and joyous holiday season, and I hope to see you at our annual New Year’s Day Levee to kick off a prosperous, healthy, and happy 2016.

Let’s continue working together, to advance our shared objectives and support student success.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Blessed Eid, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year—Season’s Greetings!

Best wishes,

Alaa

Dr. Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Prince Edward Island

Veterinary care is difficult—often impossible—to obtain in remote northern communities in Canada. But for the past ten years, teams of veterinarians and veterinary students from the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at UPEI have been heading north to give free veterinary care to animals in some of those communities.

The Chinook Project was founded in 2005 by AVC professor Lisa Miller and then-UPEI English professor Jane Magrath. With financial assistance from the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre at AVC, the first Chinook Project trip took place in the summer of 2006.

Since that first trip, 52 fourth-year veterinary students, 15 veterinarians, and two veterinary technicians have cared for over 1,400 animals at 16 mobile clinics held in ten locations in Canada’s North. They have performed 728 spay and neuter surgeries, given countless vaccinations and doses of dewormer, treated numerous medical conditions, and educated hundreds of people about animal care and welfare. Most of their patients have been dogs, but they also care for other animals, including cats and the occasional rabbit.

Because of the lack of veterinary services in many areas of the North, communities there are often overrun with dogs, with attendant issues of parasites and disease outbreaks. In turn, these problems result in issues such as aggression between dogs and towards people, and neglect and abuse of the animals. Larger centres like Iqaluit and Yellowknife have veterinary services, but people living in smaller communities have to fly their animals to these cities at great cost.

Now coordinated by Miller and Dr. Marti Hopson, the Chinook Project responds to requests from northern communities for veterinary services. Teams of veterinarians, students, and veterinary technicians spend three to 10 days in the communities, providing essential veterinary services. Under the guidance of veterinarians, the students work long hours, performing surgeries and other veterinary services in temporary clinics set up in firehalls, community centres, schools and other venues. They also go out into the countryside to care for sled dogs, which are usually kept outside community borders.

The students gain valuable experience practicing veterinary medicine during their time with the Chinook Project, but they get other benefits as well. They get to know the people and, through them, the culture of the North. The communities they visit often arrange formal events such as feasts, drum dancing and community games nights, and informal activities like iceberg sightings and hikes. As part of their learning experience, the students hone their writing skills by keeping personal journals and writing blogs about their experiences.

Getting the veterinary teams to the North is no easy task. Hopson, who has travelled north with Chinook almost every year, spends many hours, dealing with every aspect of the trip—from arranging transportation and accommodation to getting supplies needed by the veterinary teams. She works closely with people in the communities that the Chinook Project teams will visit.

Sending people and supplies to the North would not be possible without the financial assistance of the many sponsors and donors who support the Chinook Project. Among the major sustained donors are the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Rathlyn Foundation, Ann McCain Evans, Zoetis Animal Health, Air Labrador, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Iams-Eukanuba.

Planning is well underway for the 2016 Chinook Project. Veterinary teams will visit Nain and Sheshatshiu, Labrador, and Iqaluit, Nunavut. For more information about the Chinook Project, please visit chinookproject.ca

University of Prince Edward Island Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tim Kendrick is pleased to announce the Panthers have added an early Christmas present in the form of 6'8”, 240-pound Bluefield High School graduate Jon Hovingh.

Hovingh spent two years with the Holland College Hurricanes, where he received his diploma in Sports and Leisure Management while being named a CCAA Academic All-Canadian, and recently completed his training at the Atlantic Police Academy in Summerside.

The local product will be eligible to join the Panthers immediately.

Hovingh is thrilled to be joining the Panthers, "I remember as a young kid I watched every Panthers game my parents would take me to. I knew all of the players’ names and their stats! To be given the opportunity to play basketball again at this level, and to be able to do it here at UPEI is a blessing. The Panthers coaching staff and players have something special going on and I am thrilled to be a part of it!”

