The 31st annual Deans' Academic Honours and Awards Nights will take place at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre at 7:00 pm on both October 4 and 5.

On Monday, October 4, students in the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Education and School of Business will be honoured while Faculty of Science and School of Nursing students will be acknowledged on Tuesday, October 5.

Students and guests are asked to arrive by 6:30 pm. Entrance tickets will be collected at the ceremony.

Dr. Andrew Tasker, Professor of Neuropharmacology, and Director of the Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research at UPEI's Atlantic Veterinary College, has been named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) at a ceremony in Ottawa.

Dr. Tasker's acceptance letter from the CAHS states, 'Fellows of the Academy are elected on the basis of their demonstrated leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies and commitment to advance academic health sciences. Membership is considered one of the highest honours for members of the Canadian health sciences community.'

Dr. Tasker's research has provided insights into the working of the brain previously unimaginable to scientists. As a result, his team has developed new molecules and working models of the brain that will help generations of researchers test new treatments and possible cures for epilepsy, stroke, and other brain diseases.

He led a team of researchers who developed a patent for an animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy that placed him on the biotechnology timeline with Nobel Prize winners and key researchers throughout history.

'Dr. Tasker is an outstanding scientist, researcher and teacher,' says Dr. Don Reynolds, Dean of the AVC. 'His work has considerable potential to bring hope to many people as he works to advance scientific knowledge and unlock the mysteries of brain function. I congratulate Dr. Tasker on this career achievement.'

"I don't work with the aim of receiving awards and honours,' says Dr. Tasker. 'My team and I work so that we can better understand brain disorders, and ultimately find ways to cure and even prevent them. But I won't deny that it is a nice feeling to be recognized for my contributions to health research. I'm proud to be named a Fellow of the Academy, and to have the opportunity to contribute further to the Canadian health-science agenda.'

'The CAHS Fellowship honours Dr. Tasker's scientific and professional achievements over almost three decades of a prolific career,' says Wade MacLauchlan, President and Vice-Chancellor of UPEI. 'It also honours the fruitfulness of crossing boundaries between animal and human health, and the research leadership of AVC and UPEI in this field."

The CAHS was created by a proclamation of Parliament, to recognize great accomplishment and achievement in academic health sciences in Canada. It also provides timely assessments of urgent issues affecting the health of Canadians. Two of the inaugural fellows of the society include Dr. Ian Dohoo, Director of the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research at AVC, and Dr. Alastair Cribb, former faculty member at the AVC and current Dean of Veterinary Medicine at University of Calgary.

The Centre for Christianity and Culture at UPEI will host well-known Globe and Mail contributor and University of Toronto political science professor, Clifford Orwin as the first installment of its 'Christianity in the Modern World' Lecture Series.

Orwin will present Princess Diana and Mother Teresa: Compassion vs Christian Charity on Friday, October 8 at 4 pm at Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Room 243 at UPEI.

Orwin is a fellow of St. Michael's College, and director of the program in political philosophy and international affairs at the University of Toronto. He teaches the history of political thought, with emphasis on classical, early modern, and Jewish political thought. He is also the author of several books.

The Centre for Christianity and Culture is a research and study centre focusing on Christianity's impact and perspective on the intellectual and cultural life of Western civilization. Other lectures in the series include Asceticism and Abundance: Flannery O'Connor and the Communion of Saints on October 21, 2010, Does Liberalism Need Christianity on February 3, 2011, and A Role for Religion in Modern Culture on March 1, 2011.

Dr. Ronald Baker, President Emeritus UPEI, invites the UPEI community and the general public to an event celebrating the life of his late wife, Dr. Frances M. Frazer Baker, on Saturday, October 16 at 3:00 pm in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall on the UPEI campus.

Dr. Frances Frazer Baker was an original faculty member of UPEI and retired in 1992. Fran served as the Chair of the Department of English and as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts. She passed away last January.

A Celebration of the Life of Dr. Frances M. Frazer Baker will feature music by Fran Gray and Isaac Albénizas as well as tributes from family, colleagues, and friends. A reception will follow in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building.

Please RSVP to Sarah MacInnis, Alumni Outreach Coordinator by telephone (902)566-0687 or by email to smmacinnis@upei.ca.

