RRU alumni, faculty, learners and staff are invited to an exclusive presentation on June 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Hatley Castle Drawing Room. General Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces, will provide an overview of the Canadian Forces, its mission and goals. Space is limited so please RSVP to Shelley Langille or call 250-391-2600, ext. 4119. Pay parking is available at the top of the hill and at the bottom past the Castle. 

RRU has created an online H1N1 flu update to consolidate information on the human swine flu. Information about the flu, tips on preventing and responding to any flu symptoms as well as information about the potential to affect the June convocation ceremony, are available on our website. RRU's pandemic planning team continues to investigate further prevention strategies as well as procedures for tracking and reporting suspected cases of flu, related HR policies, and business continuity measures. If you have questions email Stephanie Slater.

Filming of "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf" by Nickledodeon has wrapped up shooting on campus and earned the university some good local media coverage. Star-gazing staff had the opportunity to catch glimpses of Brooke Shields and Victoria Justice. Some interesting facts? Of the 10 location sites, the campus shoot was the second largest and will account for one-fifth of the completed film expected to be released in late October 2009. Steve Taylor, a learner in the MBA program, helped send the cameras to new heights during shooting. He's president of sales and marketing at WesternOne Rentals and Sales and the company has rented aerial lift equipment to the movie industry for almost 20 years now. "We had two 100-foot boom lifts and one 60 Kvh generator on the set here," says Taylor. "All the equipment for both X-Men movies filmed at RRU came from us as well." Steve began his studies in executive management in January.
 
The Canada Council has announced that Dawn Brennan, general manager of SHAPE (Safety and Health in Arts Production and Entertainment) has won a John Hobday Award, which celebrates outstanding achievement in the field of arts management. The $10,000 awards allow recipients to enhance their own professional development by taking part in a recognized program, seminar, workshop or a mentorship with another experienced arts manager; or to pass their knowledge on to the next generation by acting as a mentor for a young arts administrator. Dawn’s plan is to enroll in the Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) program at Royal Roads University to develop sophisticated leadership and problem solving skills for managing today’s multifaceted learning organizations.


Convocation is Friday, June 19. Learners from the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences will graduate in the morning followed by learners from the Faculty of Management and the Centre for Applied Leadership and Management in the afternoon. Watch for news on this spring’s Chancellor’s Community Recognition Award recipient. Two honorary degrees will also be awarded. 

The next phase in construction of the Learning and Innovation Centre is underway with the closure of parking lots P1 and P2 to allow for the realignment of University Road. Please use extreme caution when driving through the campus core and follow instructions from flag people who may be directing traffic. More here.

The Board of Governors has approved two new appointments. Thomas Chase, PhD, joins RRU as vice-president (academic) and provost and Cyndi McLeod becomes vice-president (marketing, recruitment and business development). Chase comes to Royal Roads from the University of Regina where he has been dean of the Faculty of Arts since 2005. McLeod is from Thompson Rivers University where she was associate vice-president (international education, training and development) and chief executive officer of TRU World.

RRU marked National Emergency Preparedness Week by handing out an emergency procedures wallet card and the university’s Emergency Management Committee has also produced an 8.5 x 11 poster version of the wallet card for posting in classrooms, major meeting rooms, residence rooms, HR bulletin boards, and staff and residence lounges. The wallet cards will also be included in orientation packages for new employees.
 
Phillip Vannini and Toby Newstead at the School of Communication and Culture are compiling stories about our rainy places – how we, on the coast, experience our very often wet weather and express our unique coastal culture. These stories will be used as part of an academic research project that will map out -- through stories, photographs, art, songs, and experiences -- some of Canada’s diverse regional weather cultures. If you currently live on the west coast of Canada or have long lived here but recently moved away and would like to tell your rain stories, share poems, artwork, or send pictures, please email Phillip Vannini or Toby Paige or call 250-391-2600 ext. 4477.
 
Formerly known as the Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre, RRU’s world-class art gallery with interactive exhibits, storytelling stations and an array of programming opportunities around issues of sustainability will now be known as the Robert Bateman Centre. It will offer applied, interdisciplinary learning opportunities enriched by the artwork and association of Robert Bateman, an internationally recognized naturalist and artist. There will also be important synergies between Continuing Studies and the Robert Bateman Centre. Read the Legacy Campaign newsletter for more.

Visitor Services Division has launched peak season operations. Guided tours are now offered seven days a week between 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The popular 60-minute Discovery Tour, for example, allows visitors to experience Hatley Castle and its beautiful surrounding gardens while being educated about the history and evolutions of the site.

A three-year research project led by Brian Belcher, director of the Centre for Non-Timber Resources, will receive $109,778 in federal funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). “We’re looking at what has worked in the past when it comes to developing small-scale natural resource-based enterprises in rural and underdeveloped areas of Canada,” said Belcher. “In particular, we want to assess how support for the non-timber sector can improve livelihoods in remote and Northern communities.” Belcher’s research team includes Tim Brigham, education and capacity-building coordinator at the Centre for Non-Timber Resources and Rob Penner, dean of health and applied sciences at the University College of the North in Manitoba.

Federal funding has also just been announced for a research project that is assessing the state of planning for climate-change adaptation and resiliency in Canadian local governments. The goal is to develop case studies and, in turn, generate knowledge that can be applied to help communities with their plans to cope. Ann Dale is a co-applicant and Chris Ling is a collaborator on this major project being led by principal investigator Kevin Hanna of Wilfrid Laurier University. Fellow co-applicants are Pierre Filion and Mark Seasons from the University of Waterloo. The funding is the result of a successful application following an Environment Special Call for a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. "The collaboration strengthens our academic connections with colleagues in eastern Canada, particularly the University of Waterloo," says Ann, professor, Trudeau Fellow and Canada Research Chair at RRU. It also builds on her two-year old sustainable infrastructure research project. Student research assistants have been allocated to the $197,500 study, with Ann supervising a Master’s level student and sharing a PhD student on the project.

The newest edition of the dotCALM newsletter is here! Learn what the staff, learners and faculty in the Centre for Applied Leadership and Management have been up to over the past few months.Spotlights include Authentic Leadership in Action; Corporate Social Responsibility; Sustainable Community and Organizational Development
and best of all, Inspiring Positive Change.


The School of Tourism and Hospitality Management is delighted to welcome James Terry of Rocky Mountaineer and Sarah Stanger of Intrawest to its Advisory Board.

Nearly 100 people converged on campus May 19 – 22 to explore transformational leadership, sustainable community development, artful collaborations and networked, emergent systems. View the pictures of the week and stories from the ALIA (Authentic Leadership in Action) West program at RRU on the ALIA Blog

We want to hear from you. Please send your stories, story ideas and notices of upcoming events to InRoads@royalroads.ca