Legacy Awards

Mount Royal University derives tremendous pride from the success of our students and their achievements as graduates. Our alumni family has grown to more than 80,000 individuals who make remarkable contributions to their professions and their communities. To celebrate their many accomplishments the Mount Royal University Alumni Association offers a comprehensive recognition program to honour alumni and students. Known as the Legacy Awards, the program reaches into all the professions and services of our community to seek Mount Royal alumni who have made significant contributions and achieved remarkable results from their endeavours.

The Legacy Awards honour and celebrate four alumni per year in different recognition categories:

• Horizon Award — recognizing the outstanding achievements of alumni early in their careers
• Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award — recognizing an alumnus who has brought great honour to the university and fellow alumni through excellence in professional, community and/or personal endeavours
• Outstanding Alumni Awards — recognizing alumni who demonstrate outstanding achievement in their fields (full description can be found on the nomination form)

The awards program also goes a step beyond traditional alma mater recognition by providing support to current and future Mount Royal students. More than $9,000, including a select number of scholarships for children of alumni, is awarded annually to current and future Mount Royal students through the awards program.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 Legacy Awards. The deadline for submission is Feb. 1, 2012. Please use the Legacy Awards Nomination Form to submit your nomination. The recipients will be honoured at the annual Legacy Awards Dinner event to be held on Sept. 20, 2012.

Thank you to the following 2011 Legacy Awards Dinner sponsors:

Presenting Partner: Accretive Advisor
Official Media Partner: Calgary Herald
Gold Sponsor: TD Insurance Meloche Monnex
Silver Sponsor: BMO Mastercard

The 2011 Legacy Awards Recipients

2011 Legacy Awards Dinner Photo Gallery

2011 Legacy Awards Recipients Video Gallery

Horizon Award
Nicola Kozmyk – Sport and Recreation '06

Nicola Kozmyk is driven by her dreams and passionate about people. While a student in Mount Royal’s Sport and Recreation program, she developed the idea for a dance studio where every child would have the opportunity to explore the world of dance for its pure enjoyment and for personal artistic expression. She used numerous project assignments to develop the business plan for Pure Motion Dance Company. Since opening in 2008, it has become one of Calgary’s most successful commercial dance studios, with Kozmyk serving as President and Artistic Director. An avid and professionally trained dancer, Kozmyk shares her passion for dance through a number of community organizations and devotes significant volunteer time to organizations including Big Brothers and Sisters, Make a Wish Foundation, CUPS and Dreams Take Flight. Kozmyk maintains strong ties to Mount Royal University. She was a leader in establishing and is now the Vice- President of the Sport and Recreation Chapter of the Alumni Association, supporting fellow alumni and serving as a mentor and source of inspiration for current students.

Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award
Hon. Raymond Lee – Engineering '58

The Hon. Raymond Lee is one of Canada’s most admired and respected Chinese Canadian community leaders, devoting more than 50 years to ensuring the community’s significant contribution to Canada is recognized and appreciated. Born the son of a Chinese immigrant, a singular achievement came in 2006 when, after two decades of work, he helped secure a history-making formal apology from the Government of Canada for the wrongs committed as a result of the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act imposed on Chinese immigrants. Lee was a founder of the Sien Lok Society of Calgary in 1968 and helped preserve Calgary’s Chinatown. He was one of the founders of Multi-Cultural Canada in 2005 and in 2006 became the first person of Chinese descent in Alberta to become a Canadian Citizenship Judge. He has worked as an economist, independent real estate developer and consultant for various energy companies and government agencies. Frequently quoted as saying “we are very good at making citizens; we are very poor at making Canadians,” Lee is passionate about promoting the Canadian way of life for all people, regardless of heritage.

Outstanding Alumni Award – Arts and Culture
Michele Decottignies – Theatre Arts '92

A former President of the Students’ Association of Mount Royal College, Michele Decottignies brings passion for social justice to her personal and professional life. Through arts-based community development, she promotes social change, giving marginalized communities and people without a voice in society access to a vehicle to foster diversity, appreciation and education. Her work in disability arts has become an international model of excellence in human rights advocacy. Decottignies is the Founder and Artistic Director of Stage Left Productions and in 2009 led the creation of the Professional Disabled Artists’ National Network and the International Theatre of the Oppressed Women’s Network. She founded Balancing Acts, Calgary’s annual disability arts festival and the longest-running event of its kind in the world, in 2001, and Canada’s Disability Arts and Culture Presenters’ Network in 2006. Decottignies makes a powerful contribution to disability arts in Canada and beyond. Her respectful, fun, intelligent and competent approach is making a difference — and she credits Mount Royal for being the training ground for her career and for the integrity within it.

Outstanding Alumni Award – Athletic Achievement
Tom Otjes – Therapeutic Recreation '76

Tom Otjes has built an international reputation as an accomplished gymnastics coach, leader and innovator. As the Las Vegas-based Senior Head Coach, Resident Shows Division, with Cirque du Soleil, he “coaches the coaches” for 12 shows worldwide. Joining the company in 1997, he was instrumental in creating the critically acclaimed “O.” Otjes helped the Mount Royal Gymnastics Club’s young female athletes excel at the provincial and national levels, and as the Club’s Head Coach from 1985–95 led its growth into the largest gymnastics club in Western Canada. Many athletes went on to become world and Olympic champions and Canada now ranks as a world leader. Otjes and Alberta colleagues inspired creation of competitive tumbling and trampoline programs across Canada, known as acro-sport. He has also held coaching appointments with provincial and national gymnastics teams, earning a number of awards. Otjes maintains a strong connection to Mount Royal. He was a sessional instructor in Physical Education and Recreation Studies from 1987–95 and continues to provide insight and perspective to young athletes as a coach and mentor.

Outstanding Future Alumni Award
Collin Semenoff

Collin Semenoff is a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Communication — Information Design program at Mount Royal. A member of both the Dean's and the President’s Honour Rolls, his contributions to the Mount Royal community extend far beyond the classroom. Among his many contributions, Collin helped form the student society for his program. He has also held a seat on students’ council and acted as a student advocate with the Office of Student Conduct. Most recently, he participated in the Harvard-inspired Mount Royal Assessment Seminar and helped develop marketing and communications pieces for the Office of University Advancement. Aside from his passion for design, his interests include music, writing and making time for road trips to visit his family in Saskatchewan.

The 2010 Legacy Awards Recipients

2010 Legacy Awards Recipients Video Gallery

2010 Legacy Awards Dinner Photo Gallery

Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award:
Robert Laidlaw, Petroleum Engineering '50

Horizon Award:
Laura Ell, Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership '03

Outstanding Alumni Award - Arts and Culture:
Daniel Okulitch, The Conservatory '95

Outstanding Alumni Award - Professional Achievement:
Lorne Motley, Journalism '86

Outstanding Future Alumni Award:
Elizabeth Mack

The 2009 Legacy Awards Recipients

2009 Legacy Awards Dinner Photo Gallery

2009 Legacy Awards Recipients Video Gallery

Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award:
Sid Marty, Arts and Science '65

Horizon Award:
Ryan Correy, Bachelor of Applied Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership '07

Outstanding Alumni Award - Arts and Culture:
Dr. Michael Kim, Mount Royal Conservatory Academy of Music '88

Outstanding Alumni Award - Professional Achievement:
Wayne Wiebe, Environmental Quality Control '74

Outstanding Future Alumni Award:
Erin Delamont

See past Distinguished Alumni