Fred Hyndman, Chair of UPEI's Board of Governors and UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan invite everyone to attend the unveiling of
a series of portraits of our past-presidents to acknowledge our University's rich history of leadership:

Dr. Ronald J. Baker
Dr. Peter P.M. Meincke
Dr. C.W.J. Eliot
Dr. Elizabeth R. Epperly

The event will take placeThursday, October 14 at 4:00 pm in the Robertson Library. Refreshments will be served.

RSVP to Linda Callaghan, 902.566.0415 or lmcallaghan@upei.ca.

UPEI is pleased to be the academic partner for CBC's upcoming 2010 Massey Lecture, on October 19, by celebrated Canadian author and artist, Douglas Coupland. It takes place in the Confederation Centre of the Arts, beginning at 8:00 pm. President Wade MacLauchlan will introduce Douglas Coupland.

A cultural commentator with international impact, Coupland presents this year's lectures in the form of a novel, Player One. What is to Become of Us. The novel and lecture together present a story set over five hours in an airport lounge which asks; at what point do humans stop being humans and become something else? Where, if anywhere, do modernity and classical theology overlap? What is time? What is the human essence? And how does storytelling fit into all of this?

Tickets are on sale through the Confederation Centre Box Office at 566-1267. They cost $25.10 regular/ $13:55 for students.

Panther Basketball is pleased to bring back the Mickey Place Memorial Basketball Tournament and with it, an added women's division.

After a two-year hiatus, the event has been given new life through the support of the UPEI Panther Basketball program. Being held at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre October 15 to 17, the tournament features twelve games over the three days and includes nine teams from Ontario and the Maritimes.

The tournament is named after John Thomas 'Mickey' Place, a long-time friend of Panther Sport, a former UPEI student union employee, and an honorary degree recipient. He supported all teams and every player with a notion of competition that was quaint if not downright Victorian-he was a believer in 'fair play' and that through respect for one's opponent, an athlete could gain the ultimate respect for self.

'On behalf of the UPEI Basketball Green and White Club, we are ecstatic to bring back the Mickey Place Memorial Basketball Tournament. We are excited to have the women's program join us in hosting the tourney, and believe that the fans will enjoy a fantastic weekend of basketball. This is a great opportunity for all of our student-athletes to excel in front of their home crowd as we prepare for the 2010-11 season,' said UPEI Men's Basketball head coach, Matthew Davies.

In the men's division, four teams will battle for the title: the UNB Reds from Fredericton; the Brock Badgers from St. Catherines; the York Lions from Toronto; and host, the UPEI Panthers.

For the first time, women will play in the event. Women's teams include the Saint Mary's Huskies from Halifax; the Acadia Axewomen from Wolfville; the York Lions from Toronto; the University of Ottawa Gee Gees; and the UPEI Panthers.

Coach Carly Clark of the UPEI Women's Basketball team commented on the new format. 'We are very excited to host a women's side of the Mickey Place for the first time. It is a great way to kick off our season in the community, and a great opportunity for our team to compete against some of the best teams in the country on home court. With nine new players on the team this year, establishing some familiarity on our home court in early October will hopefully help us when the regular season rolls around.'

Weekend passes are available for $25 and covers all twelve games.

SCHEDULE

Friday, October 15

2:00 pm York vs SMU (W)
4:00 pm York vs UNB (M)
6:00 pm UPEI vs Ottawa (W)
8:00 pm Brock vs UPEI (M)

Saturday, October 16

1:00 pm Ottawa vs SMU (W)
3:00 pm Acadia vs York (W)
5:00 pm Brock vs UNB (M)
7:00 pm York vs UPEI (M)

Sunday, October 17

10:00 am Ottawa vs Acadia (W)
12:00 pm Brock vs York (M)
2:00 pm York vs UPEI (W)
4:00 pm UNB vs UPEI (M)

Charlottetown, PEI (October 14, 2010) - Enrolment has hit an all-time high at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), following a number of years of steady increases.

The latest report from the Registrar's Office indicates that there are 4,600 full-time and part-time students at the Island's only university, compared to 4,435 last year and representing a 3.7 per cent increase in overall enrolment.

UPEI's record enrolment can be attributed to a number of factors. There are more graduate students attending the university as well as additional transfer students choosing UPEI in their second and third years. UPEI Registrar, Kathleen Kielly, says, 'With the addition of new academic programs in the last few years, and an increase in the number of pathways to complete a degree, we are attracting more students in their upper years.'

