This is a proud and historic day for Mount Royal. It's a day that will live on as
one of the most significant milestones in Mount Royal's history.
I am pleased to say that this fall we will begin offering our first university
degree - a Bachelor of Nursing.
This is great news for our students, faculty and staff and for those who want to
pursue nursing careers. As well, it's especially good news for the community - the
new program will accommodate an additional 50 nursing students starting this fall,
for a total of 330 nursing students, and the first Mount Royal Bachelor of Nursing
class will graduate in 2011.
The fact that we are offering our first university degree in nursing reflects our
proven track record of preparing students for careers in the field of community
health. We have a long history of collaborating with our Alberta post-secondary
partners to prepare students for careers in nursing and many students are currently
enrolled in these programs.
As well, we are committed to offering programs that meet the needs of the community
we serve and by offering a degree in this field we are responding to an urgent
community requirement. Mount Royal's Bachelor of Nursing is a quality program that
creates more choice and provides greater access to students.
And this is only the first step in the journey. We currently have 20 university
degrees and majors that the minister has already approved to move forward. They are
now before the Campus Alberta Quality Council for approval and will ultimately be
sent back to the minister for funding approval.
When all of these degree programs are fully enrolled, we will have more than 80 per
cent of our students in degree programs, which is expected by 2012.
One point I would like to emphasize is that, as degrees are approved and announced,
you will not see any significant changes to the program in which you are registered
now. We will continue to offer all the courses you require to complete existing
programs with no changes to the graduation requirements that were in place the year
you entered the program.
Teaching has always been Mount Royal's highest priority and will remain our most
fundamental characteristic as we strive to have the majority of our students
registered in undergraduate degree programs. Our transition is about building on
Mount Royal's strengths, which include providing student-centred programs that
enable a great deal of one-on-one, personalized training.
As well, I'm proud to say that much of the credit for today's announcement goes to
Mount Royal staff - the same people who work to ensure the quality of your
educational experience every day. Many of our employees have spent years working
towards this day and I applaud their hard work and dedication.
Their achievement has changed the institution significantly and will enable us to
move ahead with our plans to establish Mount Royal as Canada's leading undergraduate
institution.
Dave Marshall
President
Mount Royal College
More information about transition
http://www.mtroyal.ca/in_motion/
More information about the Bachelor of Nursing
http://www.mtroyal.ca/healthcomm/nursing/
Mount Royal now a university
).
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