Mount Royal University Summit Fall/Winter 2019 by Mount Royal University

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U N I V E R S I T Y

Impostor

Syndrome When you think it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be you

FALL / WINTER

2019

PHOTOS BY CHAO ZHANG

There are more than 100,000 Mount Royal University alumni making a difference around the world. In this sea of successful folks, we pause to celebrate four outstanding graduates. It’s how they serve others. It’s how they save lives. It’s how they break down barriers.

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Mount Royal is celebrating those who have excelled in both their academic and professional lives. They have different careers and backgrounds: there’s an academic, a pilot, an executive director and a former police officer. What these four have in common is their dedication to others. They serve as an inspiration for those around them and embody what it means to be Mount Royal University alumni.

The Alumni Achievement Awards are presented in three categories: • The Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes alumni at the culmination of their careers who have brought honour to their profession and alma mater. • The Outstanding Alumni Award, which acknowledges alumni who demonstrate exceptional achievements in their fields. • The Horizon Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements of alumni early in their careers.

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LIFETIME DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WORDS BY KYLE NAPIER

Jacquie Hertlein spent 17 years with the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and now leads women to championships on the soccer field. Hertlein entered Mount Royal’s criminology diploma program in 1995 on a sports scholarship as captain of the Cougars soccer team, taking her team to two provincial championships. She graduated in 1996 and started with the CPS three years later, eventually earning the rank of acting sergeant. “When I put on my jersey for Mount Royal and stepped onto the field, I became a serious person,” Hertlein says. “I was serious, professional, dedicated. When I had that uniform on, I couldn’t switch that off. That same sense of pride came when I put my police uniform on.” Guided by empathy, Hertlein accomplished a lot in her 17 years with the police service. She sweettalked a stray moose into slumber, made friends and fostered relationships with marginalized people in Calgary’s southeast and made an executive decision at a critical moment that would lead her team to save a life. Continued on page 6

SUMMIT – SPRING/SUMMER 2019

Criminology Diploma — Law Enforcement, 1996

WORDS BY GEOFF CRANE

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD

Aviation Diploma, 2009

Sophia Wells is used to hearing “no.” Now, she uses her history with that word to inspire hundreds of women and young girls to consider the male-dominated world of aviation as a career path. When she was a senior in high school and a successful air cadet, Wells applied to join the Canadian Forces but was turned down over a poor score on a surprise test. She thought her dreams of flying would remain just that. “I was crushed. At 17 I was wondering what I was going to do. Coming from a small town, I had no idea how pilots go about becoming pilots. I thought it was military or bust,” Wells says. While attending Mount Royal and taking general studies, a chance encounter with the school’s flight simulator ended up putting Wells back on track to becoming a pilot. During her first year of the demanding aviation program, Wells experienced another setback. She had still not completed her private licence due to challenging weather and was in danger of having to leave. Continued on page 6

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WORDS BY ERIKA HOLTER

In 2001, Heather Graham bought a book on international travel and made her way to Casa Guatemala — a Guatemalan orphanage. What was originally intended to be a shortterm summer volunteer position changed the course of Graham’s life. Eighteen years later, Guatemala is now home. “I saw the potential from the beginning, saw the amazing amount of love that was there, saw the relationships with the kids, with the families,” Graham recalls. As Graham continued to deepen her involvement with the organization she identified some knowledge gaps she wished to fill, which led her to Mount Royal’s applied non-profit studies program in 2005. In 2010, Graham returned to Casa Guatemala. Four years later, she took on the position of executive director. Graham, who uses music as an outlet for her emotions, loved her time at Mount Royal and was a tremendously engaged student, winning scholarships and actively participating in volunteer roles. Continued on page 7

Bachelor of Applied

Nonprofit Studies, 2009

SUMMIT – SPRING/SUMMER 2019

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD

HORIZON AWARD

Bachelor of Health and Physical Education — Sport and Recreation

Management, 2016 and Bachelor of Business Administration —

General Management, 2017

WORDS BY GEOFF CRANE

Robyn Madden is a young researcher in sports science who is making waves with her work on athletic nutrition — and she credits Mount Royal University for making it all possible. Currently pursuing her PhD in kinesiology, focusing on research in nutrition, genetics and metabolism, Madden is looking to create benchmarks for Paralympic athletes for how they train and fuel their bodies. “I think my biggest accomplishment so far has been bringing the Paralympic athletes to the forefront and trying to establish nutritional recommendations for them,” Madden says, pointing out that these athletes currently default to recommendations for able-bodied athletes. “It’s not appropriate for them because of their physiological differences. I am trying to take the first steps and get the ball rolling to create those guidelines.” Continued on page 7

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Jacquie Hertlein

Sophia Wells

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Hertlein would later receive a thank-you letter from the individual whose life had been saved. It read, in part, “You treated me with dignity and respect when all I had was contempt for myself. Some may say that you were just doing your job; I feel you went above your call of duty. For that, I am eternally grateful.” Hertlein retired from the CPS in 2016 following an off-duty injury. “I vividly remember handing in my gun and my badge,” Hertlein recalls. “It’s like a piece of you goes after working so hard to accomplish a lifelong ambition to become a police officer. I was so proud to wear that badge. It’s still hard to think about.” Hertlein then transitioned to the role of executive director for the Calgary Women’s Soccer Association. The position plays into her passion for supporting women’s success, not only in sports, but also in life. In 2016, the association bestowed upon Hertlein their Award of Merit. She is the first and only woman on Alberta Soccer’s Technical Committee. And for the past three years, Hertlein has coached the SAIT Trojans women’s soccer program. She has also coached the Alberta Soccer Association’s provincial U13 girls team since 2017. Hertlein remains committed to the success of MRU students, having coached the Cougars women’s soccer teams in 2015 and 2016. She recently joined MRU’s Alumni Council, the Alumni Association’s representative committee. Her office is lined with awards earned from the teams she’s been a part of as an athlete and a coach; however, Hertlein doesn’t take credit. “It takes an entire team to create success.” Sandy Sangster, president of the Calgary Women’s Soccer Association, nominated Hertlein for the Lifetime Achievement Award. “Jacquie is extremely passionate about helping those in need, and her sacrifices and dedication to others does not go unnoticed,” Sangster wrote in her nomination. “Jacquie has not only brought great honour to Mount Royal University through her outstanding achievements, but I feel very fortunate to know Jacquie and honoured to watch what she has brought to the city of Calgary and province of Alberta.”

“I’m sitting in front of this board thinking ‘Here I go, I’m going to be out again,’ ” Wells says. “The board members were really awesome, though. They said I’d probably had the worst luck with weather they’d seen in forever, so they encouraged me to just keep trying and I said I’d find a way.” Wells would go on to become a flight instructor with the Edmonton Flying Club, completing her Class One instructor rating at the age of 25, one of the youngest in Canada to do so. Passionate about flying, Wells is also the director of advocacy at Elevate Aviation and is now the club’s chief flying instructor. The Edmonton-based not-for-profit organization promotes gender balance in the industry. “I just want to provide this idea that the world is open to them,” Wells says of the women and young girls who are part of the Flight Path to Success mentorship program she runs for Elevate. The program consists of more than 400 mentees and 150 mentors. The professional women in aviation share their passion with mentees and offer advice about how to succeed in the industry. Additionally, Wells organizes week-long tour sessions in 21 cities across Canada, giving women, girls and members of Indigenous communities a behind-the-scenes look into aviation and the various career paths it offers. Her refusal to take “no” as a final answer has allowed Wells to inspire hundreds of women.

Hertlein is the recipient of Mount Royal University’s Lifetime Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of her dedication to helping individuals and communities, her distinguished career with the Calgary Police Service and her unrelenting passion for soccer.

In 2018, Wells was named to Wings magazine’s Top 20 Under 40: Agent of Change. In 2019, she is Mount Royal University’s Outstanding Alumni Award recipient.

Nominate an amazing classmate for the

Do you know a notable member of the MRU alumni community? Someone who has made exceptional contributions to their community and their professions? Submit your nomination starting Nov. 28 at mru.ca/AAA.

Heather Graham

Robyn Madden

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Graham credits MRU with equipping her with the necessary skills to thrive in her new role. And she says the experiential learning environment was key to her success. “We were given the unique opportunity to learn first-hand from some of the brightest and most innovative minds of the third sector,” Graham says, referring to the economic sector of voluntary, non-profit and non-governmental organizations. “The balance of non-profit knowledge and business skills is what has made me into the executive director I am today.” Casa Guatemala opened its doors in 1977 as an orphanage for children from all over the country. Guatemala was once a major provider for international adoptions, however due to corruption in the system the government implemented extensive reforms in 2007. As a result, Casa Guatemala decided to shift their focus to children from the local Mayan communities who lacked resources and access to education and nutrition. As the children in their legal care grew up and moved away, there was more room for those who would otherwise not have had the chance to go to school. Now Casa Guatemala provides an education, plus health care and nutritious meals, to more than 200 children from 35 different remote communities. “We work with families to give them an opportunity to bring their kids to get that foundation of a good education, proper nutrition and health care to really break the cycle of poverty and move their communities forward,” Graham says. Graham passionately describes how rewarding it is to see those positive changes take effect. “I’ve literally watched kids who grew up as orphans, who came from extreme poverty and abuse, become young professionals providing a loving and caring home for their own families.” Despite the physical distance from Calgary, Graham remains closely tied to Mount Royal and has hosted numerous students who have travelled to volunteer at Casa Guatemala. Graham is also heavily involved with the Fair Trade Field School, which introduces students to organizations fostering economic and community development in Guatemala.

This ambitious undertaking was inspired, she says, by a couple of her professors at Mount Royal while she was a student in the sport and recreation management program. While looking to complete her practicum, she reached out to Jill Parnell, PhD, an associate professor of health and physical education at Mount Royal who needed a research assistant. The four-month experience ignited a passion for research and inspired her to pursue graduate school. Parnell now serves as Madden’s co-supervisor, and has co-authored multiple papers with her. She joined Madden in presenting their work at national and international conferences. Another one of her Mount Royal professors, David Legg, PhD, serves as a committee member for her PhD and co-authored a paper with Madden, presenting their work at the International Symposium on Adapted Physical Activity. Legg teaches in the Department of Health and Physical Education. “He really inspired me to drive this movement forward,” Madden recalls. “He was always telling his students that (parathletes are) just as valid and important as able-bodied athletes, which is so true.” Mount Royal impacted Madden beyond her academic pursuits, too. “It sounds cliché, but it’s not always what you know, but who you know. I’ve met so many amazing contacts who have helped me to succeed, not only in graduate school, but outside the classroom, too,” Madden says. “I still keep in touch with so many of my professors. It’s a more personal experience, so it has had such a positive impact.” Madden wants to inspire other students who are unsure about pursuing postgraduate studies. She’s already mentored a few as research assistants and would love to set up a formal program for undergrads, providing a similar experience like the one she had with Parnell. For her research in Paralympic sport nutrition and her dedication to Mount Royal students, Madden is the 2019 Alumni Achievement Horizon Award recipient.

Graham’s dedication to helping communities in Guatemala break the cycle of poverty, while remaining a strong supporter of Mount Royal students, makes her the ideal recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Alumni Award.

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CO N T EN T S

In this issue 10

Letter from the president

| 12

Bleed Blue

| 20

Fast facts

| 24

Alumni weekend

| 26

Research snapshot

| 54

Planned giving

F E AT U R E S:

Is that me? There is more and more talk about impostor syndrome these days, where people feel like a fraud even when they are, in reality, capable and accomplished. Most prevalent at school and at work, impostor syndrome can be debilitating and debasing. Knowing what it is, however, means something can be done about it.

