The University of Prince Edward Island community, and especially the UPEI Robertson Library, was saddened to learn of the recent death of UPEI Founder and retired librarian Franklin L. (“Frank”) Pigot.

“Students, faculty, and researchers near and far continue to benefit from Frank’s work with our archival and special collections,” said Donald Moses, University Librarian. “He built those collections from the ground up, and made them into something that PEI and its University can continue to cherish and build upon for generations to come.”

A proud native of Mount Stewart and alumnus of Prince of Wales College, Frank was appointed as the first Prince Edward Island Collection Librarian at the UPEI Kelley Library in the early 1970s. Beginning with just a handful of PEI books, he spent the next 25 years developing a peerless collection of Island-related publications. By the time Frank retired in 1997, the PEI Collection numbered some 12,000 titles, complemented by extensive vertical and clippings files, and was described by historian Dr. G. Edward (“Ed”) Macdonald as, “the finest assemblage of Islandia anywhere”. Alongside the PEI Collection, Frank also developed the University Archives into an important collection of documentation relating to UPEI and its two forebears, Saint Dunstan’s University and Prince of Wales College. Frank further complemented this remarkable collections development work with methodical indexing of relevant content, especially in Island periodicals, effectively building a massive card-file database, encompassing more than 100,000 entries.

Frank received the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation’s Meritorious Achievement Award in 1998, in recognition of his many thousands of hours of care and skill in developing the PEI Collection and University Archives. In receiving the award, Frank, with his trademark quiet modesty, paid tribute to the support of Library colleagues and of numerous donors—most notably the Saint Dunstan’s University Alumni Association—in fostering the PEI Collection and University Archives’ remarkable growth.

Even after retirement, Frank continued to serve the Robertson Library as a volunteer, and his ongoing dedication to the University community was honoured with his recognition as a UPEI Founder in 2004. The Founders Day citation highlighted, rightly, that Frank had been, “breaking new ground,” in building up both the PEI Collection and University Archives, essentially from nothing, into matchless cultural and research resources.

In addition to his accomplishments as a librarian, Frank was also a distinguished scholar. He authored two books, John Stewart of Mount Stewart (1973) and A History of Mount Stewart, Prince Edward Island (1975): the latter book has just been reissued, in an expanded and illustrated edition, and tribute was paid to Frank’s pathbreaking work at the well-attended launch for the new edition in December. In recognition of Frank’s remarkable knowledge and research skills in the field of Island history, he was also invited to contribute several entries to the prestigious Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

The Robertson Library is now preparing a special tribute to Frank’s legacy: further details will be announced as they are finalized.

UPEI extends its condolences to Frank’s family, friends, and former colleagues. Flags will be flown at half-mast in his memory. Read the obituary

-Prepared by Simon Lloyd, University Archivist & Special Collections Librarian

This winter’s UPEI writer-in-residence will be Steven Heighton, award-winning novelist, poet, short-story writer, and essayist. He will give a public reading on Tuesday, February 6 at 7:30 pm and will lead two writing workshops on Saturday, February 10. Both events will be in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building.

Raised in Toronto and northern Ontario, Heighton travelled and worked in western Canada, Australia, and Asia, studied at Queen’s University, and settled in Kingston, Ontario, where he writes full time. His distinctions include several gold medals for fiction and poetry from the National Magazine Awards and the 2016 Governor General’s Award for Poetry for The Waking Comes Late. He has been writer-in-residence at several universities and has led writing workshops in diverse settings including The Banff Centre, the Sage Hill Writing Experience in Saskatchewan, and the Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia.

His morning workshop (9:30 am to 12:00 pm) will feature “re-enactive” techniques, which allow writers “to create sentences or passages of great vividness and sensual intensity. To work re-enactively is to embody, in the full sensory meaning of that word, whatever you're writing about, rather than just describing it,” explained Heighton.

In the afternoon workshop (1:30 pm to 4:00 pm), writers will practice “homophonic translation.” This exercise involves “translating” from a language participants don’t know, just on the basis of sound. “The results,” said Heighton, “are always funny and often spectacularly good—and sometimes also moving. The process is a wonderful way to make writers approach their work with greater acoustical/musical sensitivity rather than simply, flatly saying something about how they feel.”

The workshop are $40 each, or $70 for the whole day. Seniors and students pay $35 for one or $60 for the day. To register, see the UPEI Winter’s Tales Authors’ Reading Series Facebook site.

Steven Heighton’s visit and the UPEI Writer-in-Residency program are sponsored by UPEI’s Dean of Arts, the Vice-President Academic/Research, and the UPEI English Department, with generous support from The Canada Council for the Arts.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island. 

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Caroline Del Santo and Cody Payne, the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for January 1–7!

