Search Committees move forward

At its March 31 meeting Concordia’s Board of Governors approved the creation of a search committee for a new president.

An Advisory Search Committee for the Dean of the John Molson School of Business was also established. Norman Hébert, Jr., representing the community-at-large, Shimon Amir, a Board member representing faculty other than JMSB, and Dean Brian Lewis, were all nominated by the Board Executive Committee. Jean Freed, was nominated by the part-time faculty association and Mohammad Sabr, by the graduate students. The committee will be chaired by the Provost, and the appointment of the other members will be presented for ratification once the various constituencies will have submitted their nominations to the Secretary of the Board.

Governance Review Committee
President Fred Lowy informed the Board that he had met with Chair Bernard Shapiro and the External Governance Review Committee will be holding its first meeting shortly.

Presentations
Dean Brian Lewis presented an overview of the development of the Faculty of Arts and Science. He emphasized the continued growth of both undergraduate and graduate student enrolment. Graduate student recruitment has been supported through a 65 per cent increase in Faculty funding for graduate recruitment fellowships and teaching assistantships over the past five years. The Faculty has also reinforced its research profile, now holding 15 Concordia Research Chairs and 21 Canada Research Chairs. Lewis emphasized the significance of Arts and Science as a platform for multidisciplinary teaching and research. To encourage the small class experience, the Faculty allocated funds to set up small tutorials in several large classes. The response from students was very positive. Seventy-five per cent of student attendees appreciated the chance for informal discussion, exchange and more personalized guidance by teaching assistants. Responding to questions from the Board, Lewis, Provost David Graham and Chief Financial Officer Patrick Kelley emphasized the coordinated planning that went into the new PERFORM Centre. With a clear research mandate and close partnership with local health and rehabilitation facilities, the centre holds tremendous potential for Concordia’s contribution to the health sector. 

The annual report of the university’s Ombuds Office, Focussing on Fairness, was presented by Kristen Robillard. The office addresses concerns and complaints about university policies, rules and procedures with an independent, impartial and confidential approach. After an overview of the work and major issues handled by the office this year, Robillard added that the office was working with the Provost and the School of Graduate Studies to develop several procedural improvements in the areas of graduate student supervision and grade evaluation.

The next meeting of the Board will be on April 21.

Related link:
•  Board of Governors