Congratulations to Jonathan Dingwell, fourth-year business student who took home the $500 grand prize in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The draw took place on Thursday, April 10.

A big thank you to all first - and fourth-year students who participated. UPEI received a response rate of 56%! For those students who have not yet had the chance to complete the survey, it will remain open until early June, so responses are still welcome. Check your UPEI email account today to complete the survey.

Once again, congratulations to the following students who received $100 early bird prizes: Jacquelyn Black, fourth-year arts; Aaron Rainnie, first-year nursing; Jimmie Mayaleh, fourth-year business; Hannah Povey, fourth-year arts; Marilyn McFadden, first-year arts; Wallace Nnane, first-year arts; Abbie Ronalds, first-year science; and Danielle Perry, fourth-year nursing.

NSSE survey results are compiled for institutions and provide them with the opportunity to identify aspects of the undergraduate experience (inside and outside of the classroom) that can be improved through policy changes and best practices. The results are also beneficial to prospective students, their parents, university counselors, academic advisors, institutional research officers, and researchers to learn more about how students spend their time and what they gain from their experiences.

More than 1,500 institutions in the U.S. and Canada have participated in NSSE since it was first administered in 2000.

Congratulations to UPEI Panthers Cole MacMillan and Barb Carmichael who received Sport PEI awards at the 40th annual awards ceremony this past weekend.

MacMillan, a dual-sport athlete involved in soccer and hockey at UPEI, took home the Intercollegiate Male Athlete of the Year award, while Barb Carmichael, UPEI Field Hockey General Manager received the Sport PEI President's Award for her longtime dedication and volunteerism to the sport.

UPEI Men's Hockey Head Coach Forbes MacPherson was also a finalist for Sport PEI's Coach of the Year award.

UPEI congratulates all UPEI Panthers who received awards/were nominated as award finalists.

Go Panthers Go!

With final exams underway, the UPEI Mathematics and Statistics department introduced a fun way for students to prepare for their exams through its inaugural UPEI Integration Tournament that took place on April 2.

The top sixteen first-year advanced calculus students were selected to take part in an integration competition where the students went head-to-head in a single knockout battle to solve integral problems and determine the best integrator. Spectators were also welcomed and had the opportunity to complete the problems for practice, and take part in lighter math pop culture trivia.

Dr. Gordon MacDonald, professor of UPEI Mathematics and Statistics organized the event after learning of it being used as a fun teaching tool at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

'I thought it was a great idea that may be of interest to students here at UPEI,' said MacDonald. 'I had no idea that we would get such a great response from students, and because of this year's success, we hope to make it an annual event.'

After 15 speed rounds amongst student competitors, Morgan Erskine was dubbed the winner, and earned the title of 'The Magnifluent.' The title is in honour of Isaac Newton, one of the inventors of calculus who never used the common terms derivatives or integrals. Instead, he used the terms fluxions and fluents. Erskine took home the top prize of $100. Second-place, and a $50 prize, was awarded to Patrick Strongman, while Emma McDermott and Rosalie O'Hara finished in third place and claimed $25 prizes.

'I was actually very surprised to win the tournament as I wasn't even confident that I would make it past the first round,' laughed Erskine. 'It was definitely a more fun and exciting way to study for exams. I found it particularly beneficial, as it gave so many different examples of integrals that we may see on our final exam,' she added.

Erskine is double majoring in mathematics and computer science and hopes to one day find a career in one of her areas of study.

While many students agreed with Erskine, MacDonald added that these types of integrals were definitely aimed to be more challenging than those that may appear on the final exam.

'These problems challenge students to select the best strategy out of possibly five or six different routes. Students are forced to use their math skillsets developed in high school and university, to come up with the solution,' added MacDonald. 'As the Integration Tournament showed, the best calculus students at UPEI can measure up with students from anywhere, even MIT.'

Special thanks goes to COWS Inc. for donating ice cream coupons, which were awarded as prizes to participants and spectators during the event's trivia.

UPEI Women's Rugby Head Coach Shannon Atkins is pleased to announce that Emma Baker is joining the Panthers for 2014-15.

