Mount Royal University

06/04/2026

“Followers are earned not given.”
– Jonquantavius 2:37

06/04/2026

Registration is now open. for the Teaching and Learning Expo!

Join us August 24-27 to explore transformative teaching methods and best practices from the MRU community. Be inspired by your colleagues' teaching methodologies, imagine transformative learning environments, and ignite a collective passion for educational excellence.

The event is open to MRU faculty, staff, students, and administrators.
Learn more and register at mru.ca/tlx

06/02/2026

Mount Royal University is pleased to announce its honorary doctorate recipients for Convocation 2026!

Learn more about this year’s Honorary Doctors of Laws, Mike Shaikh, David Weyant, Debra Tomlinson, Mary Tidlund, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, and Alice Kaquitts: https://bit.ly/3PGvsq6

06/01/2026

Apply to present at the link in our bio!

Journey to Indigenization is from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4, 2026

05/28/2026

Through traditional ceremonial practices, the Iniskim Centre and Elders will honour Indigenous students 🧡

🗓️Event details
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Bella Concert Hall, MRU

Register at the link in our stories or at mru.ca/iniskim

05/27/2026

Dozens of undergraduate students gathered at Mount Royal’s Riddell Library and Learning Centre for the inaugural Canadian Undergraduate Research Excellence (CURE) Conference in early May.

Developed and hosted by the Faculty of Arts, CURE’s intention is to bring together students and faculty from across Canada who are performing research in the humanities and social sciences disciplines.

Students were invited to submit their posters, papers and other creative works, with awards given out for the best paper presentation, poster, creative work and best lightning talk. The full list of recipients can be found online.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4nQpf7u

05/26/2026

Jenna Sherrington doesn’t just study the outdoors — she thrives in them. A third-year Bachelor of Health and Physical Education — Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership (ETOL) student at Mount Royal University, Sherrington always knew the “9-to-5” life wasn’t for her. Instead, she is blending her passion for physical fitness with her commitment to health, wellness and the environment, exemplified by her work in Kenya through the Faculty of Health, Community and Education’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship program.

Her story is a reminder that the most profound learning often happens far beyond the confines of a lecture hall and when one is pushed right to the edge of their comfort zones.

“I always knew I didn’t want a job just sitting down in an office,” Sherrington says. “It felt like my brain was just never wired for that. Elementary school, and junior high and high school, were really hard for me because I felt very trapped in a classroom. So, I actually really struggled to find something where I was interested and that felt aligned with who I was and what I wanted out of life, even if I didn't quite know what exactly that was at the time.”

Read more about Jenna's story: https://bit.ly/49hIhOd

05/25/2026

Mount Royal University associate professor Jared Fletcher, PhD, is sprinting into his new position as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Integrative Physiology and the Biomechanics of Locomotion. However, this latest push is just one stage of a research marathon Fletcher has been running for years.

Fletcher has been a professor with the Department of Health and Physical Education since 2018 and helped establish the Fascicles, Tendons and Energetics Research (FasTER) Lab to uncover the secrets of human locomotion.

Fletcher and MRU students in the FasTER lab have been working to understand the roles of muscles and tendons in the lower leg during exercise. This includes solving physiological questions, such as what locomotive mechanics are facilitated by muscles as compared to tendons and vice versa, uncovering the differences in muscles and tendons in elite athletes compared to the average person and learning how and why different types of exercise cause fatigue in muscles or tendons faster than others.

The aim is to explore physiology across the lifespan. To help athletes perform better, for the average person to be more comfortable during exercise, and to ensure everyone exercises safely.

Fletcher will continue pursuing these questions as a CRC. The position will give him more time to perform the research and, importantly, new tools.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4tJEArH

05/22/2026

Get into all the classes you want before they fill up 🙂‍↕️

Plus, you can always change your schedule between now and the start of the semester if you need to! 

