MRC name change in the works

By Sarelle Azuelos

Mount Royal College will soon face a signage crisis.


Provincial advanced education and technology minister Doug Horner is introducing legislation this spring which would allow MRC and Grant MacEwan College to change their names to include ‘university.’


The proposed Post-Secondary Learning Amendment Act would let institutions that give out baccalaureate degrees to ask the minister for a formal name change.


“Your label should reflect what you are,” said MRC president Dr. David Marshall.


The college currently offers 23 bachelor’s degrees in seven areas including science, arts and criminal justice. Marshall hopes to expand that to 30 majors. In the future, there will be 8,500 MRC degree students.


“I think it’s a positive move, it recognizes the high level of those programs at Grant MacEwan and at Mount Royal,” said advanced education and technology spokesperson Rachel Bouska. “I think it will allow for more students in those programs to go on to graduate programs at the comprehensive academic and research institutions.”


The name change wouldn’t affect the institutions’ role as a baccalaureate and applied studies institution, as specified by the province. Research will remain unique to the University of Calgary and other Alberta universities.


At MRC, 85 per cent of students are currently securing a degree of some sort ­– the others are in certificate or diploma programs.


“This is the final step in a long process,” said Marshall, adding that the name change will make resumes “easier to explain” to employers.


MRC was the first institution in Calgary to offer degrees, he said.