Oscar A. Pekau

Soon after joining the Department of Civil Engineering of Concordia University (then Sir George Williams University) in 1971, Oscar A. Pekau was asked to transform the undergraduate program from five to four years.

Later, as department chair he modernized the undergraduate curriculum and expanded the department activities to include Environmental Engineering. In 2016, Concordia was ranked 20th in the world for Civil Engineering programs, and number one in Canada.

Oscar’s research attracted the collaboration of researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Tsinghua University in Beijing. Additionally, the State Education Commission of China invited him to deliver lectures at research and teaching institutions.

Throughout his 46-year career, Pekau served on committees encompassing all levels of academic activity, including Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, Department Personnel, Faculty Executive, and Board of Governors. He retired in 2017 as Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

Oscar Pekau has demonstrated tremendous dedication to his students, to Concordia and engineering as a whole, through his love of teaching and strong belief in the importance of education. In 2015, he donated $250,000 to Concordia to create a Foundation for Undergraduate Scholarships in Civil Engineering.