Next-Gen engagement
Connecting campus and community
Highlights
Inaugural Honouring Black Presence at Concordia public art installation opens
Alumnus Charles Campbell is the first-ever selected artist to create an installation for the Honouring Black Presence at Concordia public art program. His proposal was among 21 submissions received in response to the first Canada-wide call for Black artists with a connection to Concordia or Montreal’s Black communities.
Campbell’s multimedia installation, Those that pass through, remain, return, transforms the Henry F. Hall Building entrance on Bishop Street through vibrant visual and sonic elements, rooted in recorded “breath portraits” of Black community members.
Developed in collaboration with students, faculty and the NouLa Black Student Centre, the project emphasizes memory, ancestry and lived experience, using breath as a powerful symbol of presence and connection.
Part of a broader public art initiative stemming from Concordia’s Task Force on Anti-Black Racism, the installation aims to counter erasure, spark dialogue and create a more welcoming space on campus. It will remain on display for three years as the first in a rotating series that highlights Black artists.
Artist Charles Campbell | Photo credit: Lisa Crowe
Those that pass through, remain, return art installation
Community-based internships support transformative learning on the ground
The university’s SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation and the Office of Community Engagement have merged their internship initiatives into a unified community-based program, expanding access for undergraduates across all faculties.
The paid placements connect students with local organizations — including Black- and Indigenous-led groups — offering hands-on experience while addressing community needs. Building on more than 350 past internships, the program strengthens skills, networks and real-world projects, helping students from every faculty to make a difference in their communities prior to graduating.
School of Cinema expands pathways into Quebec’s film industry and beyond
Concordia’s cinema school has significantly expanded its programs, partnerships and industry connections over the past five years to better prepare students for Quebec’s growing film sector.
New microprograms, courses and a restructured MFA reflect evolving industry needs, while collaborations — including internships with production company Zone3 — offer hands-on experience and mentorship. Initiatives such as the new Concordia-SODEC Emerging Filmmaker Competition further strengthen pathways from school to industry, providing real-world training and stronger ties between academia and the world of film.
Concordians are re-storying city sites through the lens of waste
Researchers and students are reimagining Montreal through WasteScapes, an interactive app that reveals hidden stories of urban waste systems. Led by Department of Communication Studies professor Elizabeth Miller, the project invites users to explore more than 60 sites such as former landfills, industrial corridors and infrastructure networks through audio, art and augmented experiences. WasteScapes encourages people to rethink what counts as waste and how it shapes cities, while promoting sustainability, education and public engagement.
Concordia charts a vision for the future of its campuses
Concordia’s Campus Master Plan outlines a long-term vision for developing its Sir George Williams and Loyola campuses over the next years. Shaped by extensive community consultation, the plan provides a flexible framework to guide future growth. It also prioritizes sustainability, heritage preservation, innovation and reconciliation, while improving mobility, green spaces and learning environments.
The plan aims to balance expansion with financial realities and evolving academic needs, ensuring campuses remain inclusive, adaptable and aligned with the university’s long-term goals.
Students support community podcast by Kahnawà:ke youth
Department of Journalism students mentored eighth-graders at Kahnawà:ke Survival School to create a community podcast, Voices of Kahnawà:ke. Through this partnership, youth developed storytelling and media skills while sharing their perspectives on topics such as myths, social justice and culture.
Guided by associate professor Kristy Snell and Concordia’s Institute for Inclusive, Investigative and Innovative Journalism, the project fostered mutual learning, amplified Indigenous voices and encouraged students to consider future studies and careers in journalism. The stories featured on the podcast were also packaged for radio listeners and aired in December on CBC Radio’s All in a Weekend.
‘Building a community around a garden’
Mitchell McLarnon, assistant professor in the Department of Education, has created an urban garden at the Grey Nuns as a hands-on teaching and research space that connects students, educators and community groups.
Located on the university’s downtown campus, the project uses gardening to explore climate change, sustainability and food systems through experiential learning. By engaging young people in planting, seed-saving and environmental discussions, it fosters well-being and deeper ecological awareness. McLarnon aims to make green spaces more accessible and inclusive, ultimately “building a community around a garden” rather than just a community garden.
Mitchell McLarnon, assistant professor in the Department of Education
John Molson School of Business celebrates 25 years
The John Molson School of Business marked 25 years since its 2000 renaming, made possible thanks to a major gift from the Molson family and Molson Foundation. Since then, the school has grown into one of Canada’s largest and top-ranked business schools, recently earning Bloomberg Businessweek’s top national ranking.
The milestone also highlights achievements such as the prestigious “double crown” accreditation, strong industry ties and experiential learning, while celebrating a legacy of community support and looking ahead to continued global impact and innovation.
Concordians host Montreal’s first Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race since 2006
A team of Concordia alumni brought the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race back to Montreal for the first time since 2006, hosting more than 400 engineering students from across Canada. The competition challenges teams to design and race concrete-sled toboggans judged on performance, safety and creativity. Alongside the alumni organizers, Concordia students competed with their own design, showcasing hands-on learning, teamwork and school spirit in one of the country’s longest-running engineering events.
