Message from President, Provost, and VP, Research and Graduate Studies

Dear colleagues,

The approval of the Academic Plan by Senate on November 4 represents a significant milestone for Concordia. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the Concordia community for their contributions in preparing, reviewing, revising and improving the plan.

The consultation process involved extensive discussions and exchanges in departments and Faculty and School councils, as well an abundance of thoughtful written feedback. The result of this unprecedented process is an Academic Plan that reflects the vitality, energy and commitment of Concordia's faculty, students and staff.

The members of the Academic Plan Working Group, chaired by Brad Tucker, director of the Institutional Planning Office, deserve special thanks from all of us for this achievement. They demonstrated leadership in taking on the challenge of advocating for positive change at Concordia. Doing so is seldom easy or straightforward, and the members of the working group can be truly proud of what they accomplished on our behalf.

We thank the following faculty members for their contribution: Professor Mick Carney, Management; Professor François Morelli, Studio Arts; Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies Haidee Wasson, Faculty of Fine Arts; Associate Professor and Chair Brad Nelson, Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics; Professor Marius Paraschivoiu, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; and Associate Professor and Chair Rae Staseson, Communication Studies.

We also thank the administrative and staff members: Associate Dean, Programs and Recruitment Paula Wood-Adams, School of Graduate Studies; Associate Vice-President Carole Brabant, Strategy and Operations; Director David Gobby, Student Transition Centre; Vice-Provost Ollivier Dyens, Teaching and Learning; Associate Vice-President Serge Bergeron, Academic Operations; and Academic Policy and Planning Analyst Jason Ens, Office of the Provost.

The next step will be to present the Academic Plan to the Board of Governors for approval in December. Upon approval, we will begin the implementation process, which will be highly collaborative, with faculty, students and staff working together to realize our objectives.

Thank you for your sustained commitment to Concordia. We look forward to reaping the rewards of our collective efforts.

Frederick Lowy
President and Vice-Chancellor

David Graham
Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs

Louise Dandurand
Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies