The most wonderful news of the year
From climate action and reconciliation to impactful giving, TikTok trends and unforgettable leadership moments, it’s been a year full of purpose — and plenty of fun along the way. As President Steenkamp would say, “2024, you slay!” Why? Read through to the end to find out.
New campuses
In 2024, we announced two new exciting campuses – both to offer students a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
Royal Roads’ Bloom Castle by the Sea includes two breathtaking acreages on Salt Spring Island where programming will focus on regenerative sustainability for the Gulf Islands and beyond. Learn more about our broad community engagement process to develop a strategic plan for our new Salt Spring Island site, inviting input from local and RRU communities to honor Susan Bloom’s legacy.
We also announced the launch of exciting undergraduate programming at our collaborative RRU Langford campus where students can build their studies in Business and Sustainability, Applied Environmental Sciences and Social Sciences through customizable laddered credentials. Applications are now open for Sept. 2025.
RRU Langford is surrounded by the bustling restaurants, shops and cafés of Goldstream Village and shares dynamic learning spaces with students from UVic and Camosun College.
New programs
In addition to new undergraduate programming at RRU Langford, we celebrated the development of several new programs, including the Truth and Reconciliation at Work micro-credential. This program, which focuses on moving beyond inclusion in the workplace, aims to educate employers so they can transform their workplaces to create safe spaces for Indigenous colleagues.
We also developed a pair of new graduate certificate programs focused on equipping professionals for an evolving world. The Graduate Certificate in People and Culture and the Graduate Certificate in Digital Transformation. Learn more about how these courses can help you keep up to date with the changing world of work.
Changemaking at RRU
We hosted two sold-out Changemakers Speakers Series events in 2024, and heard from renowned forest ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard and John Vaillant, journalist and author of the widely acclaimed Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast.
Fire powers our cars, heats our homes, cooks our food. It is integral to human life on Earth. And it is killing us, says John Vaillant, author of the widely acclaimed Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast, about the 2016 fire that consumed Fort McMurray.
This year, two changemakers received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa — the university’s highest honour — at Convocation ceremonies; Dr. Suzanne Simard and Dr. Anthony von Mandl, founder of Mission Hill Winery and a trailblazer in high-end winemaking in the Okanagan Valley.
Changemaking research
RRU faculty are changemakers, driven to respond to global, national and community-based problems.
This year, researchers dug deep — and dove in — to new and exciting topics including the uncharted waters of underwater hotels and the potential for ultradeep geothermal energy production in Canada.
School of Business Prof. Mark Lokanan published a series of articles exploring how artificial intelligence can catch real fraudsters while Assist. Prof. Ann-Kathrin McLean explored what Holocaust remembrance means to millennials.
Jaigris Hodson, Canada Research Chair in Digital Communication for the Public Interest, continued her research focused on online harassment of academics. She and her team received a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to provide supports and strategies intended to mitigate the online harassment of research communicators. In addition, she wrote three articles in the Conversation, including on the need to dispel myths on gender-based violence.
Researchers at the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads published numerous technical papers including on a plan to advance ultradeep geothermal energy in Canada and they explored how a Donald Trump Presidency could make the world riskier for us all. Watch President Philip Steenkamp’s discussion with Cascade Founder and Executive Director Thomas Homer Dixon about that below.
How might Trump 2.0 reshape the U.S. and the world? Prior to the election, President Philip Steenkamp spoke with Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon, executive director of the Cascade Institute, to discuss the recent U.S. election and its potential impacts on economic
Find more research highlights from the past year on our Royal Roads News page.
Courage and resilience in action: Student and alumni achievement
Royal Roads students and alumni are changemakers too. As President Philip Steenkamp said in his Fall 2024 Convocation address, there’s no one better suited to take on tomorrow’s tough challenges. Meet just a few of our student and alumni changemakers below and then watch President Philip Steenkamp’s convocation address to see why changemakers like these give him the courage to believe in a brighter future.
Master of Science in Environmental Practice student Josh Komangapik was honored this year with the first CAFF Arctic Indigenous Canadian Youth Fellowship in recognition for his dedication to conservation and Inuit self-determination.
Edward Appiah-Brafoh became our first ever graduate of our Doctor of Business Administration program when he crossed the stage this year. The native of Ghana will take his studies and practical research home to help other professionals.
