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April 28, 2023

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Karim Dharamsi

New vice-provost academic

Mount Royal is pleased to announce that Professor Karim Dharamsi, PhD, has been appointed as vice-provost, academic, effective July 1. This is an important role that provides strategic leadership for the Academic Development Centre and oversees key academic initiatives such as new program development, academic quality assurance, general education, innovation in teaching and learning, experiential learning and other strategic priorities resulting from the Academic Plan.

Learn more.

Ken King

Ken King's legacy honoured with new bursary 

The award will go to  students pursuing a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education — Sport and Recreation Management.

Read more ...

Holocaust Symposium

Holocaust Symposium reaches 37 years at Mount Royal

With antisemitism on the rise, and memories of the Second World War fading, the need for Holocaust education grows greater.

Read more ...

Map the System 2023

Facing challenges with systemic thinking

This year's Map the System event put the spotlight on navigating cultural identity and educational barriers in Calgary. 

Read more ...

 

Announcements

National Day of Mourning honoured on campus

Flags on campus will be at half-mast today as we remember those who have died, were injured or became ill from their job. The National Day of Mourning is also a time to renew our commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace and prevent further injuries, illnesses and deaths. Learn more.

Welcome to Wellness Wednesdays: Free acupuncture May 3

Employee Wellness presents Wellness Wednesdays, which will focus on initiatives to support your well-being. On May 3, join us for Community Acupuncture, taking place in the Immersion Studio from 1 to 4 p.m. Treatment takes place in a group setting and is free for employees. Learn more and register.

Wear red May 5

May 5 is National Red Dress Day. Everyone is encouraged to wear red to support the families of murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit. Inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black's REDress Project, MRU will display red dresses around campus to raise awareness and provide solidarity around the lives of murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit. Here are some ways to stay educated and become an ally.

Be there for their best day: Help our grads celebrate convocation

It’s time to celebrate our class of 2023! Convocation is coming up from May 31 to June 2. Be there for our graduands as they prepare to become official MRU grads and sign up for a supporting role at this year’s convocation ceremonies. A variety of time commitments and activity types are available to choose from. Whether you have an hour to spare, or a whole morning, or whether you prefer being behind the scenes or among the crowds, you can help our students have their best day ever on campus. Find out more and sign up or contact Courtney Montgomery for detailed information.

Interim appointments in the Office of Indigenization and Decolonization and the Iniskim Centre

John Fischer has been appointed to the role of interim associate vice-president, indigenization and decolonization. Fischer joined Mount Royal in 2014 as the director of the Iniskim Centre before taking on the role of executive advisor, indigenization, in 2020. He then returned to his role as director of the Iniskim Centre in 2021. To address the needs of the Iniskim Centre, Tori McMillan has accepted an appointment as its interim director. McMillan joined Mount Royal in 2010 as the administrator for the Aboriginal Education Program and provided leadership through its transition into the Indigenous University Bridging Program.

Please join: Faculty and the Media

Please join Mount Royal University's media relations team for a one-hour information session on Faculty and the Media. Mount Royal and its faculty take great pride in helping the media add context and perspective to a wide variety of topics ranging from business, politics and criminology to science, computing, psychology and much more. Participants will learn an overview of Calgary media, the process of interacting with reporters and producers, how to be a more effective expert, about MRU's media experts hub and how we can help make those connections. The session is on Wednesday, May 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. To register, please email mediarelations@mtroyal.ca.

Library spring technology renewal taking place through May

The Library has begun their Spring 2023 technology renewal, which will upgrade audio-visual technology in five Riddell Library and Learning Centre spaces for improved teaching and learning experiences. As renovations are completed, the Formal Boardroom, Ideas Lounge and Visualization Classroom will be unavailable for bookings from May 5 to June 2. Learn more.

Library Awards for Research Excellence

Do you know a student who has completed an outstanding project, paper or creative work while attending MRU? Encourage them to apply to this year's Library Awards for Research Excellence for a chance to win cash for their hard work. More than $3,000 in awards is available to students. The deadline to apply is May 9. Learn more.

Build your communication and collaboration skills with MasterClass

Gain skills and knowledge to make your interactions more impactful and effective with Communication and Collaboration, a self-paced hybrid course from MasterClass starting May 1. Instructors — including Neil deGrasse Tyson and Issa Rae — share their knowledge on topics such as public speaking, building trust and communicating your value at work. Learn more.

