17³Ō¹Ļ hosts successful New Yearās Day Levee
The 17³Ō¹Ļ and 17³Ō¹Ļ Alumni Association continued their time-honoured tradition of hosting a New Year's Day Levee on January 1. 17³Ō¹Ļās version of the social eventāheld at the School of Sustainable Design Engineeringāproved 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 17³Ō¹Ļ music students, attired in Victorian dress, sang seasonal carols.
17³Ō¹Ļ President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz and Valerie Abd-El-Aziz, 17³Ō¹Ļ Board of Governors Chair Pat Sinnott and Darlene Sinnott, and 17³Ō¹Ļ 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. 17³Ō¹Ļ honorary degree recipients and former premiers of Prince Edward Island, the Honourable Catherine Callbeck and Pat Binns, were also in attendance.
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.
Panthers at Home, January 12ā13
The menās and womenās Panther basketball teams play a pair of games at home each this weekend against Saint Maryās University. The women tip off Fridayās game at 6:00 pm.
āWe are looking forward to playing Saint Maryās at home this weekend,ā said coach Greg Gould. āThey 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.ā
The men take the court against SMU at 8:00 pm.
āOur 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,ā said coach Darrell Glenn. āWe 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.ā
17³Ō¹Ļ and SMU face off again the following night. The womenās 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 Letās Talk Night on Saturday, January 27. The 17³Ō¹Ļ Menās and Womenās Basketball teams are hosting Cape Breton University. Help us help others join the conversation about mental health.
17³Ō¹Ļ and Synapse congratulate Nautilus on becoming part of Croda Group
The 17³Ō¹Ļ and Synapse Applied Research and Industry Services congratulates Nautilus Biosciences Canada Inc. (Nautilus), a marine biotechnology company founded by 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 17³Ō¹Ļ and Croda/Nautilus. Synapse, an independently-incorporated company was created to help transfer the expertise and knowledge housed in 17³Ō¹Ļ into products, processes, services, and insights that can provide practical social and economic benefit beyond the university environment.
17³Ō¹Ļ President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, āWe 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.ā
17³Ō¹Ļ announces the Panther Subway Athletes of the Week, January 8-14
Every week, 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 17³Ō¹Ļ Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for January 8-14!
Kiera Rigby is a fifth-year forward on the 17³Ō¹Ļ Womenās Basketball team and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) student from Charlottetown. The Panthers split a pair of games against Saint Maryās University over the weekend. Rigby scored an incredible 26 points in Friday nightās win, shooting 47% from the field. āShe went 66% from the 3-point line and was 8 for 12 from the free-throw line,ā said coach Greg Gould. āKiera 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.ā
Amin Suleman is a third-year guard on the 17³Ō¹Ļ Menās Basketball team and a Bachelor of Arts student from Toronto, Ontario. The team dropped two games to Saint Maryās University over the weekend, but Suleman was a standout for the Panthers. āAmin had a very strong weekend against the Huskies,ā said coach Darrell Glenn. āHe combined for 20 rebounds, shot an impressive 50% from the field, scored 24 points, and played 60 minutes.ā
#BellLetsTalk is just around the corner! The Panthers are proud to sponsor with Bell Aliant for Bell Letās Talk Night on Saturday, January 27. The 17³Ō¹Ļ Menās and Womenās Basketball teams are hosting Cape Breton University. Help us help others join the conversation about mental health.
And donāt forget! 17³Ō¹Ļ students get into all Panther home games for free. Letās fill the stands and make this the best season ever!
17³Ō¹Ļ receives a $25,000 Bell Letās Talk Community Fund grant to support mental health training
The 17³Ō¹Ļ is pleased to announce a $25,000 Bell Letās Talk Community Fund grant in support of 17³Ō¹Ļās Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) program.
Funding will allow two 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 17³Ō¹Ļ, 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.
āOn behalf of all members of the 17³Ō¹Ļ community, I thank Bell Letās Talk for supporting the Universityās efforts in suicide intervention with a Bell Letās Talk Community Fund grant,ā said 17³Ō¹Ļ President and Vice-Chancellor, Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. āThis grant will have a significant impact on our ability to encourage an open dialogue across campus about student mental health.ā
Having members of the 17³Ō¹Ļ 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, 17³Ō¹Ļ hopes to sustain a healthy and supportive community across campus.