How to select classes:

mru.ca/registration ➡️ plan your schedule ➡️ my schedule builder

or

mymru.ca ➡️ register & pay ➡️ my schedule builder

05/22/2026

Mount Royal University is proud to welcome back Pearls of Wisdom!

After a decade away, the return of Pearls of Wisdom will bring together Calgary’s leaders, community champions, and friends of MRU for an evening of oysters, lobster, and entertainment that is both meaningful and celebratory, all in support of student success.

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, join us for a coast-to-coast celebration supporting student awards that help remove financial barriers and open doors for future leaders. Your participation directly supports MRU students, creating opportunities that have a lasting impact on their education and future.

We look forward to celebrating the return of Pearls of Wisdom with you, so reserve your seat, or host a full table and bring your network together for this special evening.
mru.ca/pearls

05/21/2026

Today, May 21, is the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This day recognizes cultural diversity and the importance of intercultural dialogue in fostering peace, understanding and sustainable development.

In recognition of this day, Yemi Adeyemi, manager of Wellness Services’ Healthy Campus Team, and Narissa Jessa, education and development specialist with MRU’s Office of Community and Belonging, co-facilitated a workshop titled, “Building Cultural Intelligence for Work, Leadership and Community.”

During the session, participants explored the cultural intelligence (CQ) framework in detail, including its four dimensions:

1) Metacognitive CQ (how I think): awareness and reflection during cross-cultural situations
2) Cognitive CQ (what I understand): knowledge of norms, values and cultural patterns
3) Motivational CQ (why I engage): interest, confidence and persistence across difference
4) Behavioural CQ (how I adapt): adjusting communication and behaviour appropriately

Read more about the workshop and intercultural dialogue at MRU: https://bit.ly/4dFfeoU

05/21/2026

Friends, friends and more friends 🫶

05/16/2026

Today, May 16, is the International Day of Living Together in Peace.

Dr. Moussa Magassa, PhD, associate vice-president of MRU’s Office of Community and Belonging, says, “Like our ethical responsibility to embed anti-racism principles and values in all systems and structures of our organizations, we must think of our focus on belonging, inclusion and respect of all as not a burden or something that pits ‘us’ and ‘them,’ but rather, as a gift of humanity we give to one another as human beings. A community founded on these values and principles benefits us all, regardless of our individual or social differences.”

As we recognize the International Day of Living Together in Peace, we encourage the MRU community to reflect on the ways that empathy, understanding and belonging can be fostered through everyday interactions.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4tGzaxU

05/14/2026

Book your 60 minute massage today for only $30 (or $20 with your MRU OneCard)!

We are excited to welcome you back to the MRU Massage Therapy Student Practicum Clinic for the Spring/Summer semester. Our Massage Therapy students are actively building their clinical experience and refining their skills through their various levels of education. By booking an appointment, you play an important role in supporting student learning while receiving a professional massage therapy treatment. All treatments are provided by Massage Therapy students under the guidance of experienced instructors in a professional clinical setting. Appointments are limited. Book your appointment now and give yourself something to look forward to this season! https://mru.janeapp.com/

05/11/2026

05/07/2026

Congratulations to the 12 Mount Royal faculty members who were celebrated for their outstanding academic achievements at the Faculty Excellence Celebration!

This third-annual event recognizes recipients of the Faculty Excellence Awards, highlighting excellence in scholarly teaching, service and scholarship. Awards were presented across three categories: Teaching and Learning Awards, Research Recognition Awards and the Distinguished Faculty Awards — the highest form of faculty recognition at Mount Royal. This year, nearly 50 nominations were submitted, reflecting the strength and breadth of work across the university and making for a highly competitive adjudication process.

“Our faculty are at the heart of what makes Mount Royal a student-centred university, advancing learning and generating knowledge in ways that have meaningful impact,” said Dr. Chad London, provost and vice-president, Academic.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4deL8Zs

05/06/2026

Throughout the month of May, we celebrate those who change lives through care. Only separated by a few short days on our calendars, we are called upon to celebrate the tremendous impacts of mothers, midwives and nurses.

