Muriel Kovitz C.M. LL.D LRSM (née Libin; February 20, 1926 – May 30, 2021) served as the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

from 1974 until 1978. She was the first female to hold the position. Other involvement at the

included a member of the Senate (1970) and Chairman of the Senate Executive Committee, a member of the Board of Governors (1972) and a member of the Board of Governors Executive Committee, all prior to being elected as Chancellor. She is a Chancellor Emeritus of the

. The University of Calgary's Muriel Kovitz Prize, awarded to the University of Calgary graduate with the highest grade point average, is named after her. The University of Calgary Mace was donated by Muriel and David Kovitz in 1979. She received her LRSM (Piano) from the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

in 1944. She became a Member of

the Order of Canada ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

in 1977 and received the Alberta Achievement Award in 1977. She was the first female director of

Imperial Oil Imperial Oil Limited (French: ''Compagnie Pétrolière Impériale Ltée'') is a Canadian petroleum company. It is Canada's second-biggest integrated oil company. It is majority owned by American oil company ExxonMobil with around 69.6 percent ...

appointed in 1975 and was the Chair of the Imperial Oil Charitable Foundation (formed in 1994) Other corporate directorships included The Reader's Digest Association of Canada Ltd., The Institute of Donations and Public Affairs Research, Alberta Investments Ltd., Centennial Packers of Canada Ltd and Murko Investments Ltd. She was appointed by Prime Minister

Pierre Elliot Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and ...

as a commissioner of the Federal Government Task Force on Canadian Unity in 1979. Other volunteer activities included Executive of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews (Western Region); President of the Calgary Section of the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Founded in 1893, NCJW is self-described as the oldest Jewish women’s grassroots organization in the United States, now comprised by over 180,000 members. As of ...

of Canada (1959-1961) and the National Executive Committee (1961-1973); Co-chairman of the Third International Banff Conference on Man and His Environment (1978); National Chairman of the Sch for Citizen Participation (1967-1973); member of the Calgary Recreation Board (1966-1969); President of the Calgary Social Planning Council (1967-1969); member of the Board of Vocational & Rehabilitation Research Institute of Calgary now known as Vecova (1968-1969); a member of the Calgary Housing Authority (1968-1972); a member of

Canadian Medical Association The Canadian Medical Association (CMA; french: Association médicale canadienne, AMC) is a national, voluntary association of physicians and medical learners that advocates on national health matters. Its primary mandate is to drive positive ch ...

's working group on Ethics in Human Experimentation; Honorary President of the Board of Governors of the Victoria Foundation, Board of Directors of the Greater Victoria Hospital Foundation; Director on the Board of Governors of the Boys and Girl's Club; and a founding board member of Arts Sustainability Victoria. She was a member of the Alberta

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

Selection Committee (1976).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovitz, Muriel 1926 births 2021 deaths Canadian university and college chancellors Members of the Order of Canada People from Calgary