S U M M I T – FA L L / W I N T E R 2 019

+ You got this

There are several common workplace situations that can leave you feeling uneasy and at sea in a world of uncertainty. Here are a few ways to keep pushing forward amidst the turmoil.

Alumni Achievement Awards This year’s Alumni Achievement Awards feature a PhD student, a pilot, the executive director of a South American non-profit and a former Calgary cop. They have each used their education to deepen the world’s body of knowledge, upend entrenched systems, enrich the lives of others and positively impact their communities.

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Alumni in this issue

Big moves towards tiny living

Indelible Impressions Four stories of alumni who continue to achieve despite others’ perceptions being stacked against them.

The average cost of a detached home in Calgary is $420,000, which is unattainable for many, especially those living on a single income. This has led to a hard push for options that are not only more affordable, but also more sustainable.

Anna Barker Theatre Performance Diploma, 2013 Savannah Blakley Advanced Athletic Therapy Certificate, 2012 John Ross Ackerley Music Performance Diploma — Jazz, 2010 Latasha Calf Robe Bachelor of Business Administration — General Management, 2017 Debbie Crazyboy Bachelor of Education — Elementary (2019) Gabrielle Dickson Bachelor of Communication — Information Design, 2019 Mark Fuchko Bachelor of Arts — History, 2016 Shifrah Gadamsetti Bachelor of Nursing, 2014 Heather Graham Bachelor of Applied Nonprofit Studies, 2009 Aislinn Grant Bachelor of Business Administration — General Management, 2015 Bret Hart Honorary Bachelor of Health and Physical Education — Physical Literacy, 2018 Kevin Hayes Bachelor of Science — Environmental Science, 2019 Jacquie Hertlein Criminology Diploma — Law Enforcement, 1996 Niall Howell Bachelor of Arts — English (Honours), 2014 Ryan Irving Theatre Performance Diploma program

Steve Kootenay-Jobin Arts and Sciences Diploma, 2011 Bachelor of Arts — Sociology, 2015 Jenn Lofgren Business Administration Diploma — Human Resources, 2006 Robyn Madden Bachelor of Health and Physical Education — Sport and Recreation Management, 2016 Bachelor of Business Administration — General Management, 2017 Murray McCann Honorary Bachelor of Nursing, 2018 Amber McLinden Bachelor of Communication — Journalism, 2019 Toluwanimi Okunola Social Work Diploma, 2019 Silvia Pikal Bachelor of Communication — Journalism, 2013 Kevin Read Bachelor of Applied Business and Entrepreneurship — Small Business, 2004 Rayane Sabbagh Bachelor of Communication — Journalism, 2019 Stan Schwartz University Transfer Program, 1964 Zoe Slusar Bachelor of Arts — Anthropology (Honours), 2019 Doreen Spence Honorary Bachelor of Nursing, 2017 Sophia Wells Aviation Diploma, 2009 Maryam Yaqoob Bachelor of Science — Cellular and Molecular Biology, 2017

Tim Kenny Bachelor of Communication — Public Relations, 2019

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FR O M

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PR E S I D EN T

Dear alumni, This is my first letter for Summit magazine as the “new” president of Mount Royal University. A month into joining Mount Royal, I took the Oath of Office with Her Honour, the Honourable Lois Mitchell, lieutenant-governor of Alberta, and was bestowed with my MRU presidential robes at the June Convocation ceremonies. As I shook hands and smiled for a photo with each of the 1,254 graduates who crossed the stage — out of a total of 1,737, our largest graduating class to date — I thought of all of you, the more than 100,000 alumni already out there in the world. Since moving to Calgary, I have met many alumni, many parents and many children of alumni. I have heard of grandfathers and grandmothers sneaking out of the old Mount Royal College dorms, I have heard how Mount Royal has been the pathway for personal and professional success and I have heard about your children whom you have sent to MRU. I am so very proud to now be part of the MRU story. You’re an impressive bunch! You’re everywhere I go! You are small business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, inventors, creatives, scientists, volunteers and providers of care. One thing I find very interesting is the fact that such a large number of you live and work here in Calgary. It is wonderful to join the local community where you received your formal education, and despite a cosmopolitan and internationalized world, you have chosen to stay.

As I get to know Mount Royal and this city a bit more, I have noticed an underpinning of strong connections, a network of relationships that forms a durable foundation for innovation and enterprise. I have often said that education is transformational, and I can see that my point has been proven by Mount Royal’s alumni; you have taken the Mount Royal experience and run with it. While I am sure you have benefited from those who came before you, you are also clearing a path for those who are coming behind you. You should be very proud. I will sign off by saying thank you, Calgary and Mount Royal. Although I am just getting to know you, I am eager to continue my journey with all of you. If our paths should cross, please don’t hesitate to come up and say hello and share your Mount Royal stories with me.

Tim Rahilly, PhD President and Vice-Chancellor, Mount Royal University

SU M M I T – FA L L / W I N T ER 2019

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VICE–PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Paul Rossmann ASSOCIATE VICE–PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Melanie Rogers DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS Andrea Ranson DIRECTOR, MARKETING Dave McLean Summit is published in the fall and spring of each year with a circulation of approximately 65,000. Each issue features the exceptional alumni, students, faculty and supporters who make up the Mount Royal community. Summit tells the University’s ongoing story of the provision of an outstanding undergraduate education through personalized learning opportunities, a commitment to quality teaching, a laser focus on practical outcomes and a true dedication to community responsiveness. Celebrate yourself through Summit.

Mike Poon, designer and photographer, making props "bleed blue".

ISSN 1929-8757 Summit Publications Mail Agreement #40064310 Return undeliverables to: Mount Royal University 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW Calgary, AB, Canada T3E 6K6 You can enjoy Summit online by visiting mru.ca/Summit. If you would like us to deliver a print copy to your office or home, simply email summit@mtroyal.ca. Mount Royal University is located in the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of the Treaty 7 region in southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Iyarhe Nakoda. The city of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation. Sustainably yours.

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The team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paul Rossmann EDITOR Michelle Bodnar BCMM (Applied) ’05 PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Deb Abramson Journalism Diploma ’77 MARKETING AND EDITORIAL COORDINATION Bailey Turnbull COPY EDITORS Matthew Fox Peter Glenn Ruth Myles Andrea Ranson Public Relations Diploma ’85

ART DIRECTOR Michal Waissmann BCMM (Applied) ’07 DESIGN Leslie Blondahl BCMM ’14 Astri Do Rego Mike Poon Michal Waissmann Chao Zhang COVER PHOTO Chao Zhang PHOTOGRAPHY Leonora André Mike Poon Chao Zhang ILLUSTRATIONS Astri Do Rego Mike Poon

CONTRIBUTORS Jonathan Anderson BCMM ’13 Michelle Bodnar Geoff Crane BCMM ’14 Marlena Cross Peter Glenn Erika Holter BNpSt (Applied) ‘13 Julie Macdonald BCMM ‘13 Ruth Myles Kyle Napier BCMM ’14 Rob Petrollini BCMM (Applied) ’07 Silvia Pikal BCMM ’13 Melissa Rolfe Hooda Sadden Felicia Zuniga

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Bleed Blue B R I N G I N G

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These are just a few highlights from the past six months at MRU, where there has been something to celebrate just about every day. Want to know what's happening at your alma mater? Go to mru.ca/AlumniEvents.

H O M E

MRU Milestones MRU WINNER OF THE STAR METRO CALGARY 2019 COMMUNITY CHOICE AWARDS

MOUNT ROYAL AMONG FIRST SIGNATORIES TO THE DIMENSIONS CHARTER

Mount Royal was chosen by the public as the winner of the Best Post-Secondary Education Institution category for the Star Metro Calgary 2019 Community Choice Awards, topping the list of nine options.

MRU is one of the first Canadian institutions to sign on to the Dimensions charter to foster increased research excellence, innovation and creativity through greater equity, diversity and inclusion. The charter is an initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

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FACILITIES MANAGEMENT KEEPS MRU RUNNING SMOOTHLY Mount Royal’s Facilities Management team was selected to receive an Archibus Award of Excellence, exemplifying the attributes of resilience, teamwork, resourcefulness, adaptability, innovation and the ability to work effectively with clients and a broad range of people. The Archibus, Inc. Awards of Excellence Program was instituted in 1998 to honour facility professionals whose vision and accomplishments in technology and process improvements and service are exceptional and deserve recognition.

S H A K I N G

Faculty updates

NEW DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY

Elizabeth Van Den Kerkhof, DrPH, came to Mount Royal from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University, where she researched pain-related complex conditions. Van Den Kerkhof earned her Master of Science in community health and epidemiology at Queen’s University in 1991 and a Doctor of Public Health in community health at Johns Hopkins University in 1998.

PROFESSOR MICHAEL QUINN NAMED VICE-PROVOST AND AVP, ACADEMIC

As vice-provost, Professor Michael Quinn, PhD, will be responsible for building upon the 35 majors now offered to students. Quinn will also work to further Mount Royal’s indigenization and internationalization initiatives while supporting the University’s deep strength in teaching and learning, plus its reputation for exceptional research opportunities.

SU M M I T – FA L L / W I N T ER 2019

Mount Royal alumni, we want to hear all about you. Get back in touch, sign up for updates on alumni events and receive exclusive benefits at mru.ca/YouAlwaysBelongHere. Follow us on Twitter at @MRUAlumni.

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Propelling students towards a major impact Mount Royal now has two new science and technology and three new business majors representing educational foundations for the future. At the end of September, a Bachelor of Science — Biology and a Bachelor of Science — Computer Science were approved. Jonathan Withey, DPhil, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology said, “These new programs will continue to bear all the hallmarks for which we are known: access to first-class facilities, to work integrated and experiential learning opportunities, and to research and undergraduate training initiatives." Withey said both new degrees allow for growth and evolution of innovative curriculum, ensuring that MRU remains a great place to learn science and technology, and for students to secure an education relevant to their success, and to the needs of both the economy and the community. In the spring, Mount Royal’s Bachelor of Business Administration was approved to provide majors in finance, international business and supply chain management. “This is a monumental point in our development,” said Elizabeth Evans, PhD, dean of MRU’s Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, adding that a Bachelor of Business Administration — Finance is seen as the backbone of a strong business school. Gurdit Khatra, a student at Mount Royal already working in corporate banking, is expected to walk the stage with the newly minted major in finance. He said, "Having a major will show employers there was a tremendous amount of hard work put into understanding some incredibly difficult concepts."

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CN Supply Chain Analytics Lab provides crucial business data A new high-tech analytics lab at the Bissett School of Business had been provided through a $500,000 donation by CN, representatives from which say the lab reflects the importance of supply chain management to the transportation industry that helps drive the Canadian economy. “Supply chain innovation is part of our DNA at CN and we are very proud to engage the next generation of leaders through our support of the CN Supply Chain Analytics Lab,” said Lonny Kubas, assistant vice-president of supply chain at CN. The industry-leading technology has given students a dedicated space to work on the Refinitiv Eikon Data Platform that accesses the inner-workings of companies around the world in real time. Data from this platform shows students how ethics, the environment and other factors combine with price to influence decision-making and the supply chain. The lab includes 15 Refinitiv Eikon licences to support 12 student terminals, accommodating up to 36 students.

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Highlights from Spring 2019 Convocation Mount Royal welcomed 1,737 new graduates to the alumni family at the June Convocation ceremonies, the largest graduating class to date.