More visible on campus is the jump in international students-a 17 per cent increase over last year - especially evident in numbers from the Middle East and Asia. International students will continue to be an important component of UPEI's student body, adding to the diversity of the entire Island community. Kielly adds, 'We have a long history of welcoming international students to UPEI and with our excellent English academic preparation program and other supports offered through the Webster Centre, we help make their transition to Canada easier.'

'We are extremely pleased with everyone's continued efforts to show new students why UPEI is an excellent choice. Our domestic and international recruitment team has been able to drive home that UPEI offers an intimate and unique educational experience; for example, undergraduate students can become involved in high-level research as well as access exchange, internship, and co-op opportunities at home and around the world.'

With more students comes the need for more space, and these anticipated increases in enrolment have led to the recent expansion of both residence spaces and academic facilities on the UPEI campus. A new residence - Bill and Denise Andrew Hall - was added in 2006 and construction is underway on a new building featuring classroom and lab space to house the School of Nursing and Family and Nutritional Sciences program.

Charlottetown, PEI (October 14, 2010)- UPEI Men's Hockey coach Forbie MacPherson will have a chance to see how his team responds when the Panthers host their season opener October 15 against the UNB Varsity Reds-the number one-ranked university team in Canada by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). Game time is 7:00 pm at MacLauchlan Arena.

'UNB is the best CIS team in Canada right now and this will be a great measuring stick for us. We couldn't ask for a better opponent on opening night to see where we stand,' MacPherson said. 'With the exception of a hiccup last year when they lost to St. FX in the playoffs, UNB hasn't lost more than a handful of games in two years.'

UPEI was 2-3 in pre-season games, beating Guelph (6-5) and Saint Mary's (5-2), and losing to Saint Mary's (6-4), Moncton (6-2) and Dalhousie (6-2).

'The exhibition games served their purpose for us. We had moments of exceptional play and then there were times when we didn't play well. Exhibition is a time to iron out the wrinkles, and we also saw some positive signs that got us excited going into the regular season,' added MacPherson.

UPEI scored 104 goals last year, the most in recent memory. Leading scorer Chad Locke(12-24); CIS Rookie of the Year, Jared Gomes (17-16); Matt Carter (17-16); Mike MacIsaac (8-16); Brandon Biggers (7-14); Dylan Quaile (4-16); Cory Vitarelli (13-6); Thomas Waugh (5-8); and Tomas Stryncl (1-12) are all back to play for the Panthers.

Gone from last year's team are Kyle Chagnon, James Cooley, Aaron Dawson, Connor Cameron, Wayne Savage Bret Nasby, Howie Martin and Jacob Bundil.

New to the Panthers this season are Matt Boyle (Lewiston Maineiacs), Dana Fraser (Truro Bearcats), Mark Guggenberger (Kelowna Rockets), Matt Maione (Guelph Storm), and Kris MacDonald (Acadia). Jordan Knox has rejoined the Panthers.

For a second year, forward Waugh is the team's captain. Gomes, Vitarelli and Graham McNabb will be alternates.

The coaching staff includes Mark Rupnow and Kris MacPhee as assistant coaches, and Stu Dunn as goaltender coach.

Opening night ceremonies will include a presentation to Gomes for his accomplishment last season, as well as a moment of silence for Vince Scott who played for the Panthers during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons and died in a car accident in Ontario earlier this year.

Canadian journalist and author Gwynne Dyer will speak at UPEI on Tuesday, October 19 as part of his cross-Canada university and college tour. The event will take place in the Learning Commons at the Atlantic Veterinary College starting at 7 pm.

Sponsored by the UPEI Faculty of Arts, Dyer's lecture will focus on his new book, out this fall, 'Crawling from the Wreckage' which traces the world's halting emergence from the dark tunnel of the past decade, a time marked by exaggerated fears of terrorism, futile, and unnecessary wars in the Middle East, neglect of climate change, and financial near-collapse.

Gwynne Dyer has worked as a freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for more than 20 years, but he was originally trained as a historian. Born in Newfoundland, he received degrees from Canadian, American, British Universities, finishing with a PhD in Military and Middle Eastern History from the University of London. In Canada, Dyer's column appears regularly in over 50 newspapers.