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Your Mount Royal News
June 10, 2022

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Convocation 2022

Congratulations, class of 2022! 

Friends, loved ones and the campus community celebrated Convocation last week as 2,217 graduates joined the MRU alumni family. 

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Indigenous Graduation Celebration

Indigenous grads walk in two worlds 

Melding cultures and traditions, hundreds gathered for this year's Indigenous Graduation Celebration to acknowledge the end of one journey and the start of another. 

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Harnarayan Singh

For the love of hockey ... and each other 

Broadcasting alumnus and Rogers Sportsnet NHL commentator Harnarayan Singh received an Honorary Doctor of Laws on June 1.

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Doreen Spence

A model of reconciliation and resilience 

Elder Grandmother Doreen Spence, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was recognized with an honorary doctorate on June 1. 

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Don Taylor

Business acumen leads to transformation 

MRU's most well-known philanthropist, Don Taylor, has  made an indelible mark on campus  and was bestowed an Honorary Doctor of Laws on June 2. 

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Cathy Williams

University builder and community connector

Energy sector executive Cathy Williams lobbyed hard for full university status as chair of MRU's Board of Governors and was recognized with an Honorary Doctor of Laws on June 3.

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Jann Arden

Creative icon influences with talent, humour and raw honesty 

Singer, songwriter, author and actor Jann Arden was awarded an honorary doctorate on June 3 in recognition of an incredible career and the ability to raise awareness around important causes.

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Craig Hall

Taylor Centre brings new artistic director to the stage

With more than 25 years of experience in the performing arts, Craig Hall will  expand and deepen the Taylor Centre's creative connections and increase its role in the community and on campus. 

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Announcements

Welcoming Mustansar Nadeem as vice-president, finance and administration services 

On Aug. 1, Mustansar Nadeem will join MRU as its new vice-president, finance and administration services. Nadeem’s extensive professional background includes roles as vice-president, administration, at Mount Saint Vincent University, vice-president, corporate services, and CFO of Olds College, and director of finance and administration at Parkland College. A Certified General Accountant with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration degree from Laurentian University, Nadeem has shared that Mount Royal’s new strategic planning framework caught his attention and he looks forward to contributing to the work being done to move it forward.

New parking and traffic bylaws take effect July 1

MRU’s Board of Governors has approved new parking and traffic bylaws effective Friday, July 1. The annual permit calendar will shift, running from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. This change will require purchasing a one-time temporary summer permit through your Hotspot account, which will be available on Monday, June 20 at 10 a.m. Annual parking permits for 2022/2023 will be available for purchase Monday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. Going forward, annual permit renewals for faculty and staff will take place in August. To learn more about the impact of these bylaws, please visit the parking and transportation website. If you are renewing for a temporary summer permit or planning to buy an annual permit for 2022/2023, see the new rates

Be curious. Be bold. Be innovative. 

At Mount Royal, innovation is about being bold, curious and creative. Here, we nurture future-focused mindsets, celebrate creative change and transform “what ifs” into impactful realities. Read our innovators' stories and discover all the incredible ways that MRU teaches and highlights innovation in all that we do. mru.ca/Innovation

Former library space in G-Wing closing effective June 17, 2022   

In 2021, MRU received capital funding from the provincial government and private funding from the Taylor Family Foundation to create exciting new student spaces on the MRU campus. Renovations of the former library space in G-Wing will start with the space closing effective June 17. More information about this project and the ongoing work on W-Wing will be shared in the weeks ahead. Further details about ongoing campus renovations can be found here

Volunteers needed for Indigenous gardens

The multi-year Indigenous Ecological Restoration Project intends to create a learning opportunity about Treaty 7 First Nations Peoples through interacting with plants. Those on campus may note the growing of the Three Sisters (beans, corn and squash) by the EB building, the growing of tobacco at Inii Awatto and the growing of sweetgrass by the Charlton Pond. Next will be the transformation of the Cougars Campus Store courtyard into an Indigenous meeting place that can be accessed by all MRU members. Help is needed to move landscaping materials through to the courtyard by hand. Please contact Khatija Westbrook at kwestbrook@mtroyal.ca to assist from Aug. 2 to 5 for a 9 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 3 p.m shift.

