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Next-Gen. Now.
The Campaign for Concordia
Concordia University
Concordia University

Research strength

Research strength

Research, scholarship and creative work are among the most distinguishing features of Concordia University, and are significant factors in allowing us to continuously attract prospective students and faculty.

Over the next five years, we are investing substantial additional resources to fund outstanding graduate students, facilitate the accomplishments of faculty members, and expand the Library’s capacity to support research and creative activity.

In collaboration with departments and Faculties, we will also be revisiting the faculty workload guidelines in order to ensure that the increased cohorts of students will continue to receive excellent supervision.

With new investments in Concordia’s current and emerging areas of strength, and by seeking opportunities to host more high profile research events, we can expect heightened external recognition of our academic accomplishments.

Students

  • $6 million increase in funding graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
  • $4.5 million increase to the Library’s acquisitions budget.
  • Outstanding research environment that promotes leadership and gives support.

Faculty

  • Increased recognition of innovative and diverse research accomplishments.
  • $2.4 million for timely, short-term teaching reductions that enable faculty to undertake intensive research and creative work.
  • $4.5 million increase to the Library’s acquisitions budget.
  • Outstanding research environment with a greater collaboration between faculty and librarians.

Community

  • Intensification of research activities involving community partners.

Objective 1 priority actions

  • 1.1 Attract more top graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
    • 1.1.1 Commit substantial additional resources to fund outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
    • 1.1.2 Significantly improve the processes we use to recruit and admit the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows we want to attract.
    • 1.1.3 Establish equitable workload policies to ensure that increased numbers of graduate students will receive the best possible supervision, and that the work of supervision is adequately recognized in faculty workload assignments.
    • 1.1.4 Undertake a comprehensive review to ensure that infrastructure, space, information systems, and staff resources are in place to support, manage and accommodate increased numbers of graduate students, intensification of research activities and outreach to our communities in this domain.
  • 1.2 Improve our ability to facilitate the accomplishments of faculty members in their research and creative activities.
    • 1.2.1 Revisit major internal award programs so as to increase the frequency of application opportunities and ensure maximum effectiveness.
    • 1.2.2 Create opportunities for timely, short-term teaching load reductions to enable faculty to undertake intensive research and creative work.
    • 1.2.3 Test mechanisms for fulfilling teaching responsibilities more efficiently by concentrating teaching assignments, in order to create periods of time for faculty to undertake intensive research and creative work.
    • 1.2.4 Develop and implement the means to recognize and reward diverse and innovative forms of research and creative activity.
  • 1.3 Invest in Concordia’s current and emerging areas of strength in research and creative activity.
    • 1.3.1 Strategically hire ten new faculty members over and above replacement-level hiring, to build up Concordia’s current and emerging areas of strength.
    • 1.3.2 Allocate new resources and develop a more comprehensive infrastructure and support system to encourage more applications for major grant initiatives.
    • 1.3.3 Foster Concordia’s research institutes and centres as locations in which to develop trans-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary initiatives in research and teaching.
  • 1.4 Heighten external recognition of Concordia’s areas of strength.
    • 1.4.1 Establish a mechanism to facilitate, coordinate and streamline all Concordia submissions for major external awards.
    • 1.4.2 Actively seek opportunities to host more high profile research events at Concordia.
    • 1.4.3 Develop a proposal for creating innovative knowledge dissemination platforms, like an electronic press, at Concordia.
  • 1.5 Improve the library’s capacity to support research and creative activity.
    • 1.5.1 Substantially increase the Library’s acquisitions budget.
    • 1.5.2 Encourage greater collaboration between faculty and librarians in research and creative activity.
    • 1.5.3 Develop and implement a new vision of the Library’s expanded role in support of the goals of this Academic Plan.

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