L. Jacques Ménard named new Chancellor
L. Jacques Ménard has been named the new Chancellor of Concordia University and succeeds David P. O’Brien, Chancellor Emeritus, who has completed his five-year term. “It is an honour for Concordia to be able to count on a man of Jacques Ménard’s stature as our new chancellor,” says Peter Kruyt, Chairman of Concordia’s Board of Governors.
“The career of this remarkable business leader, an Officer of the Order of Canada and Ordre du Québec, has been marked by his extraordinary philanthropy and his commitment to helping society overcome significant problems. As a graduate of one of the two institutions that merged to become Concordia, he stands – alongside fellow alumnus David O’Brien – as an inspiration to our students,” adds Kruyt.
“I’m proud to continue my long-standing collaboration with a university that has greatly contributed to my career and my social concerns,” says Ménard. “Concordia has experienced exceptional growth since its creation and it is with great pride that I will represent the university on behalf of society-at-large, as well as its students, who embody the future of Quebec.”
“We are delighted that L. Jacques Ménard is deepening his long and fruitful association with his alma mater,” adds Kruyt, noting that Ménard sat on the university’s Board of Governors for several years and helped lead fundraising efforts during the institution’s last capital campaign. “He has always had a profound commitment to education, but also to community service which both reflect Concordia’s highest values.”
Ménard’s commitment to Concordia was further deepened in 2009, when he was appointed Deputy Chancellor.
Ménard has been profoundly engaged with Quebec society in general, and education in particular. He published his first book in 2008, Si on s’y mettait. This prompted him to establish the Groupe d’action sur la persévérance et la réussite scolaires au Quebec, a community action group which promotes initiatives geared towards supporting academic achievement at the high school level. Ménard subsequently published a book on the topic of high school perseverance, Beyond the Numbers… a Matter of the Heart. Ménard is chairman of Youth Fusion and has supported various initiatives from the business community to help bolster scholastic achievement across Quebec.
Ménard is chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns and president, BMO Financial Group, Québec. He is also past chairman of Hydro-Quebec, the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and the Task Force on the Sustainability of the Quebec Health and Social Services System. He was also vice-chairman of the Canadian Task Force on Financial Literacy.
Ménard is a graduate of the Collège Ste-Marie, Loyola College (Concordia University) and the University of Western Ontario. He received honorary doctorates from Concordia, the Université de Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke.
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