Board of Governors and Senate highlights: February 2026
President Graham Carr began his remarks at the Feb. 5 Board of Governors and Feb. 6 Senate meetings by providing updates on governmental files.
He confirmed that the Quebec government is maintaining the tuition increase for out-of-province students, despite a court ruling in April 2025 that deemed the hike to be “unreasonable”. He said the government notified Concordia on January 23 of its decision, now providing as its justification that the hike is intended "to prevent Quebec taxpayers from having to subsidize a large portion of the studies of Canadian students who are not recognized as Quebec residents." Carr said the university was “disappointed, but not surprised.”
In anticipation of the next provincial budget, the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire (BCI) participated in the pre-budget consultations in January. The BCI, which represents all Quebec universities, called on the government to consider increased support to help the universities cover the indexation of costs and infrastructure needs, among other asks.
The BCI also made submissions as part of the public consultations held this month on a couple of provincial bills:
• Bill 1: Universities are asking that the government’s proposed “constitution” explicitly protect academic freedom and university autonomy.
• Bill 9: Concordia is concerned the bill aimed at “reinforcing secularism” will prevent education students who wear religious symbols or clothing from getting internships in public schools.
Finally, he added that even though graduates of anglophone universities were excluded from the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) in 2023, Concordia supports the idea of a “grandfather clause”. The PEQ provided a pathway toward residency for qualifying candidates until its cancellation last fall.
On the topic of immigration, the president mentioned a November 2025 report by the provincial auditor general that was highly critical of how the Quebec government managed the international student file. The report concluded that the government did not assess adequately the impact of the recruitment measures it introduced a few years ago, nor that of the quotas it then imposed. It also spoke of inefficiencies in the initial selection process and a lack of follow-up on whether the students they selected then chose to study in Quebec.
University finances
Carr told the Board that Moody’s downgraded Concordia’s baseline credit rating in its January 2026 report. The credit agency trusts the university can achieve its return to a balanced budget thanks to its “strong financial management,” but does not expect to see “material improvements in [its] key metrics until at least 2030.”
On the budget, the president said that Interim Provost Faye Diamantoudi has now finished meeting with all academic departments, while he has met with all non-academic departments. The meetings were intended “to make sure everyone has access to the same accurate information and be clear on the challenges ahead.” They were also meant to solicit ideas on how the university can reimagine program offerings to generate new sustainable sources of funding and on which additional avenues it could use to achieve cost savings and efficiencies. The university will need to take additional steps to meet its financial recovery plan, Carr told Senate, including potentially carrying out layoffs.
Concordians at the Olympics
The president also had some good news to share:
• At least four Concordia students are competing in the Milan-Cortina Olympics Winter Games.
• Six members of the Concordia community were among the appointments to the Order of Canada announced on December 31, 2025, including Martha Langford, distinguished professor emerita in the Department of Art History.
• Concordia ranked fifth in Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of best employers in Canada, he told the Board.
Annual report of the Office of Rights and Responsibilities
Aisha Topsakal, director of the Office of Rights and Responsibilities (ORR), presented to the Board and to Senate the ORR’s annual report covering the period of May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025. The ORR administers the Code of Rights and Responsibilities, which sets out behavioural expectations for all members of the community. The ORR provides confidential consultations as well as formal and informal avenues for submitting and resolving complaints.
During the period of reference, the ORR managed 507 files, an increase of 15 per cent compared to the previous one. The majority of the files, or 70 per cent, consisted of confidential consultations, an early intervention point to help address concerns before they escalate into full-blown conflict. The number of informal resolutions and student-of-concern cases – where the ORR assesses whether a student presents a danger to themselves or others – was stable. There was however an increase in formal complaints to 68, up from 46 the previous year. These were often related to campus climate and protests, interpersonal conflict and harassment.
Academic matters
Senate approved new academic programs and a program revision submitted by the John Molson School of Business and the Faculty of Arts and Science:
• The new major in Business Analytics aims to expose students to business intelligence concepts and data analytics theory, methods, tools and techniques, providing them with the skills and abilities to become effective business analysts and managers. It adds to an existing minor in Business Analytics.
• The Département d’études françaises will offer a research-creation option as part of its Master of Translation, in addition to its current professional (non-thesis) and research streams. This third stream could appeal to candidates interested in literary translation, the department said.
• With its proposed Master of Science in Athletic Therapy, the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology will phase out the current bachelor’s level program and restructure it. The enhanced curriculum will align with the increasing responsibilities of athletics therapists as healthcare specialists and with educational and accreditation trends in this field.
• The John Molson School proposed revisions to its Master in Supply Chain Management, adding a project-based option to the thesis-based option.
Finally, a motion to approve the Policy on Research Entities, a revision of the Policy on Research Units and Infrastructure Platforms, was presented upon recommendation of the Senate Research Committee. Following a discussion, the motion was withdrawn and will be resubmitted at a later Senate meeting.