āThis is a very exciting development in 17³Ō¹Ļ's move to better equip our whole campus community to support our students, faculty and staff,ā said Treena Smith, Director of Student Affairs. āOur 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.ā
āBell Letās Talk is very proud to provide a $25,000 grant to support the 17³Ō¹Ļās ASIST mental health training program,ā said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Letās Talk. āThe 2017 Bell Letās 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.ā
Bell Letās 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 Letās Talk Day video view
- Facebook: Every view of the Bell Letās Talk Day video at and use of the Bell Letās Talk frame
- Instagram: Every Bell Letās Talk Day video view
- Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Letās Talk filter and video view
The Bell Letās Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Letās Talk Day, and provides significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace initiatives. To learn more about the Bell Letās Talk campaign, and to download the Bell Letās Talk toolkit to help get the conversation started, please visit .
About the 17³Ō¹Ļ
The 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 institutionsāPrince of Wales College and Saint Dunstanās Universityā17³Ō¹Ļ has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17³Ō¹Ļ 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.
Chaplaincy Centre hosts interfaith panel, January 21
The 17³Ō¹Ļ Chaplaincy Centre will host an interfaith panel on the role of women in society. The discussion begins at 2:00 pm, Sunday, January 21 in the 17³Ō¹Ļ Chaplaincy Centre.
A panel made up of representatives of the Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian faiths will make presentations and participate in a discussion. Panellists will also field questions from the audience.
āAny opportunity we have to learn from each other is a valuable experience,ā said Sister Sue Kidd, campus minister at 17³Ō¹Ļ. āWeāre creating a venue for that conversation.ā
Members from all faith backgrounds are welcome. Refreshments will be served.
The 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 institutionsāPrince of Wales College and Saint Dunstanās Universityā17³Ō¹Ļ has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17³Ō¹Ļ 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.
Island Studies Lecture series presents: Unearthing the mysteries of Prehistoric PEI
Island filmmaker and photographer Will Beckett will be the first speaker in the 2018 Island Studies Lecture Series. Beckett will bring his childhood fascination with prehistoric life to the Faculty Lounge of 17³Ō¹Ļās SDU Main Building on Tuesday, February 13 at 7:00 pm. Beckett will discuss the behind-the-scenes adventures of making his forthcoming documentary series, Prehistoric PEI.
Beckett spent the past three years making the first documentary about Prince Edward Islandās little-known prehistoric pastāa journey thatās taken him as far as Philadelphia, PA, in his quest for an answer to the question: where have all of PEIās fossils gone?
In 1845, a farmer unearthed one of Canadaās very first fossils in New London, PEI. Islanders still find fossils of plants and animals embedded in cliffs, lying openly on the beaches, and buried under the soil. The public seldom hears about these discoveries, and even more rarely do they get a chance to see them unless they visit museums in Ontario or Nova Scotia.
PEIās fossils paint a fascinating picture of a time long before the dinosaurs when the land teemed with a variety of life. Willās lecture covers the inspiration for, and the information around, the documentary and the discoveries heās made along the way. Heāll also offer a sneak peek of some of the documentary footage, along with a glimpse of what Prince Edward Island looked like 290 million years ago.
Originally from St. Margaretās Bay, Nova Scotia, Beckett now lives in Charlottetown. Heās worked as a crew member on TV projects such as CBCās The Songs of Gene MacLellan and The Stats of Life. Heās also acted in commercials and appeared in the Island-produced feature film Kooperman.
Admission to the lecture is free. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Watch for another lecture about islandsānear and farāMarch 20. For more information, contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or 902-894-2881.
The 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 institutionsāPrince of Wales College and Saint Dunstanās Universityā17³Ō¹Ļ has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17³Ō¹Ļ 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.
17³Ō¹Ļ announces the Panther Subway Athletes of the Week, January 15ā21
Every week, 17³Ō¹Ļ Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Kiera Rigby and Marcus Power, the 17³Ō¹Ļ Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for January 15ā21!