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Mount Royal’s 10th president and first vice-chancellor has been installed The installation of Mount Royal’s 10th president and first vice-chancellor, Tim Rahilly, PhD, was an important part of the 2019 Spring Convocation ceremonies. An installation formally endows the incoming president and vice-chancellor of a university with the power and responsibilities of the office. The ceremony consists of two parts: the Oath of Office and the Investing of Robes of Office. Rahilly took the Oath of Office with Her Honour, the Honourable Lois Mitchell, lieutenant-governor of Alberta, on the afternoon of June 5. Then, during the Investing of Robes of Office, Rahilly was divested of his scarlet academic regalia from McGill University and was invested with the robes of the Mount Royal presidential office. Each ceremony through June 7 included a shorter ceremonial installation. Rahilly spoke of the similarities between graduates and himself, which include investing in learning, appreciating those who came before and those who provided support, and choosing Mount Royal for its focus on students.

Centennial gold medal recipients

This year Mount Royal awarded four Centennial Gold Medals, one from each credit faculty. Any Mount Royal student, staff or faculty member can nominate an eligible student for the Centennial Gold Medal. Nominees considered by the selection committee must be graduating from diploma and degree programs, must have a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher, and must have demonstrated leadership through involvement in campus and community activities.

Gabrielle Dickson

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

A dedicated mentor, Gabrielle Dickson was a valued resource during New Student Orientation, at the International Student Support Centre and through Student Learning Services. She was a member of the Information Design Society and a workshop co-creator and presenter on behalf of the information design program at the Explore STEM Conference last year. Dickson achieved a Bachelor of Communication — Information Design and left Mount Royal with a cumulative GPA of 3.98.

SU M M I T – FA L L / W I N T ER 2019

With the recent move to Part 1 of the Post-Secondary Learning Act, MRU is now able to grant Honorary Doctors of Laws. As part of the celebrations, each of the five recipients addressed graduates and guests.

Kevin Hayes

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Kevin Hayes was a research assistant with Professor Gwen O’Sullivan, PhD, throughout 2017 and 2018, helping present their team’s work at the International Network of Environmental Forensics conference. The group used a new instrument, the first of its kind in Calgary, to bolster investigations into wildfires, arsons, oil spills and chemical releases, and perform other environmental forensics. He also received a Library Award for Research Excellence in 2016. Hayes earned a Bachelor of Science — Environmental Science, with a cumulative GPA of 4.0, and is headed to PhD studies.

Dawn Farrell

Ann McCaig

Marg Southern

Don Braid

With 30 years of experience in the electricity industry, and currently the president and chief executive officer of TransAlta Corporation, Dawn Farrell is an accomplished business and community leader. Throughout her career, Farrell has generously shared her leadership and work ethic, lending her support to initiatives such as Calgary’s United Way Campaign, the Calgary Stampede and Momentum.

A committed supporter of Mount Royal’s Military Memorial Bursaries, Ann McCaig is a member of the Order of Canada and the Alberta Order of Excellence. Her volunteer efforts in the areas of medical research and health and youth development have strengthened the quality of life across the nation for all Canadians. For more than two decades she has enabled the growth of the Killam Trusts, which advance education and research at Canadian universities.

Spruce Meadows cofounder Marg Southern has participated on numerous corporate, community and non-profit boards. Her passion for sport and recreation has benefited many. A commitment to ensuring Calgarians enjoy parks and green spaces led to the founding of the city’s first Parks and Recreation Board, which banked land for future recreational use, helping to develop Fish Creek Provincial Park and preserving Nose Hill Park.

Don Braid, a national political columnist since 1978, is known for his resolute dedication to exemplary journalism. Renowned in his field, the subjects of Braid’s reporting and columns have included every Alberta government since Peter Lougheed and every federal government since Pierre Trudeau.

“We are (fortunate) to be in a country that values fairness, freedom from “I know that all of the “Your success will arbitrary punishment, deep work that you did greatly rely on your freedom of speech and “Our freedoms, such as courageous and here at Mount Royal pursuing an advanced resilient mindset, and tolerance of others. to earn your degrees It’s challenging times education, come at a makes you some of great lives are those for (journalists), and very high cost, and the most employable that are not cluttered recognition from such education is a privilege with regrets. In order people in Alberta, a wonderful university Canada and globally.” that comes with great to not be regretful, one is truly appreciated.” responsibility.” must be a leader.”

Toluwanimi Okunola

FACULTY OF HEALTH, COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION

Originally from Nigeria, Toluwanimi Okunola was a student leader at New Student Orientation on three occasions. She volunteered with the Healthy Campus Office as a peer health educator for two years and with Student Learning Services as a mentor to first-year students through the Mentors: Academic and Personal Success Peer Mentorship program. Okunola graduated with a Social Work Diploma and a cumulative GPA of 3.92.

The Right Honourable

David Johnston

Former governor general of Canada, the Right Honourable David Johnston served as the representative of the Queen in Canada from 2010 to 2017, the 28th since Confederation. He is also a revered academic, media personality and author. Johnston's belief system is grounded in education which, he says is the most important vehicle for equality of opportunity.

“I was so taken when I arrived to see the sign saying, ‘You Belong Here.’ At the end of your programs you’ll see another statement stating, ‘You Will Always Belong Here.’ ”

Zoe Slusar

FACULTY OF ARTS

For three consecutive years, Zoe Slusar presented at Mount Royal’s Student Leadership Conference and organized events supporting campus diversity, human rights and artistic expression. She also proudly collaborated with artist Ryan Willert in the creation of an Indigenous mural on Main Street. In addition, Slusar represented her fellow students as vice-president of student affairs with the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts — Anthropology (Honours) and a cumulative GPA of 3.97.

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MRU Aviation takes flight with Sunwing Airlines

V E T ER A N

A partnership between Sunwing Airlines and MRU’s aviation program will give students access to its direct entry cadet program. "We are ensuring we keep talent here by providing graduates with meaningful employment in Canada,” said Elizabeth Evans, PhD, dean of Mount Royal University's Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, which includes the aviation program. The Aviation Diploma stands out in Canada, as it offers students the opportunity to graduate with both the academic qualifications and the in-flight training needed to become a commercial airline pilot. Alumni have an average employment rate of 98 per cent. “The decision to incorporate Mount Royal into our growing cadet program is a reflection on both their strong track record within the field of aviation education and the calibre of their graduates,” said Piyush Gandhi, vice-president of flight operations for Sunwing.

V EN T U R E S

Entrepreneurial veterans get boots-on-the-ground education It takes discipline, motivation and teamwork to be a member of the Canadian military. The Canadian Legacy Project’s Veteran Business Boot Camp Entrepreneurship Certificate supports veterans as they harness those qualities to launch their own enterprises. The inaugural five-day program — fully sponsored by the Canadian Legacy Project (CLP), which supports and advocates for veterans as they transition to civilian life — took place via Mount Royal’s Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension in June. “We were continually reached out to by veterans asking, ‘I want to start a business. I’m looking for some financing on it, some ideas on how to do it,’ ” said CLP president Dave Howard. The registered charity partnered with Mount Royal to tailor the existing Entrepreneurship Certificate to maximize veterans’ existing strengths, as skills developed in the military are very transferable to the business world. Each day of the intense program concentrates on one area, from planning to marketing to managing a business. The first Boot Camp was fully subscribed with 24 students. The CLP plans to hold more Boot Camps — also taught by Mount Royal instructors — across Canada, starting in Ottawa this fall.

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Lieutenant Governor of Alberta grants patronage to Mount Royal University Conservatory The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Her Honour, Lois Mitchell is now an Honorary Patron of the Mount Royal University Conservatory. The acceptance from the Queen’s representative in Alberta is in recognition of the exceptional quality of diverse music and speech arts education opportunities offered by the Conservatory. The announcement was celebrated at the Wyatt Series Artists-in-Residence concert last spring at the Bella Concert Hall. "This is a remarkable distinction for our Conservatory, and for our entire University," said Brad Mahon, PhD, dean of the Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension. It is the latest accolade bestowed on the Conservatory, which has played a key role in Calgary’s performing arts scene since 1911, inspiring 10,000 registrants each year through a wide variety of programming, concerts and events. “It’s my great pleasure to serve as honorary patron of the Mount Royal University Conservatory and to welcome everyone who takes part in its wonderful range of programs and concerts,” Mitchell said. “The Conservatory is truly a place for everyone, with diverse offerings that reach out to music lovers of all ages, abilities, interests and walks of life.”

NOV. 17 CALGARY YOUTH ORCHESTRA

DEC. 14 SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

NOV. 22 HAWKSLEY WORKMAN

DEC. 22 HEEBEE-JEEBEES CHRISTMAS

DEC. 8 WINTER FANTASIA

DEC. 10 PAUL BRANDT WITH THE CALGARY PHILHARMONIC ORHESTRA

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Mount Royal plays a starring role in iconic CBC show The cast and crew of CBC’s beloved Heartland spent two days at Mount Royal this spring to film for the show’s upcoming 13th season. The lush Dr. John H. Garden Memorial Park acted as the location for a welcome centre for new students as Georgie Fleming Morris (Alisha Newton) looked into her options for post-secondary education. Her research led her to pick Mount Royal. Showrunner, executive producer and lead writer for Heartland Heather Conkie said Mount Royal fit the bill perfectly for the storyline. “(Georgie) wants to spread her wings, but, at the same time, she’s a bit of a homebody. MRU allows Georgie to experience life in the city, but its beautiful green spaces make her feel at home. The short distance (to the fictional town of Hudson) allows her to commute, something she needs to be able to do since she is still pursuing the show-jumping circuit and an Olympic dream.”

As the showrunner and one of the executive producers of Heartland, I speak on behalf of all of us when I say Mount Royal surpassed all our expectations. — HEATHER CONKIE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Georgie hasn’t quite made up her mind about what she would like to take at university, but as Georgie’s step-grandmother Lisa runs a successful race horse breeding operation, she is beginning to see a future for herself in that area. “With this idea forming in her mind, she can’t help but be tempted by the opportunities of the business faculty,” Conkie said. Several staff and students participated as extras for the filming, with MRU’s locations and amenities working well for Heartland’s needs. It was an easy decision for Mount Royal to take part in the show, said Brent Mann, director of Event and Theatre Services at Mount Royal. “I felt as though there was a natural fit for the Heartland program to film here, as our institution represents the same sort of strong Canadian values.” Mount Royal’s debut in Heartland aired on CBC on Sept. 29, and was the second episode of the season. 18

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Combatting hackers creates a new career path Mount Royal’s Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension, in partnership with York University’s School of Continuing Studies, now offers a Certificate in Cyber Security Fundamentals and a Certificate in Advanced Cyber Security. The fundamentals certificate provides critical knowledge and skills for existing IT managers or project leads, as well as those seeking to start or change careers. Students who aspire to become specialists can continue on to the advanced certificate, which prepares them to earn the Certified Information Systems Security Professional designation through the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium. The certificates each take five months to complete, with a combination of online and in-class components. “This program is a way to upskill people quickly to meet this growing market, but in a very comprehensive way. The number of roles in cybersecurity is expected to double in the next five years, but the talent pool has not kept up as this industry continues to be more and more important,” said Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, director, Continuing Professional Education, School of Continuing Studies at York University. Offering this in-demand program much closer to home is part of Mount Royal’s commitment to the community, said Brad Mahon, dean, Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension. Learn more at mru.ca/CyberProgram.

