Welcome from the President as fall semester starts
After a challenging 2010-11, we have good reason to embark on this new academic year with renewed confidence.
More than ever, students from a wide range of backgrounds are making Concordia their university of choice; the new academic plan will soon be ready for final consideration; we are preparing to implement recommendations that address governance issues; exciting new research centres are set to open shortly; and the search for our next president is under way.
Much progress was made this summer and much more will come soon as we celebrate the return of students for the fall semester, say bienvenue to new students, faculty and staff and welcome alumni for Homecoming. Allow me to offer a few more details.
Genomics and PERFORM
We are preparing for the official openings of our two newest research facilities — the Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics and the PERFORM Centre.
The new Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics will advance Concordia’s existing specialization in the field of environmental genomics. The PERFORM Centre will focus on research, training and community engagement with respect to lifestyle influences on health and wellness. Researchers there will work closely with our students, several Montreal hospitals and other members of the community, using state-of-the-art equipment to contribute to better understanding of these influences.
These facilities, which are supported by the federal government’s Knowledge Infrastructure Program and include funding from the Quebec government, are testimony to the university’s growing research profile and the dedication and creativity of our research faculty members, who have been making contributions on topics of vital importance to society.
Valuable input on governance, bylaws and Board nominations
Of utmost importance is our progress on governance issues since we received the mid-June report of the External Governance Review Committee (EGRC). This report made 38 recommendations toward strengthening governance and collegiality at our university and I believe that they will be adopted.
We have taken several steps to obtain feedback on the report. I hosted an open meeting on June 28 that was attended by more than 200 faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the community at large. We also invited people to send us their comments by email up to July 31 and many did so. The Senate, while focusing on the recommendations that relate to the Senate, will also have the opportunity on September 9 to comment on the entire EGRC report.
With valuable input from many Concordians, the Ad Hoc Governance Review Committee of the Board of Governors and the Senate Steering Committee met this summer to prepare recommendations for the September meetings of the Board and Senate.
I am pleased to say that the Board is committed, in principle, to implementing the external committee’s recommendations that relate to the Board in a timely manner. As some of these recommendations involve modifications to the university’s bylaws and other policies, the proposed changes have been sent to all Board members and were made available to the entire Concordia community on the governance review web page.
Members of the Concordia community are also invited to submit further comments on all EGRC proposed changes to Danielle Tessier, Director of Board and Senate Administration at danielle.tessier@concordia.ca. We look forward to hearing from you.
We have also begun a process to facilitate the transition to what will be a newly constituted Board on June 30, 2012, and nominations are being sought for new representatives from the external community to serve as members of the Board. They will replace external Governors who are retiring on September 28, 2011 as well as others who will retire in June 2012.
Nominations can be forwarded, in confidence, to Danielle Tessier, Director of Board and Senate Administration, Room S–GM-801-23 or by email to danielle.tessier@concordia.ca.
Selection of Concordia’s next president
The process is also under way for the selection of Concordia’s next president and vice-chancellor. Concordia has hired Laverne Smith & Associates, a leading Canadian firm that has worked extensively with universities across the country in recruiting senior management, to help with the search.
Faculty, students, staff and alumni have been invited to provide their input to our Board by September 16 through a brief survey. This is part of our commitment to ensure that the search for our next president will be as transparent and inclusive as possible.
A balanced budget and the new Quebec University Funding Plan
In June, the Board of Governors approved balanced budgets for 2011-12 and the two subsequent fiscal years. The budget represents a prudent, long-term view of Concordia’s growth and development and includes measures to increase financial support for our graduate students by $4.8 million over three years.
Quebec’s new University Funding Plan — a blueprint for narrowing the wide funding gap between Quebec universities and their counterparts elsewhere in Canada — also has important implications for Concordia in the years ahead.
I am pleased that the government is taking steps in the six-year funding plan to ensure that university education remains accessible to low-income students through major improvements to its loans and bursaries programs and other measures that benefit students in need.
At the same time, all stakeholders, including students, are being called on to help ensure a successful transition to a more predictable funding scheme for Quebec’s universities, mindful that we must all work within the government’s budget targets and through what continue to be challenging economic and public fiscal environments.
The government’s plan includes a gradual increase in tuition fees to 2016-17. We recognize that increased tuition costs will prove difficult for some students and their families, and we have programs and services that aim to facilitate financial support for those in need.
The government’s plan has incentives to encourage universities to increase the level of donations they solicit from both corporations and individuals. Any new revenue for universities stemming from Quebec’s planned increases in tuition must be devoted entirely to the quality of teaching and student services and the quality of research through “partnership agreements” with the government.
Certain funding from the government will be contingent on other requirements, such as maintaining a balanced budget and eliminating annual and accumulated deficits. It is important to note that the plan also stipulates that the growth rate of total remuneration of faculty, administration and staff at Concordia will have to align with Quebec government salary policy.
Work advances on an Academic Plan
Work also continued during the summer on Concordia’s Academic Plan, which aims to improve the quality of our teaching, research and services to students. Our approach here has been to be as open and collaborative as possible, and to build on existing progress in asserting our academic priorities while providing a draft Academic Plan ahead of the appointment of our next president.
In August, a revised draft of the Academic Plan was released for public review and comment. The plan will be formally reviewed early this fall and discussed at Senate’s October meeting, before being put forward for final approval at Senate and the Board of Governors in November or December.
These are just some of the things that we will continue to work on this fall in support of Concordia’s mission, vision and longstanding values.
I invite everyone to come to our Homecoming events — which among other things will include lectures of interest, the Shuffle from the Sir George Williams Campus to the Loyola Campus, and the Homecoming Football Game against Nova Scotia’s St. Francis Xavier University.
Sincerely,
Frederick Lowy
President and Vice-Chancellor
Related links:
• Governance Review
• Revised draft of Academic Plan
• “Revised Academic Plan Ready for Review” – NOW, September 7, 2011