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Always Blue Podcast: The Future of MRU

 

Subscribe to Always Blue with Tim Rahilly: An MRU Alumni Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube Podcasts.

 

 

Meet our Guest: Chad London

Meet our Guest: Chad London

About Chad

Dr. Chad London was appointed as Mount Royal University’s Provost and Vice-President, Academic on Jan. 3, 2023. Chad has a rich 20-year history with Mount Royal, during which he was recognized with distinguished teaching and leadership awards. He was first hired as a faculty member in 1996 and went on to become Chair of Physical Education and Recreation Studies. Chad then spent eight years as an Associate Dean in the former Faculty of Health and Community Studies, before serving as Dean of the Faculty of Health, Community and Education from 2011 to 2016.

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Meet our Guest: Melanie Rogers

Meet our Guest: Melanie Rogers

About Melanie

Melanie Rogers is the Vice-President of Community Engagement at MRU and was previously the Associate Vice-President of Marketing and Communications. Rogers was also the Vice-President, External Relations at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) for three years, and served as an executive director of the Red Deer Downtown Business Association. She started her post-secondary education with a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Alberta. This March, Rogers received an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education.

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Meet our Host: President Tim Rahilly

Meet our Host: President Tim Rahilly

About Tim

Tim Rahilly is the President & Vice-Chancellor of Mount Royal University (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) and is a Professor of Psychology. He has worked in higher education for over 25 years, but trained initially as a psychologist and received his Ph.D. from McGill. Dr. Rahilly has served in academic and administrative roles at Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, McGill University, and has served on several boards. He is an award-winning teacher and leader and received the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022 and was named one of 20 Compelling Calgarians by the Calgary Herald in 2020. Dr. Rahilly is enthusiastic, open and inquisitive — traits he brings to his work for Mount Royal and its students.

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Podcast summary

 

  • Academic & Institutional Evolution: The team reflects on MRU’s journey since achieving university status in 2009, shifting from two-year diplomas to comprehensive degree offerings like midwifery, data science, and aviation management.
  • The Health Science Innovation Centre: A deep dive into MRU's proposed project designed to blend health, science, and data technology. This facility will house several programs, including a proposed optometry program.
  • Experiential Learning & Community Impact: The vital role of expanding undergraduate research opportunities, on-campus work-integrated learning, and potential practice-based teaching clinics to better serve the Calgary community and prepare work-ready graduates.
  • Campus Growth Strategy: A vision to expand MRU's student population from 16,000 to 20,000, alongside strategic plans to revitalize and repurpose legacy campus spaces.
  • Meeting High Student Demand: The formatting of the university's growth plan is heavily driven by intense enrollment competition, such as MRU's nursing program receiving over 2,200 applications for just 215 available first-year seats. The team notes that expanding campus capacity will directly prevent local students from having to leave the province to pursue their education.
  • Deep Alumni and Community Roots: The speakers emphasize MRU’s uniquely tight-knit relationship with Calgary, noting how common it is to encounter multigenerational alumni throughout the city's workforce. Melanie highlights that the university has a distinct obligation to keep transforming and expanding so they never let down the alumni who look to MRU as a pillar of community service.
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Listen to Always Blue with Tim Rahilly: An MRU Alumni Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube Podcasts.

  

 

  

 

The views expressed by the host and speakers reflect their personal experiences and perspectives, and are not representative of Mount Royal University or the Office of Alumni Relations.

Have questions about Always Blue? Contact alumni@mtroyal.ca