Kiera Rigby is a fifth-year forward on 17³Ō¹Ļ Womenās Basketball team and a Bachelor of Science (honours) student from Charlottetown. The Panthers had an incredible weekend, beating Dalhousie University on Friday night 84ā69 and toppling the number-one team in the country the next night, dropping Acadia University 88ā66. On Friday, she scored a career-high 30 points in the Panthers win over Dalhousie. She shot an amazing 72% from the floor including 75% from the three-point line and 78% from the free-throw line. She also recorded two assists, four steals, and one blocked shot. Rigby scored 25 points the next night, shooting 44% from the field. She also had five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. āKieraās performance on the weekend was the best individual performance by a player in my tenure at 17³Ō¹Ļ,ā said coach Greg Gould. This is Rigbyās second consecutive week as the Panther Subway Athlete of the Week.
Marcus Power is a fourth-year forward on the 17³Ō¹Ļ Menās Hockey team and a Bachelor of Business Administration student from St. Johnās, Newfoundland and Labrador. The team split a pair of games over the weekend, beating Acadia University 5ā1 and losing to Saint Maryās University 5ā2. āMarcus has been one our most consistent players this season,ā said coach Forbes MacPherson. āHe was playing on a line Friday night with RT Rice and Darcy Ashley; they were dominant all night, and Marcus was rewarded with three goals.ā
#BellLetsTalk is just around the corner! The Panthers are proud to sponsor with Bell Aliant for Bell Letās Talk Night on Saturday, January 27. The 17³Ō¹Ļ Menās and Womenās Basketball teams are hosting Cape Breton University. Help us help others join the conversation about mental health.
And donāt forget! 17³Ō¹Ļ students get into all Panther home games for free. Letās fill the stands and make this the best season ever!
Information sessions for Masterās in Island Tourism at 17³Ō¹Ļ, January 25
17³Ō¹Ļ is hosting information sessions on Thursday, January 25 for those interested in the new course-based starting in August 2018. This is your opportunity to obtain a graduate degree in the expanding field of tourism, applied specifically to islands. Using primarily online courses for your convenience, this two-year program incorporates two work-study courses working directly with tourism organizations.
āIsland tourism is one of the fastest growing global sectors,ā said Jim Randall, coordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies at 17³Ō¹Ļ. āThis new online course-based masterās degree from a university recognized as the world leader in island studies scholarship and learning gives graduates a high-quality post-graduate credential targeted to students' specific career needs.ā
Scholarships and bursaries are available. Learn more about this exciting new degree program at two information sessions on Thursday, January 25 at 3:00 and 6:00 pm in room 243 of 17³Ō¹Ļās Don and Marion McDougall Hall. For more information, contact the Program Coordinator at mais@upei.ca or 902-620-5013.
The 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 institutionsāPrince of Wales College and Saint Dunstanās Universityā17³Ō¹Ļ has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17³Ō¹Ļ 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.
17³Ō¹Ļ partners to present Engagement in a Time of Polarization, Feb. 12ā26
17³Ō¹Ļ and Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina are working together to present a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) about our increasingly toxic online interactions. Engagement in a Time of Polarization will examine how our communications environment became so toxic and will explore what individuals and citizens can do to stop the trend. The course is free and runs February 12 through 26 through . All are welcome.
The course is led by Dr. Bonnie Stewart, program design lead and designer for experiential education and work-integrated learning at 17³Ō¹Ļ, and Dr. Natalie Delia Deckard, assistant professor of sociology at Davidson College.
This brief pop-up MOOC explores what our current information ecosystem means for societal institutions: education, government, and media. Facilitators will open live conversations with leading voices in disinformation and media literacies, and will lead participants through models of participatory engagement that can help minimize polarization and manipulation.
Over two weeks, the MOOC will convene a conversation on building understanding and relationships, even within the very real limits of contemporary social media. Participants can engage on their own time, in real time, and are welcome to complete as much or as little of the course as they wish. University classes from California, Pennsylvania, and Egypt have already signed on to embed some of the MOOC into their coursework, and the 17³Ō¹Ļ community is invited to engage as well.
For more information, or to register, visit the for the course.
The 17³Ō¹Ļ 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 institutionsāPrince of Wales College and Saint Dunstanās Universityā17³Ō¹Ļ has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17³Ō¹Ļ 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.
