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Your Mount Royal News
June 11, 2021

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Congratulations graduates and thank you for your inspiration!

Mount Royal University sent a heartfelt good-bye to its newest alumni during its special drive-in Spring 2021 Convocation ceremonies this week, which included greetings from faculty members and notable alumni, speeches from honorary doctorate recipients, and plenty of honking, tears, smiles and waves from the appreciative grads in their vehicles, who are prepared to set off and make their mark on the world. 

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Change leader Hal Kvisle receives an Honorary Doctor of Laws 

As former chair of Mount Royal's Board of Governors, Kvisle was instrumental in leading the institution through its transition from a college to a university. 

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Campus Elder Miiksika'am bestowed an Honorary Doctor of Laws

Mount Royal's Indigenous spiritual leader Elder Miiksika'am spoke of his residential school experience, how that did not break him and how MRU has become his family. 

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Louise Bernice Halfe awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws  

With a Cree name of Sky Dancer, Canada's Parliamentary Poet reflected on her reconciliation process and how writing helped her overcome and learn to thrive. 

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Christine Silverberg presented with Honorary Doctor of Laws 

Silverberg, Calgary's former pioneering police chief and now lawyer, advised graduates to stay true to their values and never let anyone else define them. 

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Announcements

Impact of Alberta moving to stage 2
While in-person learning can now resume for post-secondaries, Mount Royal spring and summer courses will continue to be mainly delivered remotely. Employees may be on campus with their manager’s approval. The Recreation Centre will re-open as noted below and individuals can gather in groups of up to 20 outside while still observing physical distancing. Indoor gatherings are not permitted. Masking and physical distancing on campus continues to be required.

Recreation Centre reopens for employees and students on June 14
Starting June 14, the facility will be open to MRU students and employees only on Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Capacity restrictions will be in place and posted. Public members will have access to the facility starting July 5. More information is available at mrucougars.com.

East Gate entrance closed from June 15 to 21
If you're coming to campus, please note the East Gate entrance will be closed beginning June 15 while caulking work is done around the doors. The entrance will reopen on June 21. Please use the entrance to Kerby Hall to access the main building. Questions can be directed to fm@mtroyal.ca.

Phased return of employees to begin July 5
Managers will be organizing the return of their teams, with the goal of having about one-third returning by July 26, two-thirds by Aug. 16 and a full team complement by Aug. 30. Managers will take into account operational needs, vacation schedules, the nature of each role and individual circumstances. Some employees will want or need to return sooner than others, and managers have flexibility in this regard. Keep watching mru.ca/COVID-19 for consistent updates.

Upcoming sessions for faculty, staff and exempt workers to support the transition back to campus
Faculty, staff and exempt employees can sign up for upcoming webinars with Homewood Health to learn helpful strategies to support you through the changes that a return to campus will bring. Sign up for faculty. Sign up for staff and exempt employees.

Managing the transition back to campus
Homewood Health is offering managers a webinar called "Managing the Transition Back to Campus." Gain helpful strategies to support you and your employees through the changes that a return to campus will bring. Register here by June 18 for one of three dates: June 22, 24 or 28.

Alumni Relations launches new website
Make sure to explore the new-and-improved alumni website, an online info and resource hub for MRU's 110,000-strong alumni community.

Residential schools collection available at the Library
Decolonization and indigenization requires all settlers and the institutions they uphold to know and acknowledge the truth of Canada's legacy of government-sanctioned genocide. The remains of 215 children found at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. is a horrific truth of this country and its treatment of Indigenous Peoples. The Library has gathered a collection of resources on residential schools, available for the MRU community to request through our contactless pick-up service or to read online.

"You got this" student support campaign
To promote the summer supports available to students in preparation for a new academic year, mru.ca/YouGotThis is now live. This replaces mru.ca/GettingReady from last year. We expect changes to content as services increase the support options available over the summer term.

Share your shot
Mount Royal encourages vaccination as the best way to take care of others. If you’re sharing your vaccination selfie on your social media channels, tag #MRULife to celebrate with members of the campus community. All Albertans aged 12 and up can book their first shots, and second shots are being booked in stages. Find out more.

Beginning July 12 campus interior door locks will be replaced in main building
Security Services is phasing in a new key system and replacing all locks on campus. Department-specific re-keying is scheduled to begin in the main building on July 12. It will take several months to complete the work. Departments will be notified when new keys are available for doors in their space. A tentative schedule will be updated within the month on the Campus Key Replacement Information section (under OneCard) on the MyMRU employee tab. Send any questions to mru-key-upgrade.gg@mtroyal.ca.

Did you know?
Spring Convocation 2021 shared excellent news. Mount Royal tallied a total of 1,937 eligible graduates, beating the University’s previous highest total by more than 200. Out of the University’s largest graduating class to date, 638 new alumni registered to attend Mount Royal’s unique drive-in convocation ceremonies, the only one of its kind in Alberta.

 

Bleed Blue

First place for finance students
A team of four Bachelor of Business Administration — Finance students were crowned national champions at the fifth-annual CFA Societies Canada Ethics Challenge, earning top marks from a panel of CFA (chartered financial analyst) judges and outperforming the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Waterloo, l'universite de Sherbrooke and Dalhousie University. Read the full story.

Students’ investigative journalism garners national recognition
Journalism students Karina Zapata and Nathan Woolridge were recently announced as the recipients of the 2020 Canadian Association of Journalists’ Student Award of Excellence. Their investigation for the Calgary Journal titled "Bad Blood" broke down the Canadian Blood Services' blood donation restrictions for sexually active gay men.

 

Events

D’Arcy McGee Beacon Fellowship Lecture Series: The Role of the Irish (Gaelic) Language in Ireland’s Modern Society
Fri., June 11 from 10 a.m. to noon — Cisco WebEx
This presentation will provide historical context on the challenges for Irish Gaelic language fluency and currency as Ireland became a member of the EEC (EU). Register.

Introduction to Audio Editing
Mon., June 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. ― Online
This workshop will provide an overview of Library resources and audio editing concepts. Register

Introduction to Audio Recording
Tues., June 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. ― Online
Discover the equipment and resources available from the Library, as well as basic audio production concepts and how they can apply to a variety of projects. Register.

Trico Changemakers Studio Presents Changemaker Conversations
Thurs., June 17 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. — Online
Join the Changemaker Conversations to engage in generative dialogue towards action around pressing social issues. More information.

D’Arcy McGee Beacon Fellowship Lecture Series: Creating Global Citizens ― International Experiences for Students and Attracting International Students to Smaller Universities
Fri., June 18 from 10 a.m. to noon — Cisco WebEx
Join us for an engaging lecture on how to create global citizens through international experiences and how to attract international students to smaller universities. 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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