Mount Royal University

The Faculty Excellence Celebration was held yesterday, May 14, recognizing the recipients of the Faculty Excellence Awards. These annual awards honor excellence in scholarly teaching, service and scholarship across three categories: Distinguished Faculty Awards, Teaching and Learning Awards, and Research Recognition Awards. Join us in congratulating our 2024 recipients: ⭐ Dr. Rachael Pettigrew ⭐ Dr. Giuliana Harvey ⭐ Lavinia Moldovan ⭐ Dr. Nadine Van Wyk ⭐ John Morgan ⭐ Kristi Spencer ⭐ Dr. Breda Eubank ⭐ Dr. Celeste Pang ⭐ Dr. Jeella Acedo ⭐ Dr. Matthew McLarnon ⭐ Dr. Jill Parnell Read more about each award winner: https://ow.ly/TAYc50RHIOX

Students in Marketing-Driven Strategy, a senior-level course taught by Dr. David J. Finch, PhD, are tasked with getting up-close and personal with a local organization’s marketing strategy. "We have no interest in graduating marketing students from MRU; we are graduating marketing professionals,” says Finch. “Being a professional isn't about telling the world what you can do but showing the world what you've done.” This year, five student groups embarked on a semester-long pitch project in collaboration with Calgary Folk Festival. In a stiff competition, NexGen took home first place, presenting an impressive 51-page marketing plan and growth report revolving around promoting “a festival for everyONE” to a jury of the organization’s board and staff. Read more about the project’s success and community collaboration at MRU: https://lnkd.in/gbsk_Y2x

Dr. Samanti Kulatilake, PhD, an associate professor in Sociology and Anthropology, is one of only ten recipients of the honour sponsored by both 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE). Founded in 1986, the Fellowship honours exceptional contributions to teaching and learning at the post-secondary level. Kulatilake, who came to MRU in 2003 is recognized internationally for her educational leadership characterized by innovative, adaptive and inclusive practices and she empowers learners using the transformative power and value of decolonial experiential learning and collaboration. "Experiential learning is a growing and crucial component of what we offer students at Mount Royal University,” says Dr. Chad London, acting president at MRU. “We congratulate Dr. Kulatilake on this award as she represents excellence in innovative teaching and learning.” Learn more about MRU’s experiential learning and Kulatilake’s recognition: https://lnkd.in/gz7Cp264

Join us May 9 for Celebrate! Teaching & Learning. Honour and be inspired by our collective work in the pursuit of MRU’s vision to provide meaningful and engaged learning opportunities that create individual transformation and societal benefit. The Celebrate! event is a great opportunity for Mount Royal faculty, staff, students, and administrators to share significant moments or sources of inspiration from their teaching and learning experiences. Date: May 9, 2024 Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Location: Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning Learn more and register: https://ow.ly/mvE350RyYAg

Join us tomorrow at the Dr. Paula Price Signature Event! Uncover the transformative potential of simulation in bridging the gap between theory and practice across various industries such as nursing, midwifery, music, aviation, social work, child studies and athletic therapy. Meet like-minded professionals, gain practical skills and learn how simulation improves safety, problem solving and outcomes across sectors. Register: mru.ca/DrPaulaPriceEvent

Leading up to National Red Dress Day on May 5, we have red dresses displayed around campus to raise awareness and provide solidarity around the lives of murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people. Inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black's REDress Project, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to wear Red to support and honor the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada. ❤️ "We are grateful to Jaime Black for her vision to raise awareness and advocacy for the disproportionate instances of violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people," said Tori McMillan, director of MRU’s Iniskim Centre. Our community is also proud to offer the Gifting Circle Bursary for Indigenous Women in Entrepreneurship. The bursary will be awarded to a full-time female Indigenous student and aims to support female Indigenous entrepreneurs. Learn more about this campus-wide initiative and bursary: https://lnkd.in/g7nVcN4W

Indigenous-inspired hands-on capstone project in the Library’s Maker and Media Commons space allowed students to purposefully create their own meaningful sootsiman. 🪶 Building upon the Blackfoot tradition, the capstone project sees pupils create their own sootsiman, or decorated rawhide bag. The sootsiman becomes a personalized and unique keepsafe for accumulated knowledge about the world and oneself. The Library is a key partner, playing a supportive role in teaching and learning through its leading-edge spaces, support and equipment as a place for curricular enrichment for faculty and students. “The students came in with a wide range of experience, so they did a lot of sharing knowledge and helping each other as they created their sootsiman,” says Brenna Burwash, a collection service technician on the Maker Studio team. Learn more about how we incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing in our student experience: https://ow.ly/gK0050RgBHT

Today is the International Day of Human Space Flight! Did you know we have ties to human space flight here at MRU? 🚀 Dr. Nick Strzalkowski, is part of a team studying remedies that could help astronauts deal with skin sensitivity changes in participants spending 60 days in bed rest, to better understand the sensory adaptations that occur during space flight. "Nick's work in this area emphasizes the wide range of research that is happening at MRU. As we increase our research capabilities, the sky isn't even the limit for faculty and for our students,” said Dr. Jonathan Withey, Dean of Science and Technology. Learn more about how pillownauts are helping astronauts: https://ow.ly/N4O050RfbVs

Congratulations to Catherine Los, Mackenzie Reed, Andrea Ciaramella and Nomi Levin who placed 4th out of 16 talented teams in the HRC West Case Competition! The competition, which focuses on HR issues, took place in Victoria, BC, at the beginning of March. Our MRU team was coached by Matthew McLarnon, PhD., an associate professor at the Bissett School of Business. 📸: Tracey Scott Photography

I’m happy to announce that Melanie Rogers will step into the role of Vice-President, University Advancement at Mount Royal University starting June 3. Melanie is no stranger to Mount Royal, she previously led the University’s marketing and communications portfolio for seven years following a series of leadership roles. As Associate Vice-President of Marketing and Communications, she played a key role in the development of the strategic plan, oversaw the launch of several successful brand and marketing campaigns, and led the MRU crisis communication team through numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Melanie understands the Mount Royal vision and she is passionate about building relationships with internal and external audiences. Welcome back, Melanie.