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Housing first

A generous donation of $300,000 by longtime Mount Royal supporters David and Leslie Bissett is doubling the capacity of a unique on-campus housing program designed to support the success of Indigenous students who are raising families. Mount Royal’s Indigenous Housing Program (IHP) — the only program of its kind in the country — was created for members of Canada’s Indigenous population, both singles and those raising families. The IHP, which is run through the Iniskim Centre, helps these students succeed in their studies by providing a solid support network and access to housing, campus amenities and cultural connections. The gift from the Bissetts means that the IHP can now assist eight families, up from the previous four. In addition to funding bursaries for the IHP, the gift will provide upgrades in every unit. Having access to this safe, affordable, year-round housing was a game changer for Debbie Crazyboy of the Piikani First Nation and her three daughters. “Everything went up for us; it was a real pivotal point in my life,” the education alumna said. “My self-esteem and self-advocacy increased and I definitely became more confident in my studies.”

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FAC T S

Alumni at a glance Mount Royal’s former students are a source of pride for the University, and it appears alumni feel the same way about their alma mater. Survey results point to a group very satisfied with their time spent on campus.

80%

OF GRADUATES CONTINUE TO LIVE IN CALGARY. 1

1 in 5

OF DEGREE GRADUATES SAY THE Y ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED AS A FULL OR PART-TIME STUDENT (PURSUING FURTHER EDUCATION). 2

96%

OF GRADUATES SAY THE Y ARE SATISFIED WITH THE QUALIT Y OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL E XPERIENCE AT MRU. 2

92%

WOULD RECOMMEND MRU TO A FAMILY MEMBER, FRIEND OR COLLE AGUE INTERESTED IN PURSUING POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION. 3

105,501 TOTAL NUMBER OF MOUNT ROYAL ALUMNI*

79% 84%

OF GRADUATES WERE EMPLOYED WITHIN A YE AR OF COMPLE TING THEIR MRU DEGREE PROGRAM. 2

S o ur c e s : 1. ePrcntage of rgadutes who stay in touch. 2019/2020 Almn u i Quar tely Demorgapih cs 2. MRU 2018 Gradu te Fol w- up Sur vey of 2017/18 gradu tes 3. MRU 2019 Alumni Insight s Sur vey Provide by: Mount Royals’ Ins titu ional Analysis and Planning

* Alumni includes forme s tudent s who c omplet d at leas t 3 0 credit s at MRC or M,RU as w e l a s gr a d u t e s o f a ny c r e d i t c e r t i c a t e , d ip l o m a , a p li e d d e gr or d e gr p r o g a m .

OF EMPLOYED ALUMNI SAY THEIR JOB IS REL ATED TO THE PROGRAM THE Y GRADUATED FROM. 2

W EL L- D E S ER V ED

R ECO G N I T I O N

Returning alumna receives Outstanding Future Alumni Award and scholarship WORDS BY KYLE NAPIER

Shifrah Gadamsetti completed her first bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2014, only four years after entering MRU at the age of 16. She was president of the Student Nursing Society for a year and a half, and after graduation while working as a nurse she was motivated to get into public policy work. “I was not satiated with my education and what I wanted to do,” she said. Gadamsetti noticed a need for larger system changes and recognized that she could make a bigger difference by pursuing further education. Gadamsetti returned to Mount Royal in 2015 to pursue her Bachelor of Arts — Sociology with a minor in women’s studies for the qualifications to influence change. To further bolster her experience, in 2016 she ran for — and won — the position of president of the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University, a role she would go on to hold for two academic years. One of her proudest achievements of that time, she said, is championing Mount Royal’s sexual violence policy and supports on campus. Gadamsetti maintains her status as a registered nurse in the operating room through perioperative nursing with an orthopedic specialization. She has worked as a crisis intervention support worker with the Calgary Sexual Assault Response Team and is currently a research assistant with the Riddell Library and Learning Centre focusing on open educational resources for Mount Royal students. She also sits on the Executive Advisory Committee for the Standard on Psychological Health and Safety for PostSecondary Education with the Mental Health Commission of Canada and on the board of directors for AskHerYYC — a nonprofit board with the goal of improving access, education and representation for women and other marginalized people in politics and leadership. Gadamsetti hopes to improve accessibility for everyday people to engage with their society and participate in the democratic process. She believes that intimidation is the greatest factor against people getting involved. “A lot of people forget that lived experiences are valuable to share, and representation is important,” Gadamsetti said. Gadamsetti also stood for Canada at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, held the role of elected chair of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations in 2017 and worked as the executive director for the Council of Alberta University Students in 2018/2019. “I have no idea what the future holds, but I like governance, public health and social policy,” Gadamsetti said. “I hope that whatever I end up doing speaks to the quality of my experience at Mount Royal.”

Starting Nov. 28, nominate a deserving student for the Outstanding Future Alumni Award at mru.ca/OutstandingFutureAlumni. This $5,000 scholarship is for eligible students with one academic year left in the completion of their program.

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You did what?

Alumni, student and faculty awards and accolades

TEAM KISTOONON MAPS THE SYSTEM

Bissett School of Business alumna Latasha Calf Robe mentored the interdisciplinary Team Kistoonon to a top-three finish at the Map the System nationals and a place in the global finals at Oxford. Map the System examines complex issues through the lens of social and environmental change. Team Kistoonon presented "Systemic Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada."

APPOINTMENT FOR ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR TO HSMBC

History professor and associate dean of the Faculty of Arts Joe Anderson, PhD, was recently appointed to a five-year term as the Alberta member for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

MACEWAN UNIVERSITY BESTOWS 2019 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD ON FACULTY MEMBER

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest form of recognition presented by MacEwan. Associate professor Scharie Tavcer, PhD, teaches in the Department of Economics, Justice and Policy Studies at Mount Royal and previously worked for Correctional Services Canada.

NEW BOOK FOR FORMER STUDENT

Bachelor of Arts – English alumnus Niall Howell’s new book, Only Pretty Damned (NeWest Press), was released in April and has been well reviewed. Creative writing instructor Micheline Maylor, PhD, describes the work, which is set in a circus during the 1950s, as “told in the Hitchcockian tradition of the film noir.”

ALUMNI-MADE FILM RECEIVES TWO AWARDS

Memento Mori, a short film by Anna Barker and Ryan Irving, who attended MRU’s Theatre Performance Diploma program, won the Audience Award for Best Canadian Short and Special Jury Mention — emerging Filmmaker at the 2019 Calgary Underground Film Festival. Barker is also a current English major.

STUDENT RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

Four Mount Royal students received a Library Award for Research Excellence last April. Tim Kenny (bottom left), Kalindra Walls (bottom centre) and the duo of Julia Phillips and Jaime Bellows (bottom right) were honoured for their outstanding scholarly projects demonstrating exceptional research skills and the effective use of information resources.

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Indigenous housing and events coordinator, plus Mount Royal alumnus Steve Kootenay-Jobin, received the 2019 Chief David Crowchild Memorial Award, which celebrates a Calgarian who builds relationships with the Indigenous community and who is a leader among peers. Kootenay-Jobin is the first recipient from the Stoney Nakoda (Îyârhe) Nation. 5

AWARD A FIRST FOR NATION

PROFESSOR NAMED THE 2019 HOTCHKISS BRAIN INSTITUTE NEUROSCIENCE ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

Associate professor in the Department of Biology, Trevor Day, PhD, was honoured as the 2019 Hotchkiss Brain Institute Neuroscience Alumnus of the Year, which recognizes the outstanding performance of a graduate student, postdoctoral fellow or research fellow who trained in a neuroscience laboratory at the University of Calgary.

ALUMNA’S TRAINING HELPS SAVE A LIFE

Athletic therapy alumna Savannah Blakley helped save the life of a man whose heart stopped while speaking at an Okotoks Dawgs banquet. Blakley and a colleague performed CPR until help arrived. Blakley has been an athletic trainer with the Okotoks Dawgs for eight years.

ALUMNA REVIVES GROUNDBREAKING MAGAZINE

Forum, a groundbreaking feminist magazine published in Calgary from 1988 to 2002, is back in circulation thanks to MRU journalism alumna Silvia Pikal. New Forum is an homage to the original magazine and will serve as a platform for writers and artists in Alberta.

THE CALGARY JOURNAL NETS A CAJ AWARD Journalism students Amber McLinden, Rayane Sabbagh and Simran Sachar won the 2018 Canadian Association of Journalists Student Award for Excellence for their project Lost in the System, charting the difficulties of transgender people accessing transition services in Alberta. Mount Royal students have won this award five of the past six years.

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ALUMNI WEEKEND SEPT. 24 — 26, 2020 Save the date! Mount Royal is hosting its first-ever

You always belong here and we would love to see you. Whether your student days were at MRC or MRU, we can’t wait to hold a weekend for our alumni community and your friends and family.

Questions? Want to get involved? Visit mru.ca/AlumniWeekend.

UPDATE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN Win a trip for two to Argentina to visit OcÃ©ano Patagonia an alumna-owned business and luxury beachside eco-hotel located in a UNESCO World Heritage site.

To enter, visit mru.ca/YouAlwaysBelongHere TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. PLEASE SEE THE CONTEST FORM FOR MORE DETAILS.

C U R I OSI T Y

Building new standards you and our communities can really use WORDS BY MARLENA CROSS

Mount Royal University’s professors are bringing their professional knowledge and experience, plus their communityminded research, into the classroom. And students are reaping the benefits. At any given time, there are dozens of students across campus working in concert with educators, performing transformative research using hands-on learning. The following snapshots offer a glimpse of how timely research can have a real-world impact today.

BEYOND NUCLEAR

ETHICAL DESIGN OF BIG DATA Associate professor of information design Milena Radzikowska and her students are experts at making complex data readable for the rest of us. But it’s about more than how something looks. For her research, Radzikowska, who holds a Master of Design, asks questions about how we represent people, environments and communities as data is being amassed and designs created, which she says requires an ethical perspective. “The work we do is meant to do good,” she says. Working in concert with an Alberta oil producer, Radzikowska is integrating people-focused design into complex data to better understand the human factors of oil production practices that influence decision-making. She’s also working with her students to produce more accessible research consent forms for the benefit of future scholars. “Design is intrinsically community involved; it’s in service,” Radikowska says.

26 S U M M I T – F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 9

Assistant Professor Peter Choate, PhD, is probing the current definitions of “family” as a social work practitioner, researcher and teacher. In today’s child welfare system, Indigenous families are over-represented. Choate says the system is grounded in colonial-based theories, favouring a nuclear family over communal parenting, which is more common in Indigenous communities. “Let’s start to challenge that,” Choate says. While investigating ingrained biases by studying the underlying ways in which information is gathered and given meaning, Choate asks his students to question their own preconceived ideas about families and parenting. The passionate practitioner believes social work has a larger purpose in building and supporting community. “Part of social work is taking social action,” he says. Choate’s work is in collaboration with Indigenous communities and in partnership with other MRU colleagues who hope to reframe the status quo — together.

CARTOONS TEACHING THE ART OF LISTENING

MISTRUST IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE SEEN THROUGH A FEMINIST LENS Sociologist Irene Shankar, PhD, associate professor, is investigating the underlying factors that contribute to vaccine resistance among women, helping medical practitioners and her students understand public distrust in medicine. “Doctors can’t rely on trust,” Shankar says. “They need to listen to parents’ concerns to promote vaccinations.” By interviewing women in Calgary and Edmonton, Shankar found that they are looking for solid evidence and want to be engaged critically and thoughtfully. Women, who have traditionally been left out of health discussions and positions of power in medicine, want to have in-depth conversations about vaccinations. Shankar is tackling gender and racial inequality within the health context with the hope of promoting those conversations, not just in her classroom, but also within the medical community. “The key thing about research and scholarship is that we have to deal with the inequities in society,” Shankar says.

