There is always much anticipation leading up to a new school year and perhaps even more so for the upcoming Fall 2022 semester. Students won't be the only new faces being introduced to the MRU campus.
Mount Royal University will welcome 26 new full-time assistant professors and senior lecturer positions from funding provided through the 2022 to 2023 budget. This is in addition to just over 40 vacancies for current faculty roles actively being filled to cover for departures for reasons such as retirement.
"Faculties have been in overdrive with recruiting to ensure our incoming faculty are set up for success as the Fall 2022 semester approaches," says Dr. Elizabeth Evans, PhD, interim provost and vice-president, academic.
"There has been a lot of change at MRU, which includes an evaluation of how we can support the growth of in-demand disciplines. I am so pleased that we have been able to allocate funding to enhance the teaching and research in existence with the incredibly talented team of academics we currently have here at MRU."
Faculty of Science and Technology
For the Faculty of Science and Technology, which has been granted six new full-time faculty positions, bringing on new teaching colleagues is about sustaining a momentum that allows for growth in programs that are still maturing such as the Bachelor of Science Chemistry, which launched in the fall of 2018. Investing in resources to support current offerings in science also supports the development of prospective programs.
"It is essential that the Faculty of Science and Technology continues to grow, evolve, shape and reshape itself," says Dr. Jonathan Withey, DPhil, the faculty's dean. "The popularity of our degrees has both created and reflects demand for STEM programming."
Additional professors on a university campus not only adds resources to courses and degree offerings, it's also a way to diversify approaches to teaching and research initiatives. This includes more opportunities to employ students through research assistant positions and more ways to connect students with scholars who have expertise in areas they might be interested in pursuing through their studies.
Faculty of Health, Community and Education
"New faculty bring with them their own experiences, which adds to the collective experiences and wisdom of our existing faculty," says Dr. Stephen Price, PhD, dean of the Faculty of Health, Community and Education.
Price is looking forward to filling six new full-time faculty positions along with 12 vacancies and bringing in colleagues with new ideas that contribute to the faculty's mission of inspiring students to make a difference. The faculty has its own strategic plan that includes increasing changemaking opportunities for students, faculty and staff, and creating more opportunities for interdisciplinary and inter-departmental collaboration and community building, amongst many other objectives.
Faculty of Business and Communication Studies
In addition to seven new faculty hires, four limited-term positions are being converted to tenure track, which will see some current contract faculty move into full-time roles. This is the case for the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies, where some of their current faculty members are also transitioning into leadership roles.
Dr. Kelly Williams-Whitt, PhD, dean of the faculty, says external hires can often invigorate the classroom and create fertile ground for academic debate and impactful research. Internal hiring offers security and consistency to outstanding colleagues who have been teaching on short-term contracts.
"A balance of these approaches ensures we have a solid core of institutional and program knowledge while opening the door to new perspectives," Williams-Whitt says.
The faculty is also in active recruitment for a Canada Research Chair in global value chain. This position is expected to commence in 2023 and will contribute to the Department of International Business and Supply Chain Management. The Canada Research Chair program was established by the Government of Canada to enable Canadian universities to foster research excellence and enhance their role as centres of world-class research.
Faculty of Arts
Dr. Jennifer Pettit, PhD, dean of the Faculty of Arts, is pleased with the high calibre of professors and lecturers who are preparing to join her faculty team this fall, which includes a Canada Research Chair position. Pettit remarks that newly hired faculty in her department are skilled and dedicated teachers with some being known internationally for their research programs, but she is careful not to discount those who are still developing in their careers.
"The assistant professors we have hired are also well on their way to establishing themselves as very skilled and prolific researchers," Pettit says. "I am thrilled that such a large number of faculty have been hired this year and I am eagerly anticipating their arrival and having them become part of our already accomplished group of professors in the Faculty of Arts."
The majority of this group of new hires will be formally welcomed to MRU in a faculty orientation this August, preparing them for the start of the fall semester, which will officially begin the first week of September 2022.
New faculty will be introduced to a number of resources and supports including the Academic Development Centre, which provides a range of services and expertise in areas such as instructional design, curriculum development support and technological expertise.
MRU extends a warm welcome to the new faces that will gradually arrive on campus throughout July and August.
