News and Events

Campus celebrations of Earth Day on April 22 include a trade show featuring sustainable businesses and organizations with advice on services, activities and products aimed at helping people to live green. The show has been organized by the RRU Sustainable Ideas Committee and the Office of Sustainability. Among participants are City Green Solutions, the university's Bike to Work Week team, reps of the Colwood Go-Local Tomato Challenge, Earthen Trading and Coastal Cycle and Water Sports. The RRU chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) will hold a live waste audit and there's much more in store.

A survey published by the University Presidents’ Council of British Columbia shows that graduate students from Royal Roads University are more satisfied with their programs, are more likely to recommend RRU programs to others, and earn more money than their counterparts from other B.C. universities. Read the full report.

RRU provided the venue for this year's EcoStar awards, April 21 on the Quarterdeck. The awards are sponsored by the Capital Regional District of Victoria to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions by local businesses, groups and individuals to enhancing the local environment.

RRU is to receive $3.045 million from the Government of Canada to build an innovative learning commons within the Learning and Innovation Centre. The funding is part of the federal government’s two-year, $2-billion Knowledge Infrastructure Program that is in turn part of the government’s Economic Action Plan to help stimulate the economy. Many thanks to RRU staff members who helped develop the learning commons concept for the university - in particular Associate Vice President Steve Grundy who led this process. Thanks, too, to the research department - in particular Deborah Zornes and Isabel Cordua Von Specht - for coordinating the successful Knowledge Infrastructure proposal.

Audrey Dallimore has received a Ship Time grant worth $62,435 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. The funding will support seven days at sea to obtain oceanographic data and piston cores of laminated ocean sediments along the mid-and-northern B.C. coast. "Paleo or past sediment records extend our knowledge of variations in the natural climate system well beyond the reach of the existing century-long instrument record and help us to understand climate changes which occurred thousands of years ago," says Dallimore, a faculty member in the School of Environment and Sustainability. Learn more about this five-year study.

With snowdrops and crocuses peeking out of the soil, spring brings our popular Mother’s Day Paint-In and Craft Fair, truly a wonderful family occasion. It's an event set on RRU's breathtaking outdoor lawn with the magnificent Hatley Castle and its surrounding gardens as a backdrop. Mark the date - May 10, 2009 - and plan to attend this annual event which attracts thousands and showcases dozens of Vancouver Island’s finest artisans and crafters. If you woud like to reserve display space, please register online now.

Top tomato? Best taste? Oddest shape? These are some of the categories in the City of Colwood’s Tomato Challenge. RRU is participating this year with plants arriving on campus Monday, April 27. Tomato recipes are also welcome and eligible for a prize so send them along to InRoads@royalroads.ca

RRU's Centre for Non-Timber Resources (CNTR) is pleased to announce the launch of a new electronic newsletter called A Future Beneath the Trees. Scheduled to appear thrice yearly, the publication features stories, updates, ideas and announcements from the wild (non-timber forest resource) sector of British Columbia’s economy. Submissions are welcome.

Over 200 people signed the Hatley Park Declaration at Get Outside! It’s In Our Nature held at Royal Roads March 5 - 8. It's an historic document that calls on governments, non-government organizations, industry, individuals, parents and youth to act to ensure that children become reconnected to nature. An immediate and important outcome of this declaration was the launch of the Child and Nature Alliance, a group of like-minded organizations and individuals committed to finding ways to provide increased opportunities for children and families to get outside to play and explore.

RRU's Legacy Campaign has launched the first edition of its quarterly electronic update that will feature profiles of personalities, stories about student awards and news on the latest campaign projects including construction of the Bateman Centre (pictured right). Peek inside.

Embark on a journey of transformational leadership at RRU, May 19-22, 2009. ALIA West is offering a three-day immersion into a uniquely integrative model of authentic leadership development. RRU students, alumni and faculty are eligible for a special education rate of $1,800 per person (a $400 savings). Register now to confirm your seat.

Did you know there is a dedicated website for past, present and future Canadian Forces and DND students? "It’s designed to provide tailored information about RRU programs, CF support programs and other useful links," says Shelley Langille, director of military and college relations. Langille is scheduled to visit a number of locations across the country this month. "In case I don’t make it to your city, please note that our Marketing and Recruiting team is also hosting regular information sessions." she says.