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Ah, the chilly first weeks of January. The back-to-school stress has somewhat alleviated as students finally get back into the routine of Winter Semester classes, but as the first wave of assignments approaches, is that the smell of… chocolate… and monetary awards for exceptional community members? Your nose would be right, as that scent could only be this year’s Willy Wonka-themed SAMRU Awards!! 

For over 60 years, the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University (SAMRU) has believed the ultimate goal of all Mount Royal University students is academic success and personal achievement. SAMRU understands the importance of recognizing and honouring the non-academic and extra-curricular contributions of MRU students. So we’ve taken a page out of the Willy Wonka playbook and dedicated a day to give back to the exceptional individuals who are a part of the campus community – to the tune of $40,000 in golden tickets scholarships, as a matter of fact.

Now that sounds better than a tour of a chocolate factory! Awards are open for all credit students to apply for, and applications are open right now! 

However, the deadline is swiftly approaching, with applications closing on February 29, 2024, so don’t miss out on your opportunity to secure those sweet, sweet scholarships! Whether it’s your first rodeo at MRU or you’re a seasoned student, here are a few reasons you should apply or submit a nomination for a SAMRU award.

Get rewarded for giving back to your community

Do you give it your all on campus, volunteering around to help enrich student centres, helping your fellow students during the Tax Clinic, or maintaining the Chocolate River? Okay, maybe not the latter, but you deserve to be rewarded for all your hard work and dedication to the campus community! That’s why SAMRU provides 10 separate scholarships over three different academic and community categories. 

Enrichment Awards include:

• Deanna Cardinal Memorial Award
• Gender & Sexuality Diversity Award
• Inspiring Culture Award
• Beyond Disabilities

Endeavour Awards include:

• Citizen Award
• Committed Learner Award

The final category of student awards are the Excellence Awards. They include:

• Bronze (x3)
• Silver (x2)
• Gold (x1)
• Outstanding Student of the Year (x1)

Okay, but how do I nominate someone?

To help you all reach the tour of the factory with as few hitches as possible, we’ve streamlined the nomination process to make it as simple as can be. All awards require: 

• Your personal information to verify you are a credit student and not just taking advantage of the system like Grandpa Joe
• A letter of reference which will serve as your Golden Ticket
• An updated volunteer summary sheet to highlight your greatness
• An unofficial transcript (you can easily snag these for free by logging in to your MyMRU account)
• Additionally, all nomination types will require an essay thoroughly going over why you or your nominee are truly the best at what they do on campus. While the prospect of writing an essay may seem scarier than Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, the payoff will be worth more than reaching the third layer of an everlasting gobstopper

If applying to multiple awards, submitting one transcript, volunteer summary sheet or letter of reference is acceptable. However, separate essays are required.

Remember that you include ALL necessary information in your nomination, ensuring it’s all there, black and white, clear as crystal. If you fail to add a necessary bit of information, you get nothing, and your nomination will be voided.

To learn more about the intricacies and requirements of each award, you can check out our latest Awards Pamphlet.

Nominate your friends and mentors!

But who says you’re the only one who gets the magical elevator ride in the end? Do you know someone constantly striving to make MRU the best university it can be, advocating and improving everything to do with student life? Conveniently, you can nominate your fellow student body as well.

So if your friend is as humble as Charlie Bucket, be sure to toss a nomination their way and help highlight those who encapsulate this university. The nomination process is identical to that of entering yourself!

But it’s not just students getting awards…

You read that right! The SAMRU awards are for exceptional individuals on campus – and that includes those instructors who just make your 8:30 am – 10:50 am class every Monday and Wednesday that much more bearable.

While these awards are non-monetary, they are still a fantastic way to celebrate and exemplify the instructors around campus who go above and beyond.

They include: 

• Teaching Excellence Award
• Champion Award
• Open Education Champion Award

Faculty and Staff awards require an essay and an approved list of supporting names. This list requires 20 current credit students to vouch for this nomination.

Highlight the exceptional clubs on campus

But the love doesn’t stop at just individual winners! Clubs can also be nominated for SAMRU Awards for their internal and external contributions to student life!

So whether there it’s a club you’re a part of that truly makes your university experience memorable or there’s a group you’ve seen advocating to improve the extra-curricular experience – now’s the time to show their exceptional work to your fellow SAMRU members. 

Clubs awards include:

• Excellence in Community Service Award
• Excellence in Membership Service Award

Club nominations will only require an essay along with the specification of which award they’ve been nominated for. How sweet is that!

A sweet, sweet event of pure imagination

After applications close, the nominees will be mulled over by our independently hired committee, with results being announced at the 2024 SAMRU Awards Ceremony on April 6, 2024. The event will be held in Wyckham House, as the lower bowl transforms into Willy Wonka’s world-famous chocolate factory.

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For more information regarding the SAMRU awards, critical dates, and where to apply, you can make like Violet Beauregarde and roll over to our awards page. For general inquiries, you can contact us at info@samru.ca.