Dr. Frederick Lowy unanimously appointed President
Dr. Frederick Lowy attended the January 21 meeting of Senate just hours after having been unanimously approved by the Board of Governors as President of Concordia University. In a short address, Lowy recognized the faculty’s concerns regarding process and transparency and spoke of the importance of Senate’s academic leadership and the need for a collaborative approach to governance at the university. He stayed to listen to a discussion of recent university events including the departure of President Judith Woodsworth. After the exchange, Senate passed a series of resolutions relating to university governance.
Dr. Frederick Lowy has been given a specific mandate from Concordia’s Board of Governors for his 18-month term. The Journal also reviews highlights from his 1995-2005 term as President and Vice-Chancellor.
Dr. Frederick Lowy’s mandate as president
Dr. Lowy’s mandate, which will continue until the appointment of a President in approximately 18 months, has four priorities – strategy, finance, governance, and talent and culture.
The strategic priority supports Concordia’s Strategic Framework including the promotion of our signature areas – those defined fields of research or study in which we excel.
The finance objective focuses on launching Concordia’s comprehensive fundraising campaign and ensuring the continued prudent management of our finances. Concordia is on solid financial footing, with one of the lowest accumulated deficits of any Quebec university.
Dr. Lowy’s mandate includes leading a review of governance that will result in practical recommendations aimed at improving transparency and reinforcing dialogue within the university community.
His mandate on talent and culture is to is fill key positions at the university, assess Concordia faculty, employee and student experiences and propose specific action, where needed, to reinforce morale and create a stimulating and cohesive work environment.
Dr. Frederick Lowy’s past contributions to Concordia
An experienced educator and academic administrator, Dr. Lowy was President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University from 1995 to 2005. Among his major achievements during this period were:
Academic Vision: Dr. Lowy helped initiate a comprehensive academic planning process to streamline Concordia’s academic activities. More than 150 programs were restructured with a view to providing programs that responded to modern developments and societal needs.
Enrolment Growth: In both undergraduate and graduate programs, enrolment increased substantially year by year, without the lowering of admission standards.
New Faculty Core: Based on priorities established through the academic planning process, the university hired more than 430 new tenure-track professors from around the world, rejuvenating almost 48 percent of the university’s fulltime faculty.
Research Prominence: The presence of this new generation of professors dramatically changed the research focus at Concordia, with new professors in growth areas such as software engineering, biomedical science, business, information systems, aviation management, computer animation and multimedia.
Bold Buildings: Concordia’s new buildings represent Dr. Lowy’s most visible contribution to the university, including the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex and the new home for journalism and communication studies that revitalized the Loyola Campus, as well as the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex and the acquisition of the Grey Nuns Mother House in 2004. Dr. Lowy was instrumental in securing the involvement of the Molson family in the support and development of the John Molson School of Business and the construction of its new Molson Building.
International Reputation: Under Dr. Lowy, Concordia worked to strengthen its international profile through increased research collaborations and exchanges with top institutions around the world.
Rising Endowments: Dr. Lowy consolidated the university’s fundraising work, cultivating critical external and community support and building Concordia’s endowment fund. The Campaign for a New Millennium, 1996–99, far exceeded its goal of $55 million and passed $77 million.