Baker is currently attending Lockview High School in Fall River, Nova Scotia. Captain of the rugby team, Baker has played rugby at Lockview since grade 9, was MVP of the Capital Region championship match, and a provincial silver medalist and winner of two Rothesay Netherwood School rugby championships. Baker is a multisport athlete who played tier one volleyball at the club level, and attended four national and eastern championships winning four provincial medals. Baker is the only athlete at Lockview High School to win a provincial medal in two sports.

Baker also brings provincial experience-Team Nova Scotia U18 in 2013 and 2014, member of Team Nova Scotia U18 team that attended the National Tier 1 Championship in Vancouver in 2013 (placing sixth overall) and 2013 Eastern Canadian gold medalist. She was also a member of The Keltic Academy rugby high performance program, which identifies top players for Team Atlantic and national team streams.

'Emma is a talented rugby player who brings leadership, character, and athleticism to the program,' said Atkins. 'Adding Emma to a young team will give us more depth as we develop the program to compete in the tough AUS conference.'

Baker looks forward to becoming a Panther and has enrolled in the Science program at UPEI. 'I have close family ties to Prince Edward Island and to UPEI,' she said. 'I'm excited to attend UPEI to continue my education and to contribute to the Panthers rugby team any way I can.'

'I would like to welcome Emma to the University of Prince Edward Island, she's a great addition to the Panther Family,' said UPEI Athletics and Recreation Director Bill Schurman.

Go Panthers Go!

For information:
Ron Annear
UPEI Athletics and Recreation
(902) 566-0991
annear@upei.ca

UPEI Women's Hockey Head Coach Bruce Donaldson is very pleased to announce that Madison Clarke is joining the Panthers for the 2014-15 season. Clarke, originally from Hilden, Nova Scotia, played defence for the past three years with the East Hants Pro Cresting Penguins of the Nova Scotia Midget AAA hockey league. The team won the 2014 Provincial Championship and competed at the Atlantic Championships earlier this month, losing in the championship game against New Brunswick. In the 28-game season, Clarke recorded two goals and three assists along with 28 penalty minutes.

'Madison is a great young player who brings a strong work ethic to her game,' said Donaldson. 'She is very dependable - great mobility and enjoys the defensive side of the game. We see her as someone who will fit nicely within our defensive zone system and will develop to be a future team leader.'

Clarke has also been a part of the Hockey Nova Scotia High Performance Program competing on the U-15 and U-17 Atlantic Challenge cup teams.

'I'm very happy to be coming to UPEI. The coaching staff is sincere in their interest in me, and very approachable. The hockey program and UPEI's science department feels like the perfect fit for me, and I can't wait to further both my education and hockey as a Panther.' said Clarke. Clarke hopes to pursue Kinesiology during her studies at UPEI.

Clarke's Midget hockey coach Les Parker commented, 'Madison has been a solid player for the Penguins since putting on the uniform three years ago. She is reliable, smart on defence, and reads the ice and plays extremely well, skates well, and was a true leader in our room and on the ice. Above all else, she is a very coachable player who shows up to play every night. UPEI has landed one of our top players from Nova Scotia. The Penns family wishes the Panthers and Madison all the best in her AUS career.'

UPEI Athletics and Recreation Director Bill Schurman welcomes Clarke to UPEI. 'It is a pleasure to welcome Madison to the University of Prince Edward Island. We will provide the necessary supports for success in the classroom and on the ice, and I'm sure Madison will enjoy her Panther experience.'

Go Panthers Go!

For information:
Ron Annear
UPEI Athletics and Recreation
(902) 566-0991
annear@upei.ca

In the fall of 2013, UPEI created a committee to advise on the future operations of the University's longstanding and widely respected institute for research and public policy: the Institute of Island Studies. The Institute of Island Studies Futures Committee, in cooperation with UPEI's Vice-President Research and Graduate Studies, and Interim Vice-President Academic has released its final report, entitled: 'One Step Back, and Two Steps Forward,' which is available for download and review.