Jesse Challoner, who graduated with a Master of Business Administration in Executive Management in 2024, received the Governor General’s Gold Medal for his organizational management project, “Equity Diversity and Inclusion in the Fire Service: Augmenting Recruitment Strategies to Improve EDI in the Victoria Fire Department,” which explored what barriers may exist for underrepresented groups in fire service teams.
RRU Farm and Food Systems Lead Solara Goldwynn, who completed her Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication this past year, works to continue developing a campus food garden as a space for community and connection.
Master of Science in Environment and Management student Margot Webster is designing and building floating wetlands to fight algal blooms. Learn more about how she’s seeking simple solutions to climate concerns.
A message to graduating students from Royal Roads University President Philip Steenkamp: There’s something about convocation, and a new crop of changemaking graduates that gives me the courage to believe in better things yet to come.
Climate Action
Royal Roads is committed to integrating Climate Action into all we do – on our campus and in communities across the province and around the world. In 2024, we embarked on our first Climate Risk Assessment to understand, prepare for and adapt to climate-related hazards. The assessment is a critical precursor to future adaptation efforts by the university and is a priority identified in the Climate Action Plan 2022-2027. Here are some other climate-related story and events highlights from the past year.
BBA students track climate-friendly transportation
BBA students led the 2024 “mode split count” — a report on how people commute to and from campus — to better understand travel patterns and the associated greenhouse gas emissions of each commuter. Read more about students’ experiences in this project-based learning exercise.
RRU Earth Week and Climate Week
We offered a range of climate and sustainability events during Earth Week in April and Climate Week in November, which featured a combination of online and in-person events on topics ranging from regeneration, placemaking, food systems, forest bathing and systemic change for holistic climate action. We also unveiled a community mosaic created at a community art workshop last year.
As part of Royal Roads University’s 2023 Climate Week, a participatory art event invited attendees to explore the role of art in social transformation and to create a community mosaic for climate. The mural was unveiled during our 2024 Climate Week.
Four students, two creeks, one mission
Four Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science students were on a mission this past year to understand on-campus ecosystems amidst the tides of climate change. As part of their program, they monitored Hatley and Colwood creeks, two freshwater creeks that run through Royal Roads University’s campus before emptying into Esquimalt Lagoon. Learn more about what they found, attracting the attention of local and national media in the process.
Reconciliation and EDI
The Farm at RRU continued growing this year. In addition to the thousands of pounds of fresh produce we shared with community, we also shared the news of our newly-planted Indigenous Medicine Garden, which now serves as a place for learning and cultural connection.
In 2024, we also told you about our Emerging Indigenous Scholars Circle, a first-of-its-kind program for those at the beginning of their academic careers. The circle currently hosts four emerging scholars. Shauneen Pete, chair of the Circle, provides guidance and mentorship on a one-on-one and group basis, while also helping to expand a wider community of support for emerging Indigenous scholars across the country.
The Circle was recognized by the Governance Professionals of Canada with an Excellence in Governance Award in the EDI category.
Giving
In July, we proudly announced a historic gift valued at $9.93M from the Bloom Canadian Alter Ego Trust 2020 that will yield expansive programming for the Salt Spring Island community and beyond. The gift includes two acreages featuring waterfront gardens, an orchard of heritage fruit trees and a West Coast modern house. This gift, which also includes a sizeable endowment, represents the largest donation in the university’s history.
Patricia Reichert, a Doctor of Social Sciences alum, joined President Steenkamp on a tour to talk about the past, present and future of the property, and how it can best serve the local community and beyond.
This summer, we also unveiled our newest addition to the Hatley Park grounds: a hand-crafted Japanese teahouse. The teahouse provides a serene venue on campus where formal tea ceremonies and special gatherings can occur.
These gifts, which mark some of the first to be announced towards the university’s most ambitious fundraising campaign — Leading with Courage — will join others to harness the power of local and global communities to find solutions and connections that transform lives and the world.
The lighter side
From blockbuster films to TikTok trends and iconic leadership moments, it’s been an X-traordinary year at Royal Roads — emphasis on the X!
Amid all the excitement, we found time for fun, like unveiling a “super” addition to our faculty.
Most people know Deadpool was filmed here. But how many others can you name? We took a look at some famous scenes shot on our Tik Tok account, which we launched in earnest this year.
Speaking of legends — President Steenkamp is the blueprint. Don’t believe it? Peep the video.
Find more highlights from the past year on our Royal Roads News page.