Coach Kendrick is very happy to add the forward to his roster. “We are extremely pleased to add Jon to our roster. I spoke with him a couple of years ago about the possibility of playing here because I liked his skill set, athleticism, and height. At that time he was very slight, but he has certainly worked hard to improve that."

“He comes to us with a great reputation as a solid teammate, hard worker, and top-notch student,” Kendrick says. “I think that he is a classic ‘late bloomer,’ and I expect him to help us right away in our push to the AUS Play-offs!”

Hovingh will be entering the Bachelor of Arts program, majoring in Psychology.

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation
• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place
• Home of Panther Sports Medicine
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre

As Canada made plans in the early 1960s to build The Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, it sought the input of one of the world’s foremost thinkers in the area of architectural acoustics to help design the main performance stage. Dr. Leo Beranek, a founder of the internationally known Bolt, Beranek & Newman (BBN), took on the job, creating, with his team, a multi-purpose main stage capable, even a half a century later, of thrilling audiences with versatile acoustic experience. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind & Brain, a journal edited by UPEI’s Dr. Annabel Cohen, pays tribute to Dr. Beranek in his 100^th year in a special edition with the aim of bringing together the fields of architectural acoustics and musical psychology.

In the journal’s editorial, Dr. Cohen harkens back to a presentation she attended at the 2013 International Congress of Acoustics in Montreal. Dr. Tapio Lokki of Aalto University in Finland explained his new method for evaluating concert hall acoustics by asking listeners in a great concert hall to carry out psychological judgments of the symphonic sound created by a virtual orchestra of 35 synchronized loudspeakers located on the stage. Each audio speaker produced the highly controlled prerecorded performance of an individual member of the orchestra. The virtual orchestra allowed acoustics of different halls to be compared while holding the orchestral production constant, avoiding the variability associated with the same symphony orchestra performing in different halls.  

“During the talk, it had occurred to me how little attention music psychology research pays to performance space, this all-important variable in the music-listening experience,” wrote Dr. Cohen. “Such research that requires behavioral science methods and architectural and musical acoustics knowledge places a heavy demand on researchers generally trained in only one or the other area. It seemed that a special issue of Psychomusicology: Music, Mind & Brain might provide an opportunity to build bridges between the two fields.”

The special issue of Psychomusicology was a joint effort of Dr. Cohen and guest editors Ingo Witew of the Institute of Technical Acoustics, RWTW Aachen University (the largest technical university in Germany); Pamela Clements of Clements Acoustics Design Associates, New South Wales, Australia; and, Dr. John S. Bradley, recently retired from the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa. The issue includes a fascinating autobiography/biography of Dr. Leo Beranek written jointly by Dr. Beranek and Dr. Cohen, and over 20 international contributions on concert hall design and the listener response—including one by Dr. Beranek himself.

Details on the special issue of Psychomusicology: Music, Mind & Brain can be found at www.apa.org/pubs/journals/pmu or Annabel Cohen, Department of Psychology. 

Dr. Ian Dohoo, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at UPEI, has been recognized by his peers for his contributions to the field of epidemiology through the commissioning of a portrait.

Unveiled at a recent celebration at AVC, the portrait depicts Dohoo relaxing at his home on Prince Edward Island. Painted by Grazyna Adamska-Jarecka, of Guelph, Ontario, it will hang in the AVC Department of Health Management, Dohoo’s academic department.

Dr. Wayne Martin, Dohoo’s PhD supervisor and mentor, was also honoured with a portrait by the same artist, which is now hanging in the Ontario Veterinary College’s (OVC) Department of Population Medicine. Martin was founding chair of that department. Martin and Dohoo are considered by their colleagues to be the “father and son” of veterinary epidemiology in Canada.

The Martin-Dohoo portrait project was initiated in August 2014 by epidemiologist Bruce McNab, an alumnus of OVC, with the support of epidemiology colleagues and the Canadian Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. The project was led at AVC by Dr. Javier Sanchez, Department of Health Management.