Using as its starting point, an external consultants' report commissioned in 2013, the report endorses the current mandate of the Institute as a centre for the comparative study of Prince Edward Island and other islands, and outlines a number of options for its future structure and operations. Two of the key recommendations entail adding a national and international scope to the membership of the Institute's advisory committee and a strong commitment to the Institute's role as an honest broker of public dialogue about key issues confronting Prince Edward Island. To that end, the Institute will organize two public forums during 2014, one in the spring and one in the fall, on water resources and land use issues.

In its report, the committee expresses its confidence in the future of the Institute of Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island and of the strong support from the University and community.

The full text of the report can be downloaded below.

For more information, contact Dave Atkinson, Research Communications at (902) 620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca

The University of Prince Edward Island extends its condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and devoted readers of UPEI honorary degree recipient Alistair MacLeod. He received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University in 2002. MacLeod passed away on Sunday, April 20 at the age of 77 in Windsor, Ontario.

MacLeod is a well-known, award-winning Canadian author and considered one of the country's best short story writers. Born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, he then moved to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia at the age of 10. Most recently, MacLeod taught literature and creative writing at the University of Windsor. He would return to Inverness County, Nova Scotia during the summertime, where he would write in his cabin facing west, overlooking Prince Edward Island. In 2008, MacLeod was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for his commitment to, and influence on, Canadian literature and its authors.

"No one has ever said that life is to be easy. Only that it is to be lived." - Alistair MacLeod

The University of Prince Edward Island has officially named a new terrace located adjacent to Don and Marion McDougall Hall, the Colleen Keefe Malone Terrace, in memory of UPEI alumna, the late Colleen Keefe Malone. The naming took place on Monday, April 21 at an event where a memorial and stonework were also unveiled.

Colleen Keefe Malone was the first female to graduate with a Bachelor of Business from UPEI in 1971. She then went on to a noteworthy career in human resources, serving as a Director for the PEI Civil Service Commission for many years. She and her eight siblings all attended UPEI, each becoming impactful community leaders in their professions. In 2011, the Keefe and Malone families were deeply saddened to lose Colleen to illness at the age of 61. She was a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law, and friend.

The University is proud to officially name the terrace in honour of Colleen Keefe Malone, who is especially remembered by her husband Leonard and their two children, Leslie and Jason.

'Colleen provided inspiration to family, friends, and colleagues,' says Dr. Greg Keefe, a brother and Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University. 'In addition to her exceptional professional contribution to human resource management, she was a constant support to her immediate and extended family. She was our core: encouraging each of us, celebrating our successes, and sustaining us through challenges.'

In her memory, the Keefe family with Colleen's husband Leonard Malone made a leadership gift commitment in the amount of $104,000 to UPEI. This leadership gift supports the Colleen Keefe Malone Memorial Scholarship. The annual award recognizes a business student who is in good academic standing and who intends to pursue a career in human resource management.

'On behalf of UPEI, I sincerely thank the Keefe and Malone families for memorializing Colleen through the Colleen Keefe Malone Memorial Scholarship,' said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. 'This, along with naming of the terrace, is a very fitting tribute to a great woman who impacted the lives of so many. Her legacy will now benefit the lives of UPEI students into the future.'

UPEI is recruiting volunteers for a nutrition research study who meet the following criteria: overweight, non-smokers, not diabetic, between the ages of 21-65.

If you meet all of the above criteria, you may be eligible to participate in the study whose purpose is to evaluate the health effects of blueberry consumption on indicators of diabetes and heart disease. Study investigators are Dr. Katherine Gottschall-Pass, Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, and Dr. Kim Stote.

If you are interested in participating, please attend one of the following 30-minute information sessions in Room 301 (dining room), Health Sciences Building, on the UPEI campus:

Wednesday, April 23-12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Thursday, April 24-12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Friday, April 25-12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Monday, April 28-12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 29-12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Wednesday, April 30-12:00 pm and 5:00 pm

Parking is available for the noon information sessions in the CARI/MacLauchlan Arena parking lot, while Parking Lot C is available for the evening information sessions.

For information:
Dr. Kim Stote
2012-13 UPEI Fullbright Scholar
Research Chair of Nutriscience and Health
kstote@upei.ca

Four honorary degrees will be conferred at the University of Prince Edward Island's two convocation ceremonies on Saturday, May 10. Honorary graduands include well-known Canadian industrialist Robert K. Irving; retired Major-General Matthew Macdonald; music educator and former Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, the Honourable Barbara A. Hagerman; and community visionary and retired educator James C. MacAulay.