Mount Royal University has a long and proud history of nursing education, with generations of students who grew into teachers, leaders and mothers. To explore the story of nursing and midwifery at MRU is to learn how each generation, through care, innovation and generosity, raises the next.

Each May 4 is the International Day of the Midwife, International Nurses Day is celebrated every May 12, and Mother's Day is held on the second Sunday in May and celebrates one of the first figures summoned to mind by the thought of comfort and care. For most, a mother is the first person to teach how to move through this world and to inspire growth into the people we dream of being.

https://bit.ly/3PmQp9a

05/05/2026

On Tuesday, May 5, National Red Dress Day, Mount Royal University is displaying red dresses 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 employees wear red to support and honour 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," says Tori McMillan, director of MRU’s Iniskim Centre.

“In support of this movement, the Iniskim Centre smudges and displays a number of red dresses around the MRU campus as a visual reminder of the harms of gender-based violence in our society. This presence also speaks to the absence felt by their families and loved ones who are seeking closure and justice.”

https://bit.ly/4tQGQOG

05/01/2026

When wildfires strike, knowing how they start can help protect lives.

At MRU, researchers are using advanced forensic science to identify the origins of wildfires and arson — helping authorities understand what happened and supporting communities in preventing and better preparing for future fires.

“Dr. O’Sullivan’s lab is conducting groundbreaking work with real impacts on how wildfire origins are analyzed and investigated at a time when wildfires present a danger to the whole country and beyond. It is strengthening our relationships with industry and government partners as we mobilize knowledge, solve problems and improve lives,” says Dr. Chad London, Provost.

Protecting communities starts with prevention. Made possible by Canadian universities.

Learn more: possiblewithu.ca

Universities Canada/Universités Canada Possible With U

04/30/2026

Free 👏 vacations 👏

04/28/2026

The Teaching and Learning Expo is looking for proposals for the August 24 - 27 event.

All members of the MRU Community, including faculty, students, staff, and administrators, are invited to participate in this event by sharing insights, experiences, triumphs or lessons learned through presentations held over 4 days.

We welcome diverse presentations that share the highlights and milestones of your teaching and learning journey, both inside and outside the classroom.

The deadline for proposals is May 15, 2026. Learn more and submit your proposal: https://mru.ca/tlx

04/27/2026

A new study by Mount Royal researchers, done in partnership with Fertility Alberta, is shedding light on fertility care and how it impacts Alberta’s workforce.

“Employees Accessing Fertility Care: Perceptions of Effective and Supportive Government and Employer Policies” examines the experiences of Albertans navigating fertility treatment while working.

Led by Dr. Rachael Pettigrew PhD, professor and chair of the Department of General Management and Human Resources, the study surveyed 206 fertility patients from across Alberta and included four focus groups. Dr. Sarah Orton, PhD, and Dr. Carol Armstrong, PhD, both from MRU’s Department of Biology, also worked on the study, which was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

In Alberta, this care is not publicly funded, leaving many families facing significant financial barriers. Survey respondents reported spending a cumulative average out-of-pocket cost of $35,000 per family, with an additional $7,000 spent on things like counselling, travel, supplements and legal and other fees.

“This research highlights the significant financial barriers facing Albertans who want to build their families but require reproductive health care to do so,” says Michelle Chidley, chair of the Fertility Alberta Advocacy and Outreach Association.

Read more about the research: https://bit.ly/4cKl8EN

04/26/2026

Looking back on the best parts of this semester now that it’s over 🫶

04/23/2026

Bruce McCulloch of the legendary comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall found himself right back where his comedy career started — in the heart of Calgary.

An MRU (then MRC) alumnus, McCulloch met with the Department of Alumni Relations for a Q&A before his show to reminisce about his college years ahead of his evening performance at the Bella Concert Hall.

Read the Q&A: https://bit.ly/4e2ovcE