Board of Governors and Senate highlights: December 2025

Concordia’s Board of Governors and Senate held their last meetings of 2025 respectively on December 11 and December 12.

At both meetings, President Graham Carr highlighted a few recent achievements by members of the Concordia community:

• Design and Computation Arts professor Jason Lewis received the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Impact Award – Partnership, the first Concordia faculty member to receive the $50,000 grant.
• Nadia Myre (Algonquin, Kitigan Zibi), MFA 02, professor in Concordia’s Department of Studio Arts, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas – Québec's highest distinction in visual arts. Carr said Myre is the fifth Concordia faculty or graduate to receive the prize since 2017, underlining the “fundamental role Concordia plays in the development of Quebec’s artistic and cultural identity”.
• Marc Gauthier, the university’s treasurer and chief investment officer, received two prestigious national and international awards in recognition of the innovative investment strategies he has led across Concordia’s pension plan and the Concordia University Inter-Generational Fund.
• On December 10, Carr visited the university’s Genome Foundry and Bioprocessing facilities, which were recently upgraded thanks to a $5M Canada Foundation for Innovation and Quebec government investment. The enhancements position the Loyola Campus facilities as one of Canada’s leading centres for synthetic biology and bioprocessing.
• At Senate, Carr also congratulated the Gina Cody School student group HackConcordia for their Hack Découverte event, which brought large numbers of students from francophone cegeps and high schools to Concordia on November 29.

New government funding for recruitment of international talent

The president welcomed the federal government’s December 9 announcement of a $1.7B investment to attract researchers and graduate students from abroad. Concordia will begin work on that front immediately.

Carr added that Concordia will also participate in a similar initiative by the Quebec government, which in this case targets researchers currently in the United States.

Concerning provisions in planned Quebec legislation

Carr then spoke about two bills put forward by the Quebec government that could have significant implications for Concordia:

• Presented as a proposed constitution for Quebec, Bill 1 threatens to undermine university autonomy, the president said, adding that many groups have voiced their opposition to it, including the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire, which represents all Quebec universities. Bill 1:
  • limits the ability of universities, as publicly funded bodies, to take legal action against the government;
  • expands government powers to dictate contracts between Quebec entities, including universities, and non-Quebec entities, such as the federal government and other provinces, which could impact research funding agreements;
  • fails to protect the historic status of English-language institutions;
  • lacks any reference to academic freedom;
  • and specifically states that multiculturalism does not apply in Quebec.

Public consultations have started and will continue until February.

• On Bill 9 on secularism (laïcité), the university is still assessing the full extent of its impact, Carr said, adding that for now “we have more questions than we have answers. However, it is clear that prayer space, such as the one in the Hall Building, would not be permitted if the planned legislation is adopted. Carr explained that the administration has started talking to student groups who would be affected by the law. And that it will do its best to support students as the implications of the proposed bill become clearer.

Carr added that Concordia has always been committed to equity and inclusion and will continue to be.

The bill will be subject to public consultations in the new year and, in the meantime, the university continues to analyze its content.

Budget conversations continue

The provost continues to tour departments and faculties to discuss the university’s budget situation. The meetings serve to explore how to develop new programs or tweak existing ones, increase retention and recruitment and generate new revenue, Carr explained. Part of the discussions also focus on strategies to help remove obstacles to student success.

On his end, Carr will be meeting with non-academic sectors to reiterate that the university continues to face a “grave challenge” and that further cost-reduction measures, up to and including layoffs, will have to be examined.

Annual report from the Ombuds Office

Amy Fish, Concordia’s ombudsperson, presented highlights of the Ombuds Office’s 2024-2025 annual report at both meetings.

The Ombuds Office managed 565 files over the year, on topics ranging from tuition and grades to communications with professors, with a few files related to campus climate. The Ombuds Office also received some 300 emails and calls about campus climate from outside Concordia, Fish added, all of which she responded to.  

Fish also spoke about some of the recommendations she made to the administration.

Recognition of prior learning

At the Board meeting, members approved the proposed financial model for the implementation of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The RPL initiative is designed to enhance access to academic programs by formally recognizing learning acquired outside traditional educational settings. In response to a question from a Board member, Provost Faye Diamantoudi confirmed that no RPL fees would be charged to Indigenous students, just like they are exempt from tuition fees.

New undergraduate programs in cybersecurity

At the Senate meeting, three proposals endorsed by the Academic Programs Committee were approved:

• The Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science aims to offer two new programs as of the 2026-2027 academic year: a B.Eng. in Cybersecurity Engineering and a B.Sc. in Cybersecurity. The motion adopted by Senate includes final curriculum and course changes to align with the review of the provincial commission that assesses university programs. Final approval of the programs by the ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur is pending.  
• In response to significant interest expressed by applicants from outside Concordia to enrol in the recently created Minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context, the Faculty of Arts and Science will also offer the program as a certificate. As minors are only open to students currently enrolled in a bachelor’s program, the creation of the certificate will offer the opportunity to bring in new students to the faculty.  
•  The John Molson School of Business proposed a few changes to its Minor in Data Intelligence. The title will be updated to Minor in Business Analytics to better reflect current industry language and enhance the program’s visibility and appeal to prospective students and employers alike. The title and content of courses have also been updated.