Carolina Del Santo is a second-year centre on the UPEI Women’s Basketball team and a Bachelor of Science student from Barcelona, Spain. Del Santo had an incredible game over the weekend against St. Francis Xavier University, scoring 20 points, grabbing ten rebounds, and blocking five shots in just 21 minutes of play. “This was Carolina’s best game in a Panther uniform,” said coach Greg Gould. “She was very good on both ends of the court.”

Cody Payne is a second-year forward on the UPEI Men’s Hockey team and a Bachelor of Business Administration student from Davie, Florida. The Panthers beat St. FX 3–2 in an exciting game over the weekend, ending in a shootout, but fell the following night 5–2 to Dalhousie. Payne scored three goals over the two games, including the shootout winner. “Cody had a very strong game in our last game of the first semester,” said coach Forbes McPherson. “We were hoping he would continue that trend heading into the second half. Cody was up to the challenge and provided our team with goals at key times.”

UPEI students get into all Panther home games for free. Let’s fill the stands and make this the best season ever!

The University of Prince Edward Island has received a $1 million gift from the estate of Ruth MacDonald to establish the Roderick Stirling MacDonald Scholarship Fund.

“I am grateful to be able to represent our family today in the awarding of this gift,” said Ken Clark, who is Roderick and Ruth’s nephew. “Education was very important to my aunt and uncle and knowing this will support future students in this way is a great way to honour their legacy.”

“The University is extremely grateful for this generous gift from the estate of Mrs. Ruth MacDonald to honour her late husband,” said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “This scholarship fund will support UPEI students in attaining a quality post-secondary education. Mrs. MacDonald’s considerate act of naming UPEI as a beneficiary of her estate will have a tremendous impact on our students for years to come.”

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Students, faculty, and staff gathered on January 10 to celebrate the newly refreshed office of The Cadre, a UPEI-student-run online news publication. Third-year Arts student Lorelei Kenny, former editor-in-chief, led the initiative to revitalize the space by applying to the Annual Fund Projects Program, which has supported renovation projects in the past like the W.A. Murphy Student Centre Credit Union Day Lounge and the Dawson Lounge in SDU Main Building.

Kenny took a few moments to reflect on the months of planning, hard work, and collaboration required to rejuvenate the space, and acknowledged a long list of people who played a role in realizing the project.

“There are so many people to thank for the success of this project,” said Kenny. “But most importantly I would like to acknowledge the generous alumni and friends of the University who contribute to the annual fund so that ideas like this can become a reality.”

Before the office was refreshed, the space was furnished with odds and ends accumulated over decades by students working for The Cadre. Kenny credits her predecessor, Elizabeth Iwunwa, for the initial cleanup and sorting through the clutter. With the help of many hands, the office was transformed into an inviting and professional space where the editorial staff can write, collaborate, and conduct interviews.

UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz attended the open house and was a part of the committee that reviewed the initial application for funding. “The Cadre is an important part of the campus community. Over the years, their articles have captured stories on our campus, shed light on important issues, and pushed our community to reflect and be better. I am so pleased to see the transformation to this space and I know it will benefit our students for years to come.”

The University of Prince Edward Island and UPEI Alumni Association continued their time-honoured tradition of hosting a New Year's Day Levee on January 1. UPEI’s version of the social event—held at the School of Sustainable Design Engineering—proved yet again to be a popular stop for levee-goers.

A group of international students and alumni provided a helpful hand as they welcomed members of the community, wrote out presentation cards, and helped to collect and hang up coats while several UPEI music students, attired in Victorian dress, sang seasonal carols.

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz and Valerie Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI Board of Governors Chair Pat Sinnott and Darlene Sinnott, and UPEI Alumni Association President Curtis Toombs received close to 500 guests including the Honourable Antoinette Perry, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, and Chief Brian Francis of the Abegweit First Nation. UPEI honorary degree recipients and former premiers of Prince Edward Island, the Honourable Catherine Callbeck and Pat Binns, were also in attendance.

View the 2018 Levee Photo Gallery

About the levee tradition
The word levee (from the French noun lever, to raise) originated with King Louis XIV of France whose custom was to receive his subjects just after arising, a practice that then spread throughout Europe. In the 18th century, the levee in Great Britain and Ireland became a formal reception given by the sovereign just before noon or in the early afternoon. It was in Canada that the levee became associated with New Year's Day when fur traders began the tradition of paying their respects to their government representative on January 1. The first recorded levee in Canada was held in 1646.

The men’s and women’s Panther basketball teams play a pair of games at home each this weekend against Saint Mary’s University. The women tip off Friday’s game at 6:00 pm.

“We are looking forward to playing Saint Mary’s at home this weekend,” said coach Greg Gould. “They are an athletic, physical team who execute well in their half-court offence and are one of the best defensive teams in our conference. To be successful, we will have to defend well and keep them off the offensive boards.”

The men take the court against SMU at 8:00 pm.

