Mount Royal University was founded on December 16, 1910, by Alberta provincial charter under the Arthur Sifton government and officially opened on September 8, 1911.[5] Originally "Mount Royal College", the institution was the brainchild of Calgary Reverend George W. Kerby (1860-1944) who sought an opportunity for higher education to benefit young people from rural homes in the area. The provincial charter as presented in the legislature by R. B. Bennett was titled "Bill 48, An Act respecting the Calgary College". However, Premier Sifton, Kerby, and others agreed not to use Calgary for the name of the new college.[6]
In 1931, Mount Royal became a post-secondary institution as Mount Royal Junior College (MRC), offering transfer courses to the University of Alberta and later to the University of Calgary.[7] In 1972, Mount Royal moved from several buildings in downtown Calgary to a new campus in Lincoln Park on land previously used as an air force base.[8] A war memorial honour roll is dedicated to Mount Royal alumni who have volunteered for active service in the Canadian Forces.[9]
In 2009, Mount Royal College became Mount Royal University when the provincial government granted it university status.[10] The university currently offers 12 degrees and 32 majors with an average class size of 29 students.[11]
In 2017, Mount Royal University was awarded the Ashoka Changemaker Campus designation joining 44 universities which are leading higher education in the area of social innovation and changemaking.[12]
Academics
Faculties
Faculty of Arts
Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies
English, Languages, and Cultures
Humanities
Interior Design
Psychology
Sociology and Anthropology
Bissett School of Business
Accounting
Aviation
Finance
General Management
Human Resources
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
International Business
Marketing
Social Innovation
Supply Chain Management
School of Communication Studies
Broadcast Media Studies
Information Design
Journalism
Public Relations
Faculty of Health, Community and Education
Child Studies and Social Work
Education
Health and Physical Education
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Faculty of Science and Technology
Biology
Chemistry and Physics
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Mathematics and Computing
Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension
Institutes
Institute for Community Prosperity
Institute for Environmental Sustainability
Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
International Education
Centres
Centre for Community Disaster Research
Iniskim Centre
Studios
Trico Changemakers Studio
Performing Arts Centre
In July 2015, the $69.69 million Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts (TCPA) officially opened, accommodating the growing Mount Royal Conservatory, which is a musical conservatoire in operation since 1910 that serves up to 10,000 Calgarians annually. The TCPA houses 43 soundproof rehearsal studios, six ensemble suites, and the 787-seat Bella Concert Hall (opened August 26, 2015) designed by Pfeiffer Partners Architects in cooperation with Sahuri + Partners, who used a "contemporary interpretation of the rural barn on the expansive prairie of Alberta" in their design.[13][14] The Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts is named after the family name of businessman, philanthropist, and Calgarian Don Taylor who donated $21-million to the project. Additionally, the namesake of the Bella Concert Hall is Mary Belle Taylor, Don Taylor's mother, who was affectionately known as 'Bella.' [15] In addition to its design, the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts is notable for being a LEED Gold certified building and for being highly accessible for users with diverse physical abilities.[16][17] While built with the needs of the Mount Royal Conservatory in mind, the TCPA and its various spaces are considered a community resource.
Library
Mount Royal University officially opened the Riddell Library and Learning Centre on September 7, 2017, replacing the previous library, which opened in 1972.[18] The Riddell Library is named after Calgary businessman Clay Riddell who contributed a sizeable donation to the project.[19] The $100 million dollar facility features more than 16,000-square-metres of space, 34 study rooms, 1,700 seats, access to 3D printing, and even a cafe.[20]
Mount Royal University from across the pond
Athletics
The Mount Royal University athletic nickname is the Cougars. The Cougars transitioned to Canada's top level of amateur athletics for the 2012–13 season, moving to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Canada West conference (since re-named U Sports).[21] The university supports eight teams competing in men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, soccer and volleyball.[22]
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of the university include:
Doris Anderson (1939); powerful force for change and women’s rights as editor of Chatelaine magazine from 1957 to 1977. She continued her advocacy efforts as Chair of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women and President of Fair Vote Canada.[23]
Paul Brandt (Nursing, 1992); most awarded male country musician in Canadian history. He was a pediatric nurse in 1996 when the release of his first single My Heart Has a History, propelled him to international musical success.[23]
Chris Gailus (Journalism, 1989); Emmy Award-winning news anchor. After leaving Calgary in 2000, he worked in Dallas and then New York before joining the Global BC team in Vancouver as weekend anchor.[23]
Norman Kwong (Commercial, 1949); former CFL player and was installed as Alberta’s 15th Lieutenant Governor on Jan. 20, 2005. He was the first person of Chinese heritage to serve in either profession.[23]
A demi-bighorn sheep Or muzzled Argent accorné and unguled Azure its dexter hoof resting on a closed book Proper bound Azure charged with a dove descending Argent.
Escutcheon
Argent three piles reversed throughout on a chief Azure a mace Or embellished Argent.
Supporters
Two cougars Or each supporting on the shoulder a mace Azure embellished Argent and standing on a rocky mount Argent.
^Donald Noel Baker, Catch the Gleam: Mount Royal, From College to University, 1910-2009 (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2011).
^Roome, Patricia (September 11, 2002). "Mount Royal University 99 years in the making". The Calgary Journal. In 1972 Mount Royal College moved to the Lincoln Park campus located on the former World War II airfield.