Associate Professor Mohamed El Hussein is hoping to teach future nurses in MRU’s nursing program the art of listening and provide deep, rather than superficial, understanding of complex health issues. He is using a technique called visual narrative illustrations, or cartoons that depict disease or a bedside situation. El Hussein says it took him some tough learning of his own to appreciate the true value of listening. “We undervalue the patient’s needs,” he says. “Always give the patient space and time to ask.” A recognized scholar in teaching and learning, El Hussein has studied the impact his graphic depictions have on his students — who say this technique makes learning accessible and retainable. “When I started using the illustrations I became a better professor,” El Hussein says, who believes connecting real-life scenarios in the classroom will make better nurses.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH AT MRU?

FROM TREADMILLS TO TARGETS — TRAINING YOUR GUT Jill Parnell, PhD, associate professor in the Faculty of Health, Community and Education, is intimately familiar with the challenges runners face on race days. A sports nutritionist and avid runner, she’s curious about the relationship between protein and the common gastrointestinal issues runners often face. With the assistance of two students to collect data, Parnell tests the blood glucose and lactate information of runners after consuming either a high- or low-protein shake. The findings will help define recommendations regarding protein for running and create position statements for dietitians, nutritionists and coaches. While nutrition is highly personal, she’s hoping these guidelines will help the average runner train their gut for optimum performance — and provide real evidence against some of the fads touted in a highly saturated information environment.

Healthy adult runners hoping to investigate their tummy troubles on the course are encouraged to email jparnell@mtroyal.ca to participate in her study regarding the impact of protein. Interested participants must be able to complete a 10-kilometre run but are not elite athletes, and run about three times per week.

Dig deep into research at Mount Royal at mru.ca/Curious.

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2018

SUMMIT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FALL / WINTER 2019

1948

A ‘base’ for growth While Mount Royal has been around for more than a century, its current home — since 1972 — at the Lincoln Park Campus in southwest Calgary has a decent history of its own. From being an expansive open field, to a vast wartime flying school, to hosting a world-class concert hall, this place has pretty much seen it all. Visit the City of Calgary interactive mapping tool at mru.ca/CityMaps to spy if your favourite spot on campus was once a runway or parking lot. Copyright © The City of Calgary. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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Is that

SUMMIT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FALL / WINTER 2019

Aislinn Grant, business owner

at me? When we just don’t recognize ourselves WORDS BY PETER GLENN PHOTOS BY CHAO ZHANG

Doing well doesn’t always feel good, which can be a reflection of an invisible internal battle. Impostor syndrome is an insidious intruder on many people’s psyches. A new job, a promotion, an exciting and fulfilling volunteer opportunity. It’s a step up. You’ve earned it; now you’re going to kill it! Except you feel like anything but a world-beater. Instead, you feel like someone is going to march into your new office, point a long finger and loudly call you out for the fake you are. What’s going on? Psychologists call this phenomenon “impostor syndrome,” a pattern of behaviour where, even with evidence to the contrary, sufferers doubt their abilities and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. Psychology Today described it simply as a “phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments.” The concept — it’s not a disorder in the diagnostic sense — was coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes to describe people who, despite ample external evidence and reinforcement, can’t believe they deserve the success they have. Luck and connections, they think, got them where they are, not their own accomplishments, talents and skills. Their research found that the feeling appeared to be particularly prevalent and intense among a select sample of high-achieving women. At the time, the researchers blamed early family dynamics and the later interjection of societal gender-role stereotyping for contributing to the phenomenon. According to an abstract of their initial findings, “numerous achievements, which one might expect to provide ample objective evidence of superior intellectual functioning, do not appear to affect the impostor belief.” Not surprisingly, impostor syndrome is no stranger to the Mount Royal community.

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WHEN SUCCESS FEELS CRUSHING After starting a new company, Grant Design, on her own, Mount Royal University alumna Aislinn Grant (Bachelor of Business Administration — General Management, 2015) was overwhelmed as her client list grew faster than expected and she found herself booked for months. “I was riddled with thoughts about being way over my head. In moments of high stress I couldn’t help but feel like an impostor,” Grant recalls. “I could feel the impulse to make small decisions and shy away from things that were bigger than I thought I could handle.” As a way to cope, Grant came up with a creative solution involving an old photo of actor, director and model Tracee Ellis Ross wearing a silver suit. “I drew out my own version of the suit while considering what type of businesswoman I wanted to be in five to 10 years from now. The suit is bold — really bold. If I were wearing that suit, it would mean I was my most confident, most empowered, most self-expressed self.” She “splattered” the photo everywhere, as the background on her phone and on notebooks, for example, as a source of strength and inspiration. “This helped immensely with me getting over my own impostor syndrome, and helps me reach my goals faster and with far more ease.”

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Mirjam Knapik, PhD, chair, Student Counselling MRU

BOILING IT DOWN There are degrees of these feelings, says Mirjam Knapik, PhD, chair of Student Counselling within Mount Royal’s Wellness Services. Knapik tries to avoid labels, instead looking to unpack an individual’s experience and explore both the positives and negatives. “There is a difference between feeling like there is something specific we need to learn, which is doable, and feeling like we are a fraud, which is hard to fix. However, there may be aspects of what people are calling an impostor syndrome that is, from a more positive reading,

JOB JUSTIFICATION One of the settings where we achieve, fail, win, lose and worry most profoundly, is the workplace. As a result, those who work to help others thrive in their careers are no strangers to impostor syndrome. Mount Royal alumna Jenn Lofgren (Business Administration Diploma — Human Resources, 2006) is an executive coach and says she has observed the condition in both new and experienced leaders. “It tends to show up differently for new leaders — usually in a way that they feel they need to prove they are capable of their new position, and disbelief that they’ve

“I believe that the more we build a growth mindset and resilience skills, the greater our ability is to step into new or difflcult situations with self-compassion.” Jenn Lofgren, executive coach

an invitation for reflection about both ourselves and the context in which we are having this experience.” For example, “we might reflect on, and acknowledge that we are newbies at something and look for opportunities to step out of our comfort zone and get more experience.” Universities tend to be a hotbed for this condition for a variety of reasons, says John Streukens, PhD, an instructor in the Department of Psychology at Mount Royal, although impostor syndrome “extends out across all professions and can be found in any population dynamic.

“It generally presents when one is in a transitional period within either their education or career,” Streukens says. “Once initial features are surpassed or attained, individuals settle until the next major shift, which can contribute to this issue being cyclical or recurrent.” Streukens believes cognitive behavioural therapy can help address the messaging systems associated with the impostor syndrome. He stresses, however, that a positive client-therapist relationship is critical for success.

actually made it to where they are,” Lofgren says. “It also shows up as fear they’ll be found incapable, so they work long hours and push exceptionally hard to prove they are worthy of their new roles.” Experienced leaders, Lofgren has observed, also encounter impostor syndrome, often as a “vice grip of a secret with a lot more fear behind it. It can sound like: ‘I should know this stuff by now … How am I still struggling?’, or, ‘I am just one meeting from being found out I’ve been a fraud all these years,’ or, ‘How could I be a C-level (executive) employee and not know how to figure this out?’ ” When she launched her business, Incito, in 2009, Lofgren was considered too young to run a leadership development company in a province in the midst of an economic downturn.

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“Not only did I experience my own selfdoubt and impostor syndrome, my feelings were reinforced by real messages from my peers and the business community. I was told I was too young, too attractive, too inexperienced, or lacking the right background and that I’d have no chance of finding clients in the midst of a recession in Calgary.” To cope, Lofgren says she sought out mentors, took additional training, gained experience on boards to understand firsthand the experiences of many of her clients, and began speaking and volunteering in the business community. “I also focused on doing really good work, but also by setting boundaries to maintain my personal and family life. Little by little, the skeptics from 2009 turned into supporters and mentors over time.” Lofgren says the feelings return when she ventures into something new. “I’m not sure if it ever really goes away, because vulnerability never goes away, I believe that the more we build a growth mindset and resilience skills, the greater our ability is to step into new or difficult situations with self-compassion.”

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IT’S NORMAL, MAYBE

Kevin Alderson, PhD, a practising counsellor and contract faculty at Mount Royal, stresses that in the workplace some feelings of inadequacy are natural as we adjust to a new role, especially if it involves the professions. Some of that simply comes down to mentoring, or a lack of it. In the trades, he points out, apprentices are watched closely and get immediate feedback if they mess up on the job. In the professions, however, employees can be left to flounder and figure it out for themselves. Alderson, who says current research points to the impostor phenomenon as a symptom of larger issues like depression and anxiety, admits he experienced it himself for five years after he started teaching. “I think we need to distinguish between a natural feeling of not being up-to-speed, and the impostor syndrome. The key word for me is ‘pervasive,’ and also ‘perceived inadequacy.’ If you are actually inadequate, then that’s something different. I think young people should expect to experience impostor syndrome, especially the higher they go in their education because the expectations increase.” While it can be difficult to work up the courage, finding a colleague to model yourself after can help, as can reading and researching about how others have done the job that you do. “We shouldn’t be afraid to approach someone to say, ‘I really don’t know how to do this.’ Most of us are honoured when someone new to the profession calls and says, ‘Do you have an idea how I should deal with this problem?’ I’m honoured when they ask.” Alderson sees being challenged in life and on the job as a good thing. “Too many people go through life feeling they aren’t contributing.” But at the same time, he warns that perfectionists are most likely to develop impostor syndrome because their

standards are impossible to meet. Striving for competence, not perfection, is much healthier. Competent surgeons, for example, still lose patients due to factors beyond their control. “There are a lot of perfectionists out there and they drive themselves mad. They end up doing worse than if they weren’t perfectionists because their anxiety level is off the Richter scale.” In the end, the workplace itself can help or hinder as employees deal with these feelings. “There are work environments that are nasty, that are horrible. You have a boss who is looking over your shoulder and everything has to go through them. Everything is highly scrutinized. It’s going to be harder to thrive in that environment than if you’re treated with respect, than if you’re treated as if you’re someone who does actually know something and you’re given guidance, not commands, constantly. Work environment will either contribute to our impostor syndrome or it will help diminish it.” Knapik agrees and says that when feeling like an impostor leaves us chronically anxious, it is clearly a problem. “When perfection is demanded in order to feel okay, feeling like a fraud is sure to follow,” she says. “But if discomfort about our competence drives us to learn and practise, then growth is possible. If we then find ourselves in a place where we do not need to hide our uncertainty, where opportunities for growth are supported and valued, then feeling incompetent is no longer a syndrome.”

“We shouldn’t be afraid to approach someone to say, ‘I really don’t know how to do this.’ ” — Kevin Alderson, PhD, practising counsellor and MRU faculty

MRU.CA /SUMMIT

No one is immune Those at the pinnacle of their professions usually seem sure of themselves, focused, and most importantly, confident. But the truth is, some of Calgary’s most well-known and influential people have experienced impostor syndrome, and are willing to talk about it. COMPILED BY JONATHAN ANDERSON

Mark Tewksbury OLYMPIC CHAMPION, TV HOST, AUTHOR, MOUNT ROYAL HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT AND LGBTQ2+ ADVOCATE

When I won the Olympics, I was 24 years old and was suddenly brought in to speak to business leaders across the country. I was supposed to be giving them advice. I constantly felt out of my element in that environment until one day, over time, I realized I knew success and belonged as much as anyone else did.”