Alumni Classroom Takeover aplications open for fall 2023

Applications are open for the fall Alumni Classroom Takeover. Whether you have alumni in your network or need help finding one to speak to your students, an alumni program specialist will be there to support you every step of the way. Several alumni want to give back, share their experiences after leaving MRU and inspire your students. Please encourage your networks to register today.

New: The Big Ideas Podcast

In a three-part series leading up to Alberta's provincial election in May, alumni are sharing their perspectives, lived experiences, research and hopeful aspirations on democracy and civic engagement. Listen to the first episode.

Update: Foundations for the Future Charter Academy (FFCA), South High School

MRU would like to let our community know that the FFCA South High School campus will be leaving the campus at the end of their school year in June. Since May 2022, we have provided approximately 500 students along with 30 teachers from the high school with a temporary home after a fire damaged their southwest campus, leaving them scrambling to deliver their instruction online.

More choice in washroom facilities as of May 1

On May 1, some multi-user washrooms in MRU’s main building will be redesignated as all-gender, which means everyone can use them. Learn more about this change for a more equitable and inclusive campus, including the locations of the redesignated washrooms.

Did you know?

Close to 60 people are needed to ensure that each Convocation ceremony takes place seamlessly. Sign up to be a part of ensuring our students have an experience they will remember.

 

MRU in the Media — In case you missed it

Fitness evaluation or humiliation? Whether the beep test should still run in Calgary phys-ed

CBC News — Shannon Kell, faculty

New training offered to health-care workers who care for victims of sexual assault in rural Alberta

 CBC News — Cathy Carter-Snell, faculty

Mount Royal student entrepreneurs earn cash from JMH LaunchPad

Calgary Tech Journal — Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, LaunchPad 

From the bargaining table to the street: Alberta employees push for 'better'

CTV News — Anupam Das, faculty

Mount Royal University, faculty, students and alumni are often featured in the media. To subscribe to the daily MRU Media report, email mediarelations@mtroyal.ca.

 

Bleed Blue

Humanities professor selected as senior scientist

Dr. Ranjan Datta, PhD, was nominated and selected as a senior scientist for the United Nations’ Development Programme (UNDP) Foresight. As a senior scientist in Community Disaster Research, Datta will support the Futures for the 2030 Agenda and provide a crisp and concise overview of the use of foresight for the implementation of sustainable development goals. Datta is an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and MRU’s Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Community Disaster Research.

Providing tools for teachers experiencing vicarious trauma

In collaboration with Bow Valley College, Professor Pat Kostouros, PhD, has created a toolkit titled Vicarious Trauma in the Classroom: Understanding and Preventing Vicarious Trauma. This three-year project had two research assistants from MRU embedded throughout. The toolkit is for teachers of English as an additional language to learn about and find strategies to mitigate the vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout that comes from working with immigrant and refugee learners from war-torn countries.

Every vote matters

Kelly Kaur, an adjunct lecturer in the Department of English for 30 years, was recently named as one of the top 75 immigrants shortlisted across Canada for the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award. You can support Kaur by voting before June 9.

 

Events

Liberal Education Conference 2023: Liberal Education in the Era of Migration, Refugee Crises and Decolonization

Thurs., May 4 at noon to Fri., May 5 at 5 p.m. — The Inn on Officers' Garden

The Liberal Education Conference is sponsored by the generous support of Medicine Hat College, the University of Lethbridge and Mount Royal University. Learn more.

Celebrate! Teaching & Learning at MRU

Thurs., May 4 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Riddell Library and Learning Centre and Ross Glen Hall 

Honour our collective work in pursuit of MRU's vision of providing meaningful and engaged learning opportunities that create individual transformation and societal benefit. Learn more and register.

Changemaker Conversations with Stacey Perlin

Thurs., May 4 from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. — Zoom 

A look at healing systems and mental-health resources that already exist in our community while using storytelling to further explore how to move the conversation and solutions forward. Learn more and register.

FAST Financial Reporting and FOAPs

Thurs., May 11 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. — Google Meet

This class is for anyone responsible for monitoring or managing a budget. It includes an introduction to the chart of accounts (FOAP) and hands-on practice with the web-based FAST Reporting Application used at MRU. Register.

Records and Information Management (RIM) 101 Awareness Training

Thurs., May 11 from 3 to 4 p.m. — EA 1055 

This session provides a quick 45-minute overview of MRU's Records and Information Management (RIM) program that includes transitory records, drafts and copies, records retention lengths, electronic records and off-siting records. Register.

 

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