'This is an important year for PEI, the birthplace of Confederation, as the province celebrates 150 years since hosting the Charlottetown Conference,' said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, 'It is so fitting that each of our honorary degree recipients, in addition to excelling in their careers, have contributed to building community and nationhood.'

The University's Senate approved the honorary graduands at a meeting earlier this year in accordance with University policy that states honorary doctorates of laws will be presented to individuals who display the highest levels of achievement in public and community service.

Mr. Robert K. Irving is a well-known Canadian industrialist and is currently Co-Chief Executive Officer of J.D. Irving, Limited, responsible for several businesses within the Irving Group of Companies including consumer products in tissue and diapers, frozen food processing, transportation and courier, as well as industrial human resource services. Highly involved in the community, Irving supports a wide variety of youth education and literacy programs, and is also an active fundraiser and champion for community health and development. In 2011, Mr. Irving received the 'Builder of Youth Lifetime Achievement' award from the Boys & Girls Club of Moncton in recognition of his leadership and contribution. He is also involved with the local Moncton Wildcats Hockey team and is the current chair of the Greater Moncton Economic Leadership Council. Irving resides in Moncton, New Brunswick with his wife Jill and their four children.

Major-General Matt Macdonald retired from the Canadian Forces in 2011 after over 35 years of service. During his time in the Forces, he commanded Canadians at all levels within the Army structure and was greatly revered for his leadership skills. Prior to enrolling in the Forces, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UPEI. Macdonald was awarded the Order of the Military Merit at the Officer grade, an exceptional performance distinction bestowed on few. Over the course of his career, he has spent time in Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and many other places in support of Canadian Forces missions. Over the last four years of his career, he served the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces as the Chief of Defence Intelligence where he was the principal intelligence advisor to the Minister of National Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff. Since retirement he has worked with his son's software company, MJL Enterprises Inc., of Charlottetown, PEI.

The Honourable Barbara A. Hagerman is a music educator, community volunteer, and graduate of Mount Allison University's music program. She has been involved in the music community on PEI as a choral conductor, music teacher, vocalist, organist, and advocate for music and the arts for more than 45 years. Hagerman served on the national boards of the Canada Council, the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals, the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors, and the Fathers of Confederation Buildings Trust. Her volunteerism in PEI includes efforts on behalf of the PEI Music Festival Association, various figure skating and gymnastics programs, and church initiatives. In 2006, Hagerman was installed as the 40th Lieutenant-Governor of PEI. In this role, she connected directly with the University and was instrumental in the establishment of two major initiatives that have had a profound and positive impact on students. Hagerman is a member of the Order of PEI, Dame of Justice of the Order of St. John, a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary International, and Elder at St. James Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown. She resides in Stratford with her husband Nelson.

Mr. James (Jim) C. MacAulay earned his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees at Saint Dunstan's University, and a Master of Education degree from St. Francis Xavier University. He has held positions as a teacher, Vice Principal, and Principal of Morell Regional High School, and as a consultant with the Eastern School District. He introduced the Drivers' Education Program to Morell Regional High School, helped expand the Red Cross Water Safety Program in St. Peters/Morell, established Early Childhood Education in Morell, and was instrumental in the creation of the Morell Learning Centre. Although retired, MacAulay continues to educate people through his various volunteer activities in the community. He is a past president of the PEI Teachers Federation, PEI Retired Teachers Association, and Provincial Command, Royal Canadian Legion. A visionary who is widely known for his organizational ability and his ability to 'get things done,' MacAulay has been a catalyst for the development of numerous initiatives in many communities in Prince Edward Island and is a strong proponent of the benefit of higher education. MacAulay and his wife Lauretta reside in St. Peters Bay, PEI.

The Convocation ceremonies will take place on Saturday, May 10 in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre with the first ceremony beginning at 10:00 am and the afternoon ceremony at 2:30 pm. Irving will address the morning convocation while Hagerman will deliver the afternoon ceremony's address.