“If you don’t think you are an impostor at some point in your life, then you haven’t gotten out of your comfort zone.”

Todd Hirsch

Grandmother

Doreen Spence

Bret Hart

RETIRED NURSE, MOUNT ROYAL

WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION

HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT,

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, ‘THE

FINANCIAL, MOUNT ROYAL

Shayla Breen

HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT,

PRESIDENT, STUDENTS’

ELDER, HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE

BEST THERE IS, THE BEST THERE

AUTHOR AND SPEAKER

ASSOCIATION OF MOUNT ROYAL

AND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINEE

WAS AND THE BEST THERE EVER

CHIEF ECONOMIST AT ATB

WILL BE,’ MOUNT ROYAL HONORARY

UNIVERSITY, BUSINESS STUDENT

“Does anyone actually not feel like an impostor, at least some of the time? It’s a sickening feeling, but it’s less intense once we recognize it’s normal. All of us feel that sense of inadequacy, that we’re not good enough, that there’s been a mistake. A quarter of a century into my career, I still feel this way more often than I like to admit. I deal with it by accepting that, sure, I’m not the smartest or most experienced person in the world. But I don’t need to be. I focus on what unique skills, abilities and talents I do possess.

“Be yourself. You’re better than you think you are.”

AND A CALGARY STAMPEDE RANCH GIRL

“Even though I was chosen by the student body of MRU to be in the role I am, I still feel like an impostor most days. When I start to feel like an impostor I reflect on the question of ‘If not me, then who?’, and if I can think of that who, then I bring them to the table.

“Checking my motivations and reminding myself that I cannot make everyone happy, and ensuring equal opportunity when I can, help me fight impostor syndrome.”

“When I was little, someone told me that I didn’t belong, so I went home and talked to my Grandpa. He said, ‘Think of it this way: you’re the salmon and salmon will always swim upstream. All other fish swim in the same direction, but you’re not one of those fish.’ As an Indigenous woman, I felt I had to prove I was good enough and let the world see that I am equal. I had grandparents who supported, nurtured and reinforced my purpose.

“I’m not like the rest of the fish in the ocean and that’s okay. I have had a different experience than most.”

DEGREE RECIPIENT, WRITER, ARTIST AND PHILANTHROPIST

“Professional wrestling is considered, by some, to be a complete fraud; that it’s phony. For far too long, wrestlers got no credit for being great athletes or great actors, when in truth they are both. When I arrived in the World Wrestling Federation, I had no clout or reputation other than being the son of pioneer promoter Stu Hart. I worked hard to win over my fellow wrestlers.

“I climbed all the ladders, paid my dues and won over my peers with hard work and imagination.”

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You got this The workplace can be a tough and unsupportive environment, and it’s where a lot of us feel our most vulnerable. Learning how to weather the storm is key to success. WORDS BY ROB PETROLLINI

Mount Royal’s career education and career development coordinator, Elaine Balych, is well-versed on the subject of feeling out of your element, and maybe even over your head, while at work. But Balych says that being comfortable in uncomfortable situations, accepting that we can’t always be perfect, and surviving and thriving in environments that are changing is important for career success.

These five scenarios are examples of common workplace events that can heighten the feelings connected with impostor syndrome. All have one common element: uncertainty. Balych explains how to overcome them.

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Becoming a first-time supervisor As a newly minted supervisor, you are tasked with a variety of responsibilities that have little to do with past responsibilities, such as performance management and hiring. Projects that were once your personal duties are now being delegated to others, plus as a “new boss,” you must be accountable for the deliverables of another employee. The overwhelming stress of this can lead to feelings of self-doubt. Balych’s advice is to recognize that becoming a manager is actually a career change. “No one will be an expert at a new role right away. Any new role presents expected and unexpected situations and requires ongoing testing: what works, when it works, what doesn’t work and how to navigate new or changed relationships.” Take the time to reflect on and track incremental accomplishments and learnings, and don’t take on the process alone. Find a trusted mentor to talk out your fears and assumptions, and share your perspectives.

CLOSED

Being assigned to a new manager

You can’t stop comparing yourself to co-workers

Working with the same manager for a period of time offers a degree of certainty and, therefore, comfort. You know what they like, their communication style, their reporting expectations, their standards, their vision and their measures of success and stressors, Balych says. Reporting to a different boss can be an opportunity for a fresh start, however, and getting off on the right foot is an important first step. While part of a new manager’s role is to clarify directions, expectations and projects, there is a great deal that can’t be distilled into briefings, no matter how thorough. “Acknowledge you will miss the relationship with your past manager and be mindful to separate that from how you feel about your new manager. As much as possible, suspend comparisons and judgment,” Balych says. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification on how or if the work environment, tasks or relationships will change. “Follow what is exciting to you and help your new manager see your strengths and explore your potential to contribute in new ways.”

Observing a co-worker’s performance can be beneficial if there is a genuine interest in learning, but too often it can lead to feelings of doubt and inferiority. It is human nature for individuals to compare themselves to others, but by no means does this improve status or happiness. Balych suggests asking current or past supervisors or team members about what they see as your strengths and valued contributions, and what in particular that offers to the workplace. Also, be mindful of why you are making comparisons. Is it because you’re not actually happy in your current position or feel you could be performing better? In this case, speaking with a qualified career practitioner to help identify why this is happening could be beneficial.

You have a vague job description Poorly written job descriptions cause confusion and don’t demonstrate what’s expected. On the other hand, an unclear job description can be the starting point for a role that has yet to be defined. “I love the term ‘blazing a trail’ for this scenario,” Balych says. “Asking a person to create a map where none exists is both exciting and challenging.” She recommends that all parties involved (supervisors, managers, senior administration and/or boards of directors) expect that there will be missteps and corrections when a job isn’t properly defined. “As there are few signposts showing the way, one can expect the person in this position to routinely ask themselves: ‘Do I have the tools to succeed? What are indicators of wrong turns? What unexpected mountains may I encounter?’ ”Adjust as needed and remember, you are the person who has been chosen to trailblaze because of your track record.”

Fear of failure Being denied a promotion or missing an important deadline makes anyone feel bad. We all go to great lengths to prevent failing and avoid having our confidence take a hit, but remember that failure often creates an opportunity to reflect and learn. “These types of situations challenge our beliefs about ourselves and our professional competence,” Balych says. “While sometimes painful, they often compel us to stop and regroup, often for the first time in a while.” Learning from the mistakes that led to failure can bring forth a new, positive path.

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Indelible

impressions There are students whose life experience helps

make a classroom thrive. Who, when filling out their university applications, could have used an extra page or two to even begin to describe the depth of their life experience. Here are just a few of them. These are four special stories of four special people who came at university from various angles, and different ones than most. Their presence made everyone think a little longer, and learn a little more.

An added

Purpose

Latasha Calf Robe Bachelor of Business Administration — General Management, 2017 WORDS BY MELISSA ROLFE

For Latasha Calf Robe, the very thing that made some people see her as an undesirable student and classmate was actually what drove her success in university: motherhood. The same year Calf Robe was accepted into the business program at Mount Royal she gave birth to her first child. She found she related to the course material better because she was a parent. “Lots of the theories we talked about in class I was living in my life. There was a lot of the unexpected and lots of rolling with it and trying to plan as much as you could and being okay when things went a little sideways.” But her classmates didn’t often see the advantage, she recalls. “In class, I was usually divided by being the only Indigenous student and if it came up that I had children it was an even bigger divide. People wouldn’t always want to work with me or they assumed that I didn’t have time.” By her final year, Calf Robe connected with mature or international students — others who could relate better to her circumstances. Calf Robe was among a small group of students with children who benefited from Indigenous family housing

on campus, a program that was recently bolstered by a donation from David and Leslie Bissett. But housing, policies and attitudes remain obstacles for many student parents, she notes. “Mandatory attendance should be reconsidered. Having a sick child at home and no one to help you, is a real barrier.” Emergency childcare on campus would also be a huge help, she adds. Calf Robe was allowed to bring her sick baby with her to an exam, which is the kind of accommodation she hopes will become more common if people can “move away from the assumption that children can negatively impact things. Having children helped to give my education purpose. Without my children, I wouldn’t be where or who I am today.” In 2017, the year she graduated with a business degree, Calf Robe received the Calgary Aboriginal Youth Achievement Award. She now works on campus at Mount Royal's Institute for Community Prosperity and the Trico Changemakers Studio.

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Mark Fuchko Bachelor of Arts — History, 2016 WORDS BY SILVIA PIKAL

When Cpl. Mark Fuchko started his Bachelor of Arts in history at Mount Royal in 2011, the army vet had a bit of trepidation about being in the classroom after serving for almost a decade in the Canadian Armed Forces. His experiences were different from most students. He had served two tours in Afghanistan and during his second tour, Fuchko narrowly survived the explosion of an improvised explosive device. “There were times when I thought things were very trivial because it’s really hard to find meaning after you’ve gone to these places,” Fuchko says. After enlisting as soon as he finished high school, Fuchko was deployed for a nine-month tour of Afghanistan in 2005. Struck by the poverty and hardship Afghans suffered, Fuchko says, “I remember coming back to Canada and just feeling this immense sense of pride, and lucky that I was born here.” In 2008, he was redeployed for a second tour of Afghanistan. That was when his life changed forever. Fuchko was part of a cordon and search operation just outside of Kandahar, looking for foreign fighters, weapons caches and bomb-making materials. On the way out of the area, the vehicle behind his got stuck in the mud. Fuchko reversed his own vehicle to help tow his fellow soldiers out. “As I was towing, I actually sank deeper into the mud and I struck this huge improvised explosive device,” he says. “When the bomb went off, there was this huge flash and this loud ‘ping’. And I remember saying, ‘Uh oh, that can’t be good.’ And then I remember looking down and my right foot was actually sitting in my lap. And I remember saying something like, ‘Oh man, if I die here, my mom is gonna kill me.’ And I knew right away that I was hurt.” Thrown so hard that he also broke his pelvis in several places, Fuchko couldn’t feel his left foot. He bent down to tap his boot. A bone came out of his pant leg. Trapped in the wrecked vehicle, he was

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forced to tourniquet his own legs. With the smell of the homemade explosive filling his nostrils, all he could think about was getting out so he could die in the open air. He waited in agony for 45 minutes until his comrades managed to extract him. He was placed in an air ambulance and flown to a military hospital in Germany. The bones in his legs were ruined … medical staff had to amputate both below the knee. “I remember thinking my life was over,” Fuchko says.