Annual space audit began June 10

Over the next two months, Facilities Management staff will be entering all rooms to update space information. Pictures may be taken to record the condition of finishes, furniture layouts and equipment. Contact Tiffany Hansen at 5578 or Grant Sommerfeld at 6419 with any questions. Additional information and a tentative schedule of the space audit can be found on the Facilities Management website.

Annual electrical maintenance shut down

This year's annual electrical maintenance shutdown is scheduled for Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to Sunday at 7:30 a.m. The main building will have normal power only. During this time, only operational staff will be granted access, office fridges will be without power and remote VPN will not be available due to PC power being impacted. Remote PC power downs and power ups will be managed with the help of ITS as needed. All directly impacted end users and system stakeholders have been engaged by Building Operations for mitigation as required.

Help send a kid to MRU camps

There are many children in the community who would love to go to MRU Camps, but their families cannot afford the program fees. If you’d like to make a donation to help send these children to camp, your gift will be matched by up to 50 per cent by Shaw Birdies for Kids Presented By AltaLink. Donate through Shaw for a limited time.

U-Wing elevator closure

The U-Wing elevator will be closed on Monday, June 13 from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Innocent-looking webpage hides malware

A true story and cautionary tale of what to do during a cybersecurity attack and the importance of cybersecurity training. Read the story.

Did you know?

There are 10 gender-inclusive washrooms on campus. Other resources include ablution rooms, lactation stations, parent and family rooms and prayer spaces.

 

Bleed Blue

Earth and environmental sciences prof receives national award

Geography professor Lynn Moorman, PhD, has been chosen as the recipient of this year's Award for Excellence in Teaching Geography by the Awards Committee of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG). The recognition goes to a teaching staff member who has distinguished themself in courses with small and large enrolments, and at different levels of instruction, over several years of teaching. Moorman was presented the award at the CAG 2022 Virtual Conference on June 2.

 

Events

Introduction to Zotero
Mon., June 13 from 10 to 11 a.m. — Online or Viz Classroom (EL1441)
Learn Zotero, a free open-source citation management tool that allows you to save and organize your references and create bibliographies in the citation style of your choice. Register.

First Annual Coalition for Canadian Police Reform Conference 
Tues., June 14 to Thurs., June 16 at 2 p.m. — Online
Discover what elements of police training our officers require to be better able to maintain the peace in the 21st Century. Learn more and register.

Student Researcher Sip & Shares
Thurs., June 16 from 11 a.m. to noon — The Bubble (EL3249)
Find out what students are working on and learn new research skills from campus experts. Register.

Your Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP) Session for HR 
Thurs., June 16 from 1 to 3 p.m.  — Online (MS Teams)
Learn what a defined benefit pension plan is, how your pension is calculated, buying back prior service and much more. Register.

tea with oid
thurs., june 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. — t123
join the office of Indigenization and decolonization (oid) for tea, a demonstration about the MMIWG2S book wrapping and library project, and talk of the two pilot days of tipi teachings on aug. 4 (Cree) and aug. 10 (Blackfoot). register.

The Journey to Wellness
Wed., June 29 from 10 to 11 a.m. — Online
Homewood Health will examine what wellness means and provide some simple steps to help set health goals and keep on track for achieving your personal definition of wellness. Register.

 

Have a story, announcement or info to share?

Summit and website stories

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MyMRU announcements

Please send announcements for MyMRU's homepage to mymru@mtroyal.ca. Review the guidelines.

Start of semester emails, with option for distribution list
sign-up

As each semester begins (August/September and December/January), areas with ongoing employee activities can send an email to all employees describing their semester activities. Employees can then choose to opt in to that area's distribution list (Google Group) for regular updates. If you would like to send an email and/or set up a Google Group for your area, please contact Marketing and Communications for guidelines.

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