Colleagues and former students from 12 countries contributed more than enough funding to commission the portraits. Not only was the project completed within budget, but the extra funds will be used to help epidemiology graduate students travel to present their work at future conferences.

Dohoo graduated with a degree in veterinary medicine from OVC in 1976, and in 1982 with his PhD. He joined AVC in 1985 and led the development of the College’s internationally recognized research program in veterinary epidemiology, becoming the first director of the renowned UPEI Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research at AVC.

He has won numerous awards for teaching and research, including appointment as a Fellow of the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, professor emeritus at UPEI, several honorary doctorates and lifetime achievement awards from both the American and international veterinary epidemiology societies. With Martin and Dr. Henrik Stryhn of AVC, he authored the standard research text used for epidemiology curricula in veterinary schools around the world, among other publications. Dohoo continues to teach graduate-level epidemiology courses around the world.

Martin holds a degree in veterinary medicine and a master of science degree from OVC, and a PhD from the University of California at Davis. Like Dohoo, he has received numerous awards and honours for his contributions to epidemiology, including appointment as a Fellow of the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, designation as professor emeritus at the University of Guelph, and honorary degrees. He continues to practice and consult in the field of veterinary epidemiology.

UPEI student-athletes have set a university record, not on the field or the court, but in the classroom. For the third year in a row, the number of UPEI Panthers who have achieved Academic All Canadian status has increased to 81.

In the 2012–13 academic year, UPEI set a new university high mark with 73 students meeting the requirements. In 2013–14, 75 students attained the standing, while this year, 2014–15, UPEI is proud of its 81 Academic All-Canadian student-athletes who have reached this goal.

Academic All-Canadians are recognized by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) as student-athletes who achieve an academic average of 80 per cent or higher in their studies while participating on one of their university’s varsity teams. Having 81 of 175 students, or 46% of the student-athlete population, realize Academic All-Canadian status puts UPEI among the top universities in the country.

“We’re very proud of our student-athletes’ academic achievements,” said Chris Huggan, Director of Athletics and Recreation at UPEI. “Our goal is to inform them about the supports available and encourage them to reach out for the assistance they need to keep their studies at the forefront. It’s all part of the full experience that we aim to provide for our students.”

UPEI’s Inspire Campaign is currently underway to raise $50 million for the University, with the key priorities being Engineering, Global and Experiential Learning, Veterinary Medicine, and Athletics.

The Athletics priority aims to provide the facilities and support needed to attract and develop strong student-athletes in their sport and in and outside the classroom.

“Our objective is to provide students with a well-rounded experience that includes academics, athletics, and extra-curricular, community activities,” said Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President and Vice-Chancellor.

“Students who are provided with valuable opportunities become great global citizens and contribute to their full potential. There is no better legacy for UPEI,” adds Dr. Abd-El-Aziz. “The achievements of these CIS Academic All-Canadian student-athletes are a point of pride for the whole University.”

The following is a list of UPEI's 2014-15 CIS Academic All-Canadian recipients, by sport:

Field Hockey: Alyssa Arbing, Kayla Arsenault, MacKenzie Deighan, Hannah Gormley, Katherine Koughan, Danielle LeClair, Emily Ross, Sydney Stavert; Men’s Hockey: Brent Andrews, Nelson Armstrong, Darcy Ashley, Colin Beck, Craig MacLauchlan, Cole MacMillan (dual sport, also Men’s Soccer), Matthew Mahalak, David Mazurek, Nicholas Parker, Ryan Taylor, Connor Wilkinson; Men’s Soccer: Mark Edward Ashlee, Eric Da Silva, Kyle Dutton, Nathan Ford, Ben Keefe, Blake Kelly, Cole MacMillan (dual sport, also Men’s Hockey), James Mallard, Jeff Moore, Kieran Moore, Cullen Mullaly, Jared Murphy, Trevor White; Men’s Basketball: Stefan Vujisic; Swimming: Hannah Jenkins, Rebekah Nitschmann, Martin Sobey, Joseph Sulaiman, Emily Swaine, Katherine VanLeeuwen; Curling: Emily Gray; Women’s Basketball: Katelynn Donahoe, Elysia Drost, Amy Gough, Julie Hatcher, Terrilyn Herrick, Mary Anne Kiberd, Kiera Rigby; Women’s Hockey: Ferran Brown, Madison Clarke, Jocelyn Dougan, Olivia Doughart, Cornelia Geib, Margaret Grimmer, Jessie-Anne Howard, Margaret Lockyer, Teagan Pringle, Courtney Stewart, Kiana Strand, Samantha Sweet, Keirstin Visser; Women’s Rugby: Lauren Chamberlain, Rebecca Chapman, Leah Corrigan, Amy Marie Hickey, Holly Jones, Danielle Lacey, Megan Larkin, Mariah Wedge; Women’s Soccer: Sarah Cannell, Kelsie Collier, Katherine Drake, Jerika Gimpel, Kelly Green, Anna Lazurko, Jenna McDonald, Courtney McRorie, Meaghan Malcolm, Olivia Murphy, Lindsay Noonan, Melissa Richardson, Alexandra Shinnan, Sarah Stanley.

The UPEI Department of Music Recital Series is thrilled to present soprano Tracy Cantin on Friday, January 8 at 7:30 pm at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall.

The Summerside native is returning to UPEI, where she says “my serious training all began ten years ago.” Cantin will be accompanied by pianist Frances McBurnie and jazz guitarist Dave Miller. Her program of will include Bach’s Ave Maria and works by Debussy, Richard Strauss, Puccini, and Britain. This recital has become a passion project for Tracy as it includes her favourite pieces composed by her favourite composers. Two of the Strauss pieces are songs she first learned and performed while a student at UPEI.

Praised by the Chicago Tribune for her “full, gleaming sound” and “vocal and physical allure, with interpretive intelligence and stage presence,” Cantin has it all, according to the Chicago Sun Times: “agility, power, and dazzling coloratura.” A recent graduate of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cantin won critical acclaim last season at Lyric as Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia. She appeared with the company in Elektra, Rigoletto, Parsifal, and most recently in the title role of Donizetti’s demanding Anna Bolena, in which she replaced ailing super-star soprano Sondra Radvanovsky.

An avid concert performer, Cantin has performed around the world and has recently made debuts with the Melbourne Symphony (under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis), the Ravinia Festival, Grant Park Festival, Oregon Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Cantin holds degrees from McGill University, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Alberta. Among Tracy’s numerous awards are a 2014 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, a 2013 Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation career development grant, and first place in Canada’s prestigious Lois Marshall Memorial Competition (2010).

Tickets are $15 Adults & $10 Seniors/Students and are available online or by calling or e-mailing the music office at (902) 566-0507 or music@upei.ca. 

University of Prince Edward Island Women’s Hockey Coach Bruce Donaldson is pleased to announce that Antigonish, Nova Scotia native Breah MacEachern has committed to the Panthers for 2016–17.

MacEachern is attending the Ontario Hockey Academy (OHA) in Cornwall, Ontario and plays defence for the U20 Gold Team. In 18 games this season, MacEachern has recorded 3 goals and 7 assists. In the past three seasons, MacEachern has played for Team Nova Scotia at the Atlantic Challenge Cup, and also represented Team Nova Scotia at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, British Colombia.

“I decided to go to UPEI because I love the school campus and the atmosphere there,” said MacEachern. “I’ve been going to the Island for about 10 years now to attend Andrews Hockey School, and ever since I was younger, I’ve always said I wanted to go to UPEI.”

Coach Donaldson commented, “Breah is one of the top-rated defence players graduating from the OHA.  We have a great relationship with OHA as both Marie Soleil Deschenes and Ye Eun Parks are also alumni.”