“There were times it was physically challenging because I can’t sit really well. I can’t stand really well. But I wanted to be there every day. I wanted to be at every single class. I wanted to listen to what my profs wanted to say. I really wanted to put in an effort and I had a lot of drive there.” — Mark Fuchko Fuchko spent time recovering at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, which specializes in treating injured soldiers. Just over three months after his injury, he was walking on artificial limbs. A peer support network — found through the Soldier On program, which connects veterans and serving members through sport — was key to his recovery. “That really helped me get back on my feet, to develop that core group of friends who were going through the struggle together,” Fuchko says. “And it’s been a struggle. I got hurt 11 years ago. And they always tell you when you deploy that if you get hurt, you’ll be taken care of forever. And this is, in fact, false.” Fuchko says he’s not upset about what happened to him in Afghanistan — he joined the military knowing the risks. But when he came back to Canada and had to

deal with hurdles in the system to access compensation for his injuries, that’s when he felt angry and betrayed. “I’ve had to prove that my legs are missing more than once,” he says. In his last years of service, he was posted to The Military Museums, educating visitors about military life. In 2011, he enrolled at Mount Royal, just across the street. It was easy to meet people at Mount Royal, and his professors were supportive, Fuchko says. “I didn’t feel like I was just this number getting processed. I felt like they actually cared about my opinion, what I had gone through and how I was interpreting material, and my own knowledge and my own philosophy that I brought into the classroom.” Fuchko retired from the military in 2014, and completed his degree in 2016. After graduating from MRU with a history degree, he earned a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary with the hopes of teaching part time. He says he doesn’t know what the future will look like. His health has declined over the past few years and he’s navigating a new benefits package from Veterans Canada. “If my benefits lay out the way I’m hoping they do, I wouldn’t mind just teaching part time because at least I can contribute something as my goal is not to sit around at home,” Fuchko says. “Sometimes that’s unfortunately what I have to do.” While it’s been difficult to adjust to post-military life, Mount Royal was a key part of the transition. “It gave me something meaningful to do that was intellectually challenging,” he says. “There were times it was physically challenging because I can’t sit really well. I can’t stand really well. But I wanted to be there every day. I wanted to be at every single class. I wanted to listen to what my profs wanted to say. I really wanted to put in an effort, and I had a lot of drive there. “And I think that really encouraged me to move on from being a broken soldier and into a new part of my life.”

The

Silent story

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g n i d l i Bu

ne w 44

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l if e

“My drive to obtain an education mainly comes from the difficulties that I faced growing up. ” — Maryam Yaqoob

Maryam Yaqoob Bachelor of Science — Cellular and Molecular Biology, 2017 WORDS BY FELICIA ZUNIGA

In 2008, Maryam Yaqoob was a refugee. In 2017, Yaqoob was the valedictorian of her class of 216 graduates at MRU. Yaqoob was born and raised in Mosul, Iraq, until targeted attacks against Christians forced her and her family from their home. One evening, she was doing homework when her parents said they had to leave. Right then. She grabbed some clothes and textbooks and they fled to a monastery in the north of Iraq that had been set up as a camp for religious refugees. After living there for a few weeks, Yaqoob’s family rented an apartment in Kurdistan, and then moved to Damascus, Syria, in 2009. She never saw her home again. With assistance from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Yaqoob’s family came to Canada in 2011, which made them “over the moon happy.” But the transition was not easy, she says. “As refugees, we knew little to no English, had no financial support and didn’t have any friends or family.” Despite those barriers, Yaqoob excelled in high school, earning marks in the 90s. In 2013, she was accepted to Mount Royal, supported by academic scholarships, and she became a Canadian citizen in 2015. “My drive to obtain an education mainly comes from the difficulties that I faced growing up. My education quality went downhill when we were internally displaced in 2008 and while in Syria. I had

to start over every time we were displaced: making new friends, learning a new language and adapting.” Yaqoob was named to the President’s Honour Roll for each of the four years of her undergraduate degree, was invited into the Golden Key International Honour Society’s Mount Royal chapter — reserved for the top 15 per cent of students —and was the recipient of the Centennial Gold Medal at graduation. She was subsequently accepted to the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine and plans to work as a physician, with hopes of serving marginalized populations. Refusing to define herself by her past, Yaqoob says she is glad to have been able to provide perspective on the “real refugee.” “To some people, they think refugees coming in are just a burden on the economy. What people don’t realize is the economic, social and community rewards that follow. Refugees don’t stay refugees forever, they become citizens and contribute to Canada, join its armed forces, pay taxes and defend its values. It took me less than two years to start working and paying taxes. I no longer define myself as refugee. I am much more than that.” Yaqoob says she succeeded because she didn’t dwell on her hardships, and that anyone can have disadvantages shaped by their experiences. “What’s important is to recognize your disadvantages, be kind to yourself and persevere.”

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John Ross Ackerley Music Performance Diploma — Jazz, 2010

WORDS BY KYLE NAPIER

“The upright bass case is the best sleeping bag,” John Ross Ackerley says. Owing to financial hardship and other circumstances, Ackerley was homeless throughout his time at Mount Royal. However, he wouldn’t let not having a roof stop him from pursuing his passions and completing his education. As an obsessive musician and jazz student, Ackerley found himself safe in the unoccupied classrooms of Mount Royal, plucking the bass as he drifted off to sleep.

“(Education is) a real gift, and it can offer a lot to so many different people.” — John Ross Ackerley “I’m paying money to be in this school, and I’m using this time to learn — so, why can’t I be here and practise?” he says of how he felt. Ackerley spent many, many hours rehearsing to be a great musician, and excelled in his classes. But he is now hesitant to romanticize the culture of over-practising in music, or over-working in life. “I valued it so much to where it was kind of unhealthy, but I was also validated by my peers,” Ackerley remembers. He now thinks a better way to approach trying to become a virtuoso is with “perspective and humanity. “Take care of yourself and other people that are trying to do it.” After his time at the Mount Royal Conservatory, Ackerley completed his Bachelor of Music — Jazz Studies at Vancouver Island University, and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Education — Special Education at the University of Regina. He now works as a behavioural autism interventionist, and is motivated to address systemic challenges and promote inclusivity in educational settings. Ackerley is adamant that schools should open doors and foster opportunities for those with challenges affecting their education, including lack of funds. “(Education is) a real gift, and it can offer a lot to so many different people.”

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Sip your coffee and support students in need.

Harvested in Guatemala by Chica Bean. Roasted with care in Calgary by Ryan Wenger, a proud MRU alumnus and owner of Barrow Coffee Roasters. Proceeds from the sale of the True Blue coffee help the women who grow and produce the beans in Guatemala and first-year MRU students through the True Blue Alumni Scholarship. Find the True Blue alumni package at mru.ca/Coffee.

B I G M O V E S T O WA R D S SMALLER LIVING

WORDS BY RUTH MYLES

Micro-apartments, tiny homes and granny flats make up an increasing number of options to meet the demand for smaller living. There’s a shift from the suburban dream/nightmare of single-family homes for a variety of reasons, says Barbara McNicol, PhD, a researcher with Mount Royal’s Institute for Environmental Sustainability and a professor with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. “For some, it’s a backlash to ‘McMansions,’ to the idea that you even have houses for your cars,” McNicol says. “You have two groups who are really using smaller homes: the younger people who want to lower their cost of living and really focus on

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changing their environmental usage, and there is the older crowd who want the economic benefits as well as less home maintenance.” She points out that small living isn’t a new practice. In the 1970s, there was the environmentally focused back-to-the-land movement that saw people relocate from urban to rural areas. And the average size of a home on the Canadian prairies after 1870 was about 432 square feet, the minimum area required under the homesteading law, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia. In 2008, the average area of a new build in Canada was 1,900 square feet, more than four times larger.

“More and more people, for cost and environmental reasons, are living with less stuff in smaller spaces. It’s a global phenomenon that is changing how interior spaces are designed.” — Helen Evans Warren, chair of the interior design program

MONEY MONEY MONEY The transition to tiny living is increasingly becoming a financial necessity. Canada’s overheated housing market has led homeowners and renters in super-hot markets such as Toronto and Vancouver to shrink their residential footprints. A June 2019 report by national research, education and advocacy organization Generation Squeeze says it “takes a typical young person 13 years to save a 20 per cent down payment on an average-priced home in Canada, compared to the five years it took when today’s aging population started out as young adults around 1976.” Builders have responded to that need for housing with a lower entry cost than the typical single-family home. “Among the 10 Canadian metropolitan areas (CMAs) with the most condominiums, about one in three (34.3 per cent) of occupied dwellings built between 2001 and 2011 were condominium units. For occupied dwellings built prior to 1981, less than one

in 10 (9.4 per cent) of dwellings were condominium units,” according to StatsCan. Along with builders, interior designers are constantly adapting to changes in the cultural, social and political environment and this includes the move towards smaller living. Helen Evans Warren, associate professor and chair of the interior design program at Mount Royal says, “More and more people, for cost and environmental reasons, are living with less stuff in smaller spaces. It’s a global phenomenon that is changing how interior spaces are designed.” Evans Warren says students really enjoy learning how to maximize the functionality and flexibility of space, storage and furnishings. They also factor in sustainability, from the obvious need to choose lowenergy fixtures and lighting to the less obvious option of low-emission products. Even more critical in small spaces is ensuring good indoor air quality, as well.

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“Tiny living has been an amazing journey. It has allowed us to grow in ways we otherwise could not.“ — Kenton Zerbin, sustainable living expert

TINY IS AS TINY DOES Kenton Zerbin, a former high-school teacher, is considered an expert in the field of tiny living. For the past two-and-a-half years, Zerbin and his wife, Melissa, have lived off the grid in a 360-square foot home they designed and built themselves. The home is located in a farmer’s field outside of Edmonton, as at the time of its building the municipality did not allow for structures smaller than 5.5 metres wide to qualify as a single-detached home. This was rectified at the end of August when minimum size requirements were removed, paving the way for more little living opportunities. Zerbin’s home is built to withstand Alberta’s harsh winters, a consideration not included in many of the homes featured on popular shows such as HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters. At a cost of about $80,000,

Kenton Zerbin in front of his tiny home outside of Edmonton. Photo courtesy of Tom York Photography.

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the home was constructed over eight months with a fraction of the materials required for building a typical single-family home. Zerbin says, “We wanted a house that aligned with our values, that we could be proud of and that wouldn’t burden us with crippling debt.” Without the big mortgage that usually comes with a big house, the couple have the freedom to choose how, when and where they work. Zerbin has built a business conducting workshops on designing and building tiny homes, living more sustainably in a traditional home, and designing and planting edible landscaping. “Tiny living has been an amazing journey. It has allowed us to grow in ways we otherwise could not.”

Rendering of 908 ATCO Village, Calgary is courtesy of Homes for Heroes Foundation

“The first village shows it can be done, but we have many more villages to build given that there are 2,600 homeless veterans across Canada.” — murray mccann, business leader and philanthropist

SM A L L ER IS BE T T ER FOR V E T ER A N ’S V IL L AGE For interior design assistant professor Alan Antioquia, the experience of working on affordable housing in Calgary was right in line with designing and building smarter spaces. He says, “In many ways, what we Alan Antioquia, assistant Professor have learned in designing interior design and building affordable housing can be directly applied to the growing demand for smaller living.” Antioquia says both affordable housing and smaller living share the goal of maximizing the use of space and reducing costs, while not lowering the bar on the safety, comfort and well-being of people. These goals align well with providing housing and supports for Canadian veterans who are experiencing homelessness. Taking a homeless vet off the street and putting them into a traditional apartment can be overwhelming. And lonely. That’s where 908 ATCO Village, a 15-unit tiny home project that opened in southeast Calgary at the end of October, comes in. The barracks-style community provides peer-to-peer interaction and support, very much like the military, while also allowing for privacy and security for residents. The project is the brainchild of the Homes for Heroes Foundation,

an organization spearheaded by Mount Royal honorary degree recipient Murray McCann. The village’s tiny homes are approximately 275 square feet, just the right size to provide a transitional environment. The village also includes a resource centre, counsellor’s office, family suite and shared garden. Business leader and philanthropist McCann, who is best known for the establishment of Calgary’s Field of Crosses on Memorial Drive, says if the project involved a traditional, condo-style development, the cost would be about $250,000 a unit. Tiny homes cost less than $100,000. “This makes it possible for people to donate a home,” McCann says. “You don’t have to donate a wing at a hospital to have a legacy. You just have to make one person’s life better.” Homes for Heroes aims to do that for the estimated 160 homeless veterans in Calgary. The homes are being built by ATCO through a $1.5-million gift-in-kind donation. ATCO was founded by the late Ron Southern, who received a Mount Royal honorary degree in 1996. Marg Southern, his wife and co-founder of Spruce Meadows, received a Mount Royal University Honorary Doctor of Laws earlier this year. “The first village shows it can be done, but we have many more villages to build given that there are 2,600 homeless veterans across Canada,” McCann says. “But the spirit of the people is there and the respect for the military is there, so the potential is there as well.”

