RRU board welcomes faculty-elected member Eva Malisius

Eva Malisius grew up in Brussels during European integration and attended a school close to where the political negotiations were happening. Her classmates were children from European Union member countries. 

“The only language we had in common was the language we were learning,” says Malisius, new faculty-elected member on the Royal Roads University Board of Governors. “These experiences shaped how I look at things.”

The politics of European integration and identity fueled her Masters and PhD degrees in International Relations, and it was during her studies that Malisius took her first class in conflict analysis.

“I didn't like it at all,” says Malisius. “Conflict was presented in a black and white, win-lose terms. That didn't sit well with me.”

Later, she learned a more constructive approach to conflict, which holds space for a diversity of perspectives to ensure everyone can thrive. It formed the groundwork for her career. 

“For me, a lot of conflict work is around bridging similarities and differences, and finding unity in diversity,” explains Malisius. “Conflict is present in everyday life, and it shows up at every level. It’s an indicator that people are passionate, even if they can’t articulate about what exactly. But the energy is there, and it’s a sign there’s something important to figure out.” 

Malisius was a private mediator working in divided communities in Berlin, and co-founded an NGO in 2004 aimed at helping to foster dialogue in post-conflict societies through mediation. In 2012, she moved continents to join the faculty of Royal Roads University as a conflict engagement specialist, attracted to the university’s emphasis on scholar-practitioners. 

“Bringing theory and practice together is really what is quite unique from other institutions,” she says. 

This spring, Malisius was elected as the faculty representative on the University’s Board of Governors for a three-year term. 

“In my time on the board, I want to help ensure RRU continues to thrive as an institution,” says Malisius. “What we have is amazing and we can't lose momentum.”  

Across Canada, universities and their students are facing increasing financial pressures, she explains. As a board member, she views her role as balancing competing pressures while ensuring all academic disciplines are supported in preparing for the future.

Malisius brings multiple perspectives to the board: she is both an insider as a long time faculty member, and an outsider as a non-Canadian citizen with international experience. 

“We live on an Island, in a little bubble in many ways. So how do we navigate a global mindset?”

In the next few years, almost half the employees in Canadian workplaces will be non-Canadian born, Malisius explains. 

“It means we need to adjust expectations and that's not a bad thing at all. But it can be a breeding ground for conflict if we’re not prepared with conflict literacy skills.”

Malisius welcomes the shift. 

A conflict-free world would be boring, she explains. “In some ways it would mean nobody is passionate about anything. But we can’t let conflict drive us apart, rather we have to leverage it to move us forward together.”