“Our focus moving into this weekend is to eliminate those stretches throughout the game when we don't take good shots and we lose our concentration on defence,” said coach Darrell Glenn. “We typically have a really bad quarter when we give up greater than 15 points and score less than ten. If we can improve in that area, we give ourselves a fighting chance.”

UPEI and SMU face off again the following night. The women’s game starts at 6:00 pm. The men play at 8:00 pm.

#BellLetsTalk is just around the corner! The Panthers are proud to sponsor with Bell Aliant for Bell Let’s Talk Night on Saturday, January 27. The UPEI Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams are hosting Cape Breton University. Help us help others join the conversation about mental health. 

The University of Prince Edward Island and Synapse Applied Research and Industry Services congratulates Nautilus Biosciences Canada Inc. (Nautilus), a marine biotechnology company founded by UPEI professor Russell Kerr, on being acquired by Croda International Plc.

Croda Group is an international, multi-sector company that provides innovative, sustainable ingredients for customers in the areas of personal care, health care, crop care, polymer additives, lubricants, coatings and polymers, geo tech, home care and industrial specialities.

Synapse was pleased to support the acquisition process by shepherding discussions and helping coordinate the agreements between UPEI and Croda/Nautilus. Synapse, an independently-incorporated company was created to help transfer the expertise and knowledge housed in UPEI into products, processes, services, and insights that can provide practical social and economic benefit beyond the university environment.

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, “We are delighted that a technology rich enterprise coming from the University will become part of an internationally recognized company like Croda, and that their excellent work researching marine microbial microbiology will continue to develop and have commercial realization. We look forward to future opportunities for partnership and collaboration with both Nautilus and Croda.”

Read the Croda International Plc news release

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Kiera Rigby and Amin Suleman, the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for January 8-14!

Kiera Rigby is a fifth-year forward on the UPEI Women’s Basketball team and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) student from Charlottetown. The Panthers split a pair of games against Saint Mary’s University over the weekend. Rigby scored an incredible 26 points in Friday night’s win, shooting 47% from the field. “She went 66% from the 3-point line and was 8 for 12 from the free-throw line,” said coach Greg Gould. “Kiera also had three rebounds and a blocked shot. On Saturday, she scored 21 points, shooting 40% from the field and 80% from the free-throw line while collecting three rebounds.”

Amin Suleman is a third-year guard on the UPEI Men’s Basketball team and a Bachelor of Arts student from Toronto, Ontario. The team dropped two games to Saint Mary’s University over the weekend, but Suleman was a standout for the Panthers. “Amin had a very strong weekend against the Huskies,” said coach Darrell Glenn. “He combined for 20 rebounds, shot an impressive 50% from the field, scored 24 points, and played 60 minutes.”

#BellLetsTalk is just around the corner! The Panthers are proud to sponsor with Bell Aliant for Bell Let’s Talk Night on Saturday, January 27. The UPEI Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams are hosting Cape Breton University. Help us help others join the conversation about mental health.

And don’t forget! UPEI students get into all Panther home games for free. Let’s fill the stands and make this the best season ever!

The University of Prince Edward Island is pleased to announce a $25,000 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant in support of UPEI’s Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) program.

Funding will allow two UPEI Student Affairs employees to be professionally trained as instructors in the ASIST program. Once trained, these instructors will offer the two-day ASIST program free-of-charge to students, faculty and staff at UPEI, beginning with high-priority groups such as residence life coordinators, Student Affairs staff and other employees who may be the first point of contact for students in a crisis.

“On behalf of all members of the UPEI community, I thank Bell Let’s Talk for supporting the University’s efforts in suicide intervention with a Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant,” said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor, Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “This grant will have a significant impact on our ability to encourage an open dialogue across campus about student mental health.”

Having members of the UPEI campus community trained in suicide intervention will not only further the discussion about the state of student mental health, but also provide crucial support to students in need. By being proactive and making this training available, UPEI hopes to sustain a healthy and supportive community across campus.

“This is a very exciting development in UPEI's move to better equip our whole campus community to support our students, faculty and staff,” said Treena Smith, Director of Student Affairs. “Our plan is to have over 200 people trained in ASIST over the next three years and this is all due to Bell Let's Talk funding.”

“Bell Let’s Talk is very proud to provide a $25,000 grant to support the University of Prince Edward Island’s ASIST mental health training program,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “The 2017 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund provided 70 grants to support programs providing mental health services in communities around the country that help Canadians living with mental illness.”

Bell Let’s Talk Day is January 31
Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions on January 31, at no extra cost to participants:

• Text and talk: Every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and Bell MTS customers
• Twitter: Every tweet using #BellLetsTalk and Bell Let’s Talk Day video view
• Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and use of the Bell Let’s Talk frame
• Instagram: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view
• Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let’s Talk filter and video view

The Bell Let’s Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk Day, and provides significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace initiatives. To learn more about the Bell Let’s Talk campaign, and to download the Bell Let’s Talk toolkit to help get the conversation started, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

About the University of Prince Edward Island
The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.