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“When I say reduction of waste, people immediately think about materials. But it’s also time. ” — Kevin Read, Bachelor of Applied Business and Small Business, 2004

BUILDING FOR EFFICIENCY AND BET TER LIVING When people hear “modular building,” their thoughts tend to turn to trailer parks and school portables. Kevin Read, who earned a Bachelor of Applied Business and Small Business in 2004, aims to change that perception. The 36-year-old is the CEO and president of Nomodic, a Calgary-based modular building company that creates everything from multifamily projects to hotels, remote work camps to single-family homes. Components of buildings — such as Sonder House, a three-storey, 27,320-square foot affordable housing complex that Nomodic recently completed in Terrace, B.C. — are constructed offsite, transported and then assembled on location. “We have two aspects to our business. The first is turnkey and covers the project from end to end. We sit down with the developer and find out what their business is and what their goals are. Then we build offsite and install it as a permanent structure,” Read explains. “The other end of the business is very closely related, and it’s our construction team where we do third-party installation contracting of modular buildings, and those may be temporary.” After graduation, Read took the lessons he learned at Mount Royal and applied them in a number of fields, including process automation and corporate strategy, and business development in the construction and energy industries. In 2012, he pushed two L-shaped desks back-to-back in the master bedroom of his 900-square foot bungalow in Willow Park and “started typing away.” That business plan would become Nomodic.

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“Canada is the second-largest country in the world. We only have a population of 35 million or so. We have one of the richest countries for resources. And they’re spread out across that large country. I looked at the shortage of people, the wealth of resources and the size, and I said, ‘You know what? These people need to be housed,’ ” Read says. Specifically looking at what was being offered for work camps, he decided it came up short. “I said, ‘Why don’t we just build remote condos?’ And that was it.” Seven years later, Nomodic has 100 employees based in Calgary, Edmonton, parts of B.C., Seattle and Toronto, with annual revenues of $40 million. Part of Nomodic’s mission is to leave things better than they found them, ensuring that their projects are as minimally disruptive to communities and the environment as possible throughout the build process. It’s estimated that construction waste is responsible for 25 to 30 per cent of what ends up in landfills in developed countries. Nomodic’s process can reduce that by half. Building in a controlled environment means any extra material can simply be stored on-site to be used on the next project. Nomodic also reports fewer workplace injuries. In addition, the structures themselves are more energy efficient, Read says. For example, if Nomodic builds a three-storey apartment complex — like the affordable housing units it recently completed in Smithers, B.C. — the insulation factor is essentially doubled because each level is built

It’s estimated that construction waste is responsible for 25 to 30 per cent of what ends up in landfills in developed countries. Nomodic’s process can reduce that by half.

with its own ceiling and floor. Nomodic homes and buildings are also very quiet. “When I say reduction of waste, people immediately think about materials. But it’s also time. The usual design-build process is very choppy. It’s not streamlined, and so it takes a long time,” Read says. He estimates that Nomodic builds 30 to 50 per cent more quickly than conventional methods. “There’s the process, and the product, and the operation of that building over time. We reduce waste at each point.” Creating Nomodic and building it into a successful business “was a passion, almost a borderline obsession, in a good way,” he says with a laugh. “It was really, really exciting. I was really in love with the vision of it all. I could see what it would look like and how happy I’d be to sign that first contract. I was happy to get asked to provide a quote. I was happy to receive my first email.” Read was up working until about 3 a.m. the morning of this interview, a rarity now that the business is humming along. But, he remembers, “that was actually the norm for the first four years at least.” His hard work has gained notice, as he has been named as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 (2018), one of Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 (2017) and a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year (2016). It’s all part of his evolution as an entrepreneur. “Before, what engaged me was accomplishing a goal and providing a specific product to a

customer. Making sure our clients are happy is still important, of course, but my focus is also on my team, my staff. It’s about making sure that everything we’re doing is moving us in the right direction to accomplish our goals as a team. I want to make sure that the people who choose to show up to work everyday at Nomodic look back and on a daily basis say, ‘This is a good choice.’ ” This emphasis on positive engagement is also evident in the company’s community involvement. There are volunteer and fundraising opportunities for its employees in addition to Nomodic’s ongoing relationships with organizations it supports, including the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre and Habitat for Humanity. Read’s wife Julia, who is Nomodic’s chief financial officer, is a director with the Federation of Calgary Communities and a soccer coach with the Special Olympics. In a case of déjà vu, Read serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies at Mount Royal, the same council he sat on as a 17-year-old student fresh out of high school. “I’m just paying it back, and paying it forward. I have to give credit to Mount Royal for a lot of opportunities I find today. I think my career is based on a bit of that helping hand and show of confidence that I received at MRU. “On the Advisory Council, it’s super cool to sit on the other side and picture myself as a student. I consider the things that really made my experience there beneficial and the best it possibly could be.”

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Having never forgotten a gift from 50 years ago, this retired teacher is on a mission to pay it forward. WORDS BY HOODA SADDEN PHOTO BY CHAO ZHANG

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A fullcircle moment Mary Buckley knows what it’s like to have your dreams laid low by the shackles of financial hardship. When she was 17, Buckley’s family was at a low point, money-wise. A three-week school trip to France from her home in England was beyond their means. She didn’t even ask her parents if she could go. Her French teacher stepped in, somehow raising the funds to allow Buckley to take part in the educational excursion. To this day, Buckley doesn’t know who paid for her to study in France, but she is forever grateful for the opportunity. “(My teacher) set the wheels in motion so that I could go,” Buckley says. “I really think about that. Now that I am in a position to do something for other people, I want to give back.” While living on a modest budget, Buckley gave a gift of mutual funds to create the Mary Buckley Music Bursaries Fund for the Mount Royal University Conservatory. Each year, the bursaries support three Conservatory students who require financial assistance to pursue their music education. Benefiting a student from the Calgary Youth Orchestra, a choral student and a student who would like to participate in the Calgary Piano Institute — an intensive one-week immersion program — Buckley’s generosity will live on in perpetuity. “I would rather pass on something now so I can see the benefit of it,” says Buckley, a retired elementary school teacher who is the pianist for the Mount Royal Kantorei, a mixed-voice auditioned choir. She also plays with other Calgary vocal groups. “You divest of stuff as you get older, you downsize. You don’t just need to downsize physical possessions. If you’ve got some money to spare, pass it on.” Through the creation of the Mary Buckley Music Bursaries Fund, Buckley has created possibilities for those who have talent and passion but just need that hand up.

Planned giving provides opportunities

now

Benefit Mount Royal’s future generation of students and your estate with a planned gift or bequest, which entitles you to a charitable income receipt or estate tax deduction. Leave a legacy while still providing for yourself and your loved ones — costing you nothing during your lifetime. Learn more about how you can have a lasting impact at mru.ca/LeaveALegacy.

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Alumni Q + A STAN SCHWARTZ University Transfer Program, 1964 INTERVIEW BY GEOFF CRANE

Stan Schwartz is a former Mount Royal Cougars football player who has been an integral part of the Calgary sports scene for more than 55 years. He credits his formative years at Mount Royal’s Kerby Memorial Campus across from Mewata Armoury (where the football field was located), for providing the foundation for his life and career. Starting as an assistant coach and continuing as a longtime executive for the Calgary Stampeder Football Club, Schwartz is a five-time Grey Cup Champion, sporting a fistful of the eye-catching rings. His accolades include being enshrined to the Calgary Stampeders Wall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (both as a builder), the Medicine Hat Sports Wall of Fame, and in 2017 he was inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He is also the recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Alberta Centennial Salute for Sport and Recreation Award. In 2009, the Calgary Stampeders created the Stan Schwartz Heart of a Champion Awards, presented annually to three Calgary high-school senior football players who display determination, pride, perseverance, dedication, leadership and integrity through excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Why did you choose Mount Royal to begin your post-secondary journey? Number one was football. I decided to go to Mount Royal and play for the Mount Royal College Cougars, and that’s how I ended up in Calgary. It was a great transition from Medicine Hat High School. It was a small student body. You kind of knew everybody. The opportunity to play with two fellow farm boys, my high-school teammates, Daryl Kraft and Ed Ost from Medicine Hat, created an unforgettable experience. Former Cougars teammates, Joe Forzani, Barry Randall and Wayne Conrad, all went on to outstanding playing careers in the Canadian Football League.

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How did you find your academic experience at Mount Royal? All of my teachers were exceptional educators who truly cared about their students. They taught people to work hard and to appreciate how much preparation it takes to be successful. They taught the right values in the right way. To them, everyone associated with Mount Royal College was important.

IN SU PPORT OF A L L T HOSE IN U N IFOR M A core principle for MRU is personalized learning. Sounds like that tradition was true during your time as well? My professors, they knew me by name. I got to talk to them one-on-one. If I was struggling with something, either they helped me or there were tons of different resources that — at a moment — I could go to. They made it easy for me to advance my education and do what was necessary to be successful. I don’t think I would have had the same attention or the same resources at a larger school. If I didn’t have the opportunity to go to Mount Royal, I don’t know if I would have gone to university. Mount Royal was a big part of my journey. How have you stayed connected to Mount Royal over the years? Several of the Calgary Stampeder Football Club interns over the years have come from Mount Royal. They have been concerned, appreciative individuals as well as personable, cooperative, dedicated and mature. They quickly became valued staff members of the Stampeder team. Always ready to accept a challenge, they displayed a creative enthusiasm for all projects and their commitment to their work was impressive. What advice would you give to MRU graduates as a proud alum? It’s a difficult world today. First of all, learning or being educated never stops. It’s an ongoing process. I think, too, just in your everyday conversation, support the institution. I can never say anything negative about Mount Royal. To me, it was a major stepping stone for me to move on. I recommend kids go there all the time, because I think it is an ideal institution.

Schwartz has great allegiance to Canada’s military, having served with the South Alberta Light Horse Reserve Unit in the early ’60s. For his stalwart support of the Royal Canadian Air Force, he was awarded the rank of honorary colonel of the 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron of Cold Lake in 2012. His high regard for those serving started with his family. His uncle, Stanley Jorgensen, was shot down in the Second World War by an enemy fighter. “Just like athletics, (the military) teaches you discipline, respect and responsibility,” Schwartz says. “You don’t survive in the military unless you have respect for what you’re doing and you’re disciplined.” Schwartz has been helping organize the fly-overs at McMahon Stadium for the Labour Day Classic for years, and says in order to pull off the aerial display, timing is everything. CF-18s fly out of the Calgary International Airport prior to the game, and wait for notice that the last bar of the national anthem is being sung. “The pilots just hit it and they close the gap within seconds.“ Schwartz is also supportive of MRU’s Military Memorial Bursaries program, which remember 29 members of the Mount Royal community who gave their lives in service through endowed bursaries in their names. “We’re slowly losing all the veterans from the Second World War. We have very few left in Canada,” Schwartz says. “Something like (the bursaries) keep it in the forefront for younger generations, and creates a legacy.” In the 2018/2019 academic year, 19 of the 29 Military Memorial Bursary Program recipients were active members or veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Learn more at mru.ca/MMB.