Read the Board Notes from October 25, 2017.
Read the Senate Notes from October 13, 2017.
BOARD NOTES: Strategic directions update, annual reports presented
President’s remarks
In his remarks at the October 25 Board meeting, Concordia’s president Alan Shepard referred governors to his full report, included in the Board materials, and provided brief highlights.
He noted that convocation would be taking place in a few weeks. At the November 20 ceremonies, the university will present honorary doctorates to three distinguished individuals: trailblazing environmentalist Bernard Voyer, business leader Isabelle Hudon and technology entrepreneur Kon Leong.
In the recently published Maclean’s University Rankings, Concordia held steady overall among comprehensive universities and made gains in reputation, said Shepard.
The president also said he recently participated in a lobbying activity on Parliament Hill organized by Universities Canada. The effort focused on seeking additional research funding for universities from the federal government, a request aligned with the report Canada’s Fundamental Science Review led by David Naylor.
Update on Strategic Directions
Graham Carr, provost and vice-president of Academic Affairs, provided an overview of the community’s achievements in implementing the first moves identified in the Strategic Directions Game Plan for 2016-17.
He also led governors through the five transformational projects identified for implementation in 2017-18, along with five new principles to guide decision-making.
Read more about the provost’s Strategic Directions overview.
Concordia Alumni Association unveils strategic plan
Kim Fuller, president of the Concordia University Alumni Association (CUAA), presented the highlights of the association’s 2015-17 strategic plan, which was implemented following the merging of the three alumni associations.
The plan’s 2015 priorities were based on how the association could best meet its mission of fostering lifetime connections through meaningful professional, academic and social opportunities for alumni, the university and the community.
Fuller said the association also seeks the active participation of current and future alumni to strengthen Concordia’s reputation and outreach worldwide. Finally, as a partner with the university, the association and its supporters are committed to creating lasting positive change.
The 2015 strategic priorities connected to how the association could best serve the university’s nine strategic directions. These included enhancing the volunteer experience, strengthening the student and young alumni experience, and expanding the alumni network.
One of the association’s achievements has been the revision of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the university.
Fuller said the association’s board sees this as the next step in unifying the CUAA following the merger. It also provides direction for guiding the association’s relationship with the university to best support the work of the Alumni Relations Office and its staff.
The CUAA board held a successful retreat in early September and will be developing its new strategic plan, to be implemented in early spring 2018.
Going forward, there will be more emphasis on how the association can play a larger role in setting and achieving financial goals, said Fuller.
Board members are also looking into how to strengthen their volunteer experience through mentoring. She said they are looking at new ways to connect with alumni that are based on industry interests instead of the faculty.
Office of Rights and Responsibilities presents its annual report
Lisa White, interim director of the Office of Rights and Responsibilities, presented the highlights of the office’s 2016-17 annual report.
The Office of Rights and Responsibilities offers impartial, confidential, non-judgmental and independent services to Concordia students, faculty and staff. Among its services is the provision of support and redress to members of the university community who have complaints or concerns regarding behaviour and the management of complaint resolution processes.
It is also responsible for administering the Code of Rights and Responsibilities (BD-3), which sets standards of conduct for all members of the university community (students, faculty and staff).
In the 2016-17 academic year, the office received 286 requests for assistance. Overall, the number of requests, excluding those arising from exceptional circumstances, have remained stable throughout the past three years.
Consultations accounted for the majority of all services provided (188 consultations) with 98 cases. Informal resolution was used significantly more often than a formal resolution in these cases.
The Office saw decreases in all harassment categories (general harassment, sexual harassment and psychological harassment), and in threatening and violent behaviour.
However, reported incidents of discrimination and communication of a discriminatory matter were higher in 2016-17.
The Office also received an increase in new or ongoing requests involving students of concern and in relation to the Policy on Student Involuntary Leave of Absence (PRVPAA-15). There was a significant decrease in complaints related to the obstruction and disruption of university activity.
Ombuds Office presents its annual report
Amy Fish, Concordia’s ombudsperson, provided highlights from the 2016-17 Annual Report of the Ombuds Office.
The Ombuds Office is an independent office that reports directly to the Board of Governors. Its role is to assist in the informal resolution of concerns and complaints related to the application of university policies, rules and procedures.
In making the distinction between her office and the Office of Rights and Responsibilities, Fish said while the latter deals with complaints related to behaviour, the Ombuds Office deals exclusively with academic issues.
There was a slight decrease in files, from 514 in 2015-16 to 470 in 2016-17, and Fish said very few of these files became formal or serious complaints.
For the past five years, the number of cases has hovered around 500. Fish said this is an expected volume for a university of Concordia’s size, representing approximately one per cent of the student population.
The majority of concerns were brought forward by students (78 per cent), followed by faculty members or staff (11 per cent) and from other people, such as alumni, parents, or citizens (11 per cent).
Similar to last year, grades and other course management issues represented the largest percentage of student academic concerns. This included any dispute regarding course requirements, unfair grading practices, applications for re-evaluation and/or grading policies in the classroom.
However, compared to last year, exams were third in terms of student concerns, following by academic standing. Program degree requirements and registration were less of a concern in 2016-17. This may be attributed to continued improvements in the Student Information System (SIS) and increased communication with students regarding graduation requirements.