Loyola Medal to be presented to founder of Canada's first university Communication Studies program

Concordia University to award prestigious medal to Father John O’Brien, S.J.

MONTREAL, October 13, 2011 — On October 18, Concordia University will present the 2011 Loyola Medal to Distinguished Professor Emeritus Father John (Jack) E. O’Brien, S. J., at a special ceremony. Father O’Brien is a Jesuit priest and the pioneering founder of Concordia’s renowned Communication Studies department, the first of its kind in Canada.

An accomplished teacher, author, speaker and administrator, Father O’Brien founded the Department of Communication Arts in 1965. It was Canada’s first university undergraduate unit dedicated to the study of communications. The program evolved to become Concordia’s acclaimed Department of Communication Studies. Many of its graduates, such as filmmaker Kevin Tierney, CBC journalist Hanna Gartner, television producer René Balcer (Law and Order) and film producer Don Carmody (Chicago), have gone on to great success in media and other creative fields.

O’Brien graduated from Loyola College in 1945. He joined the Society of Jesus, and he was ordained in 1957. Father O’Brien returned to Loyola College after earning a doctorate in Communication from the University of Southern California.

“Father O’Brien has had a remarkable career and is a true pioneer at our university and in Canadian academia,” says Concordia President and Vice-Chancellor Frederick Lowy. “This is merely the latest recognition of his achievements. In 1987, Father O’Brien was named Concordia’s first Distinguished Professor Emeritus for his enduring contributions to Loyola, Concordia and the field of communication studies.”

The Loyola Medal was conceived in 1961 by the Loyola Alumni Association and the administration of Loyola College, one of Concordia’s founding institutions, as a tribute to outstanding leadership and contribution to society, and is one of the highest honours awarded by university.

Father O’Brien joins a distinguished group of past recipients that includes Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar (2009), Sen. and LtGen Roméo Dallaire (ret) (2006), the late Oscar Peterson (1997), fellow Jesuit the late Rev. Bernard Lonergan (1971) and the late Governor General of Canada, Georges P. Vanier (1963).

What:  The 2011 Loyola Medal ceremony for Father O’ Brien
When:  October 18 – 6 p.m.
Where: Bishops’ Atrium – Loyola High School, 2477 West Broadway St., Montreal

Please Note: The ceremony is by invitation only, but journalists and photographers are welcome. Members of the media wishing to attend or arrange a pre-event interview with Father O’Brien should contact: Scott.McCulloch@Concordia.ca

Related Links:

• About the Loyola Medal
  
• Department of Communication Studies