Board and Senate notes: November 2016
Read the Board Notes for November 2, 2016.
Read the Senate Notes for November 4, 2016.
Board approves new Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
Concordia’s president Alan Shepard announces the appointment of two special advisors on Indigenous Directions
President’s remarks
In his remarks to the Board of Governors at its November 2, 2016 meeting, Concordia’s president Alan Shepard spoke about the record turnout at the recent Open House held on both campuses.
The October 29 event not only drew thousands of people, but hundreds of professors and staff who volunteered their time to meet with prospective students and their families. He congratulated everyone who participated in making the day such a success.
Shepard noted that convocation ceremonies were going to take place on November 7. More than 1,600 students from all four faculties and the School of Graduate Studies received their diplomas.
The ceremonies also honoured four highly distinguished individuals: Nahlah Ayed, a foreign correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Calin Rovinescu, president and CEO of Air Canada; Régine Chassagne, a founding member of the music group Arcade Fire; and Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College in California.
Shepard then announced the appointment of two special advisors to the provost on Indigenous Directions, Elizabeth Fast, an assistant professor of applied human sciences in the Faculty of Arts and Science and Charmaine Lyn, the senior director of the Office of Community Engagement.
Fast and Lyn will lead the university’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action. Their three-year appointment runs until June 2019.
The president celebrated the recent launch of the Concordia University Press, one of only three university presses to be created in Canada over the past 30 years. The non-profit publisher of scholarly books in English and French is the first open-access academic press in Quebec and one of just a few in North America.
Concordia continues to hold its own in university rankings, making significant gains in reputation, student satisfaction and innovation in Maclean’s University Rankings, moving up to 10th place among Canadian comprehensive universities.
Shepard noted that the newly released U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities ranked Concordia in the 650th position out of 1,000 universities across 65 countries worldwide. There are about 20,000 universities worldwide.
New Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering approved
The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science (ENCS) is moving forward to establish a new Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, following approval by the Board.
The new department will enable Concordia to develop its own niche as an international leader in chemical and materials engineering, research and practice, said ENCS Dean Amir Asif. He noted that chemical engineering is in high demand in Quebec.
The uniqueness of the programs offered by the department will lie in the synergy between chemical engineering and materials science.
As a first move under the university’s game plan, this is a good example of how Concordia is moving forward to become a next-generation university. The new department supports the university’s strategic directions, in particular its initiatives to Double our Research, Teach for Tomorrow and Grow Smartly.
Asif says the new department will help in addressing the gender imbalance in engineering, since chemical engineering has traditionally attracted the highest number of female students among all engineering programs. It will also enable ENCS to grow in a controlled manner.
There will be opportunities for collaboration in teaching and research between ENCS and the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS). This will be achieved through strong interdisciplinary research and education efforts by faculty members in the new Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and their colleagues working in the ENCS departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the FAS departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology and Physics.
Update on key performance indicators
Shepard walked Board members through a presentation on selected key performance indicators, which can be mapped back to three of Concordia’s strategic directions, Double our Research, Grow Smartly and Take Pride. The indicators are based on the latest available data for the 2015-16 fiscal year.
Concordia has seen tremendous growth in research funding, as reflected in Research Infosource’s 2015 rankings of Canada’s Top Research Universities. The university moved up to take the 25th spot and has seen its growth in scholarly publications increase by 157.6 per cent from 2000-01 to 2014-15.
Total research income has increased from $39.1 million in 2009-10 to $45.8 million in 2014-15, and preliminary estimates indicate total research funding will be $50.4 million in 2015-16.
Shepard said one of his priorities has been to increase funding available for student aid, which has risen to $736 in 2015-16 from $548 in 2011-12 per full-time student. Support for graduate students is also on an upward trajectory, reflecting the university’s deliberate action to provide financial support.
A review of the operating budget over the last six years reveals that expenses have outpaced revenues, which is not surprising given the university’s operating budget has seen a permanent loss of about $40 million since 2012-13.
However, a re-think of the university’s approach to fundraising is paying off, with increases in donations and gifts to Concordia.
Senate receives an update on Concordia’s real estate holdings
University’s librarian Guylaine Beaudry discusses the future of scholarly publishing.
President’s Remarks
In his opening remarks at the Senate meeting on November 4, Concordia President Alan Shepard extended his sincere thanks to faculty and staff members who volunteered at the recent Open House. The October 29 event was an extraordinary success, with a record turnout of more than 6,000 visitors.
