Announcements
Pay cycle changing Jan. 1, 2023
Mount Royal is switching to a bi-weekly pay cycle, starting Jan. 1, 2023. Visit the Bi-weekly Pay Schedule Information link under the My HR Profile section on myMRU for details. Materials include the 2023 pay calendar, FAQs and more. Information sessions this fall will detail a pay advance program for employees to bridge the time period between pay days from December 2022 to January 2023 as the system transitions.
COVID reporting
One of the best ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home if you’re feeling unwell or symptomatic. Employees are encouraged to complete the self-isolation/case report form when experiencing symptoms/testing positive. Work with your supervisor/manager to determine if you are able to work from home or to discuss the appropriate leave as per the Collective Agreement or Terms and Conditions of your employment. Learn more.
Mount Royal strongly recommends wearing a triple-layer mask, a three-layered surgical mask or an N95 mask while indoors. Learn more.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30, honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. There will be no classes on this day and it is not a workday. Students and employees have the option to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools in their own way. Participation in events on campus will be encouraged. The decision to spend this day off campus will also be supported.
Mount Royal’s Journey to Indigenization: Truth, Reconciliation and Decolonization, Sept. 22 to Oct. 4, includes numerous on-campus educational opportunities to start or continue your decolonization journey. Learn more.
Complete your Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Cybersecurity Awareness Training is an annual requirement for Mount Royal employees. This training gives you the tools and knowledge to keep cybersafe in the workplace and at home. Learn more and get started. Visit Mount Royal’s Cybersecurity Hub for information on multi-factor authentication, reporting suspicious emails, password managers and more.
Support for D2L Brightspace
Mount Royal University has moved to a new learning management system, D2L Brightspace (D2L). All courses going forward will be delivered using D2L. If you have questions or need support, please visit the D2L support page or contact the ADC at sandbox@mtroyal.ca or 403.440.7002.
Fire drill
A mandatory fire drill will take place Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. The drill will take up to 30 minutes. Everyone on campus is required to participate with the exception of those who are in Residence during the drill.
Leadership updates
Over the past six months, Mount Royal has filled a number of leadership positions. Dr. Moussa Magassa, PhD, joined Mount Royal as our first associate vice-president, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). As of January 2023, Dr. Chad London, PhD, will be returning to Mount Royal University as our next provost and vice-president, academic.
Phil Warsaba, formerly vice-provost and associate vice-president, students, was appointed as vice-president, students, in June.
Mustansar Nadeem, vice-president, finance and administration services, came to MRU from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Arleen Gallo, associate vice-president, human resources, was most recently with Selkirk College in British Columbia, while Karianne Smith, associate vice-president, finance, was promoted from her previous position at Mount Royal.
Dr. Terry Clark appointed Conservatory Director
Dr. Terry Clark, PhD, is the new director of Mount Royal University’s Conservatory and will be starting Sept. 6. For the past seven years, Clark has been a Fellow at the Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, UK. Learn more.
New board, new hires for MRFA
The MRFA has elected its new Executive Board for the 2022-2023 year, which promises to be an exciting one as they undertake the first review of the Association's mission and vision in more than a decade. The MRFA is excited about how this process will be reinvigorating, especially as the University welcomed more than 50 new full-time faculty (the largest cohort in almost a decade), as well as almost 30 new contract faculty in August. Learn more.
Convocation update
Mount Royal will now hold convocation once a year in spring and forgo the single ceremony once held in November. This is an opportunity to focus efforts and resources to celebrate our graduates during a single week. With recent curriculum changes, larger groups of students are finishing their programs in time for the spring ceremony. Students completing their program requirements in the spring and summer semesters will be invited to attend convocation the following June. If you have any questions, please see the FAQs on the convocation page.
Annual parking permits available
Annual parking permits for 2022/2023 are available for purchase using your Hotspot account. See the new rates and instructions.
MRU welcomes back FFCA high school students, staff
Approximately 500 students from Foundations for the Future Charter Academy (FFCA), South High School campus, along with 30 teachers, administrators and staff, will call MRU home for the next 10 months. In May, MRU stepped up to help FFCA with a temporary home to finish their school year after a fire damaged their campus. FFCA is renting space primarily in MRU’s Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning for its 2022-23 school year. FFCA is a K-12 charter school offering a wide variety of learning experiences for a culturally diverse population. As a charter school, they are a tuition-free public school that provides choice in education.
The Table, Starbucks now open
The Table Food Hall (second level Main Street) and Starbucks (East Gate) had soft reopenings Aug. 29 with limited menus. Both locations will be operating with a full range of services, products and menus as of Sept. 6. Dining plans are also available to faculty, staff and students.