Dear colleagues,
Welcome to the newly redesigned John Molson Dean’s Newsletter! We want to share with you in a more dynamic fashion the good news and important updates on behalf of our faculty. We welcome your feedback – please let us know what you would like to see included in future mailings by writing to us.
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With the end of the winter semester and the start of the summer one, I want us to take a moment and reflect on what has been an extraordinary academic year. Despite the challenges we have faced, we can be very proud of everything we have accomplished together, and where we now stand, united in our successes.
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Over the course of the last year we celebrated, and continue to celebrate, the 20th anniversary of the renaming of the John Molson School of Business. To honour this milestone, we held a series of four very well attended and successful panel presentations, featuring our esteemed researchers and highly successful business community leaders.
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We hosted our first virtual Annual Graduate Research Exposition with immense success! We also virtually welcomed many guest speakers from many different industries. Our students pivoted their activities to a virtual format and end their academic year with much to be proud of.
Our case competition teams, both undergraduate and MBA, have had a stellar year; congratulations to all the competitors, and thanks to our coaches!
Our program curriculum updates are progressing, and there is much to be excited about for the future of the MSc, PhD and undergraduate programs. I want to thank everyone involved in moving this massive project ahead.
We saw the launch of two new research centres, the Jonathan Wener Centre for Real Estate, and the L. Jacques Ménard–BMO Centre for Capital Markets. A third research centre to advance research on women in entrepreneurship and leadership will be announced on May 26! Thank you to those involved in the development of these centres.
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We received the gender parity certification for the second time. We were and still are the first Canadian business school to have been bestowed this recognition back in 2019.
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Concordia’s University Research Committee has awarded Michel Magnan the title of Distinguished University Research Professor, which is the most prestigious form of recognition for overall research achievements awarded by the university. Félicitations Michel, you make us very proud!
This list of praise could go on forever – we have accomplished so much. I want to thank every one of you for your dedication and perseverance. Together, #WeAreJMSB!
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The importance of teamwork
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The last year asked a lot from each of us but working as a team proved to be a key factor of our success. I want to salute the work of each member of our community.
I am happy to announce the new department chairs, whose mandates come into effect on July 1st, 2021.
We welcome David Newton as chair of the department of Finance. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Imants Paeglis, who served as interim chair of Finance for one year. Matthäus Tekathen will begin his mandate as chair of Accountancy. Thank you to Sophie Audousset-Coulier for her hard work and the great support she gave to her members. Kamal Argheyd, a veteran chairholder, returns as chair of Management, taking over from Jisun Yu, to whom I offer my sincere thanks. Rustam Vahidov will return for a three-year mandate as chair of SCBTM; I thank him for his steadfast leadership. Darlene Walsh is now entering her third year as chair of Marketing; her ongoing dedication and energy are much appreciated.
I also want to thank our current associate deans, Sandra Betton, Kathleen Boies, Jooseop Lim, and Alexandra Panaccio who will continue in their respective roles.
Finally, I want to thank Anne Beaudry for having served as Director of the MBA and Graduate Programs in Business Administration over the last five years. Our MBA program is among the best in the world. A new program director will be announced soon.
In each unit, we have wonderful and dedicated staff members who make a positive difference in the life of our students by guiding them during the recruitment and admission period, advising them during their studies, and helping them to graduate and find meaningful and gainful employment. Each gesture, all the advice shared, and constant encouragement towards our students make them feel valued and supported. To each staff member, I want to say how grateful I am for what you do every day.
Thanks to everyone’s willingness to help and support each other and our students, our community remains united, despite the fatigue and the uncertainty. Thanks to each of you, #WeAreJMSB!
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Next Tuesday, May 18 at 12:30 pm, you are invited to the virtual John Molson Spring Celebration. Join us with a festive spring mocktail, catch up with colleagues, and put your trivia skills to the test as we look back and reflect on what was without a doubt a rather remarkable year. Please RSVP by May 14th.
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Taking place from June 12-15 will be the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada’s annual conference hosted by the John Molson School of Business. The conference theme is “Moving Beyond 2020: Considering Impacts on Business and Society”. Thanks to Cédric Lesage for accepting the role as chair of the doctoral consortium. We are very proud to welcome so many esteemed academics to John Molson.
We will also be hosting our first virtual Beta Gamma Sigma induction ceremony, which will be broadcast live at 5:30, June 17th. Taking place as part of CU Celebrates, the entire Concordia community will honour the graduates of the Class of 2021 during that day. Links to view the ceremony will be forthcoming, stay tuned!
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Hopefully, the warmer weather and longer days have inspired you to think about your well-deserved vacation time. Please plan to dedicate some time to rest and unplug, and give yourselves time to recharge.
I wish you all continued good health. Keep well and stay safe.
Anne-Marie Croteau, PhD, CDir
Dean
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