Concordia continues to hold its own in university rankings, doing well in reputation, student satisfaction and innovation in Maclean’s University Rankings.
The third annual U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities saw Concordia ranked in the 650th position out of 1,000 universities across 65 countries worldwide. Shepard pointed out there are about 20,000 universities worldwide.
Individual programs are also doing well in rankings, he said, referring to Concordia’s placement in ShanghaiRanking’s Academic Ranking of World Universities for seven different engineering subjects.
Concordia’s Civil Engineering program placed within the global top 50, ranking 20th in the world — ahead of such institutions as Stanford and Cambridge.
The president celebrated the recent launch of Concordia University Press, one of only three university presses to be created in Canada over the past 30 years. The non-profit, publisher of scholarly books in English and French is the first open-access academic press in Quebec and one of just a few in North America.
The university has made a record number of research proposals this year to the Discovery Grants Program, with 93 submissions compared to 67 last year.
The program is administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Over the past 15 years, Concordia has seen a substantial growth in scholarly publications of 157.6 per cent, according to audited data by the Infosource’s 2015 rankings of Canada’s Top Research Universities.
Finally, the president shared the news that the Board of Governors approved a proposal to create a new Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. Senate reviewed and approved this proposal at its last meeting.
Provost’s academic update
Graham Carr, provost and vice-president of Academic Affairs, said he looked forward to the November 7 convocation ceremonies. This fall, more than 1,600 students are graduating from Concordia.
He also thanked faculty, staff and students for participating in the successful Open House, noting that several alumni came back to support their alma mater at the event.
November 4 marked a few anniversaries at Concordia, said Carr, referring to the fifth anniversary of the opening of both the PERFORM Centre and the Centre for Functional and Structural Genomics plus the 40th anniversary of the PhD program in business administration.
This program is offered by Concordia’s John Molson School of Business in affiliation with HEC Montréal, McGill and UQAM universities. More than 800 students have graduated since the program’s inception.
Carr thanked Elizabeth Fast and Charmaine Lyn, who have agreed to serve as special advisors to the provost on Indigenous Directions.
Fast, an assistant professor of applied human sciences in the Faculty of Arts and Science and Lyn, the senior director of the Office of Community Engagement, will lead the university’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action.
Presenting Concordia’s real estate portfolio
Michel Nadeau, associate vice-president of Facilities Management, provided Senate with an overview of the university’s real estate portfolio, the Master Space Plan, current and upcoming projects and challenges moving forward.
The Master Space Plan is updated every five years. A review is scheduled for 2017, which will include a consultation process with the Concordia community.
It will take into consideration the nine strategic directions and “first moves” as well as the projected growth in enrolment over the next 10 years.
Upcoming renovation projects include a new wellness centre on the third floor of the Guy-De Maisonneuve Building (GM), new engineering labs on the 10th and 14th floors of the Henry F. Hall Building and a new conference centre on the ninth floor of the John Molson School of Business Building (MB).
Nadeau said Concordia is currently at capacity. There is limited opportunity to construct new buildings. As a result, the university will need to be more efficient in the use of its space. He added that Concordia must increase the flexibility of how space is used and plan for multifunctional or multidisciplinary spaces.
Addressing the sustainability of scholarly publications
Access to scholarly research is key to innovation, and to Canada’s success and global competitiveness. However, the current commercial publishing model is unsustainable and is jeopardizing access to scholarly research, university librarian Guylaine Beaudry told Senate.
In her presentation, Beaudry summarized the major issues affecting universities when they purchase scholarly journals. For example, the five major publishers continue to price journals based on print models, despite the shift to digital production, distribution and collection management. Purchasing agreements force libraries to buy content they may not use.
While libraries have created consortia and have successfully leveraged collective buying power, it’s not enough, says Beaudry.
That is why Concordia is a member of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN). The network represents 75 academic libraries across Canada, including world-class research institutions as well as innovative teaching-focused institutions.
CRKN has developed a toolkit for members to raise awareness and support on a national level within and beyond the university. The tools can be used in communications with internal stakeholders on the issue of negotiation priorities.
The network is also promoting alternative publishing models such as open-access publishing, the creation and maintenance of institutional repositories and library-supported publishing platforms.
The network recently announced that Concordia president Alan Shepard has been appointed chair of its Board of Directors for a three-year term, beginning October 20, 2016.