He adds, “Breah brings a great skill set to our program: she is very mobile, moves the puck quickly, challenges players with her gap, and sees the play on the ice very well. Her experience with Team NS and the OHA will make the transition to the CIS a smooth one, and we are looking forward to having her in our lineup come September.” 

MacEachern will be a student in the Faculty of Arts.

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation
• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place
• Home of Panther Sports Medicine
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre, squash and racquetball courts, competition and leisure pool with hot tub, and two ice arenas

The UPEI Men's Hockey Panthers are teaming up once again with the Charlottetown Islanders, and also this year with Red Rock Wrestling, for the second annual Hockey Day on PEI, Saturday, January 9. The goal of the day is to raise money for minor hockey teams across the Island.

Everyone is invited to cheer on the Panthers at the Eastlink Centre as the UPEI Men's Hockey team hosts the Dalhousie Tigers at 7:00 pm.

“We’re excited to team with the Panthers again to give fans a chance to see two of the Island’s hockey teams in action and raise some money for minor hockey in P.E.I.,” said Islanders President of Operations Craig Foster.

“We are looking forward again to participating in Hockey Day in P.E.I. with the Charlottetown Islanders,” added Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson. “The work behind this event is providing an opportunity to continue build our relationship and grow the event on a yearly basis. This is truly a win/win for both programs and the Island hockey community.”

Other "Hockey Day" play at the Eastlink Centre includes the Charlottetown PeeWee AA Abbies playing at 1:00 pm while the Charlottetown Islanders host the defending President’s Cup champions, the Rimouski Oceanic, at 3:00 pm.

Between the Islanders’ and Panthers’ games, ticket holders can head to the Trade Centre to enjoy more entertainment including Red Rock Wrestling with PEI’s “Kowboy” Mike Hughes and a Kids Fun Zone.

“Being a part of family orientated event like this is just what Red Rock Wrestling is all about,” said Hughes. “This will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our talents to fans who may not have seen Red Rock Wrestling and an opportunity for wrestling fans to be exposed to live hockey as well.”

Full day passes are available now at the Eastlink Centre Box Office, Phinley's Restaurant, Naturally Fit, or by phone at (902) 629-6625.

It's a busy day for the Panthers as the Men's and Women's basketball teams host SMU and the NBA All-Star 2016 Challenge at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on Saturday. Visit gopanthersgo.ca for more game information and tickets.

Over the last 30 years, libraries have been transformed by the changes in information and learning, many of them wrought by developments in digital technologies.

"The Robertson Library at the University of Prince Edward Island," says Vice-President Academic Christian Lacroix, "has been an innovator in the development of new approaches to serving a diverse community of learners and scholars, and has demonstrated a creative approach to developing new services. The intersection between skills development and libraries is an increasingly prevalent one, with many libraries delivering a strong information and digital literacy effort in partnership with faculty."

“In order to better leverage this intersection, the Office of Skills Development and Learning (OSDL) will be combined with the Library,” adds Dr. Lacroix.

This new unit will include responsibility for the Library, Central Printing, Copyright Office, Professional Development and Continuing Education, PLAR, Seniors College, Explore/EAL, Career Services, and eLearning.

The merged portfolio will provide an innovative approach to the delivery of academic support services, and build on the natural synergies between the Library and OSDL staff. Since the Library is open seven days a week throughout the year, it will also open opportunities to deliver more services to more people at more times, leveraging the entire building as an academic hub: the information and learning crossroads of the UPEI campus.

Dr. Lacroix says, “The current University Librarian has a seat at the Deans Council, providing a critical connection to the broader academic activities on campus and the development of more partnerships with Faculties and Schools. As part of this merger, the University Librarian will assume responsibility for all academic matters pertaining to Continuing Education and Adult Learner programs and will provide an academic home for the creation and delivery of certificate programming.”

With the recent resignation of Mark Leggott effective February 8, 2016, Donald Moses will serve as interim University Librarian while a search process is established.