Senate approves a new Graduate Certificate in Innovation, Technology and Society

Curriculum changes: Engineering and Communication Studies

Senate approved a new 15-credit Graduate Certificate in Innovation, Technology and Society in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science.

The program, which is open to students holding a bachelor’s degree in any subject, takes a cross-disciplinary approach in building an understanding of the long-term impacts of technology on society while developing skills working in interdisciplinary teams.

Professor Deborah Dysart-Gale told Senate the program responds to student demand for skills and knowledge in technological and social entrepreneurship. A graduate student member of Senate who had taken a course emphasized how practical the program would be for her career.

Given the growth of its research capacity, the Department of Communication Studies proposed to Senate the progression of its Communication Doctorate to an independently administered program no longer offered jointly with the Université de Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal, as it has been for the past 30 years.

Communication Studies chair Sandra Gabriele suggested that a stand-alone program would enhance the department’s ability to recruit top-ranked PhD students, provide greater control over learning outcomes, allow students to graduate better prepared to face the job market and better align the program with Concordia’s research and teaching objectives. Senate approved the proposal.

President’s remarks

In his remarks to Senate at its March 11, 2016 meeting, president Alan Shepard reported that in advance of the Quebec budget slated for unveiling March 17, he had the opportunity to speak to premier Philippe Couillard.

Couillard told Shepard to look forward to a general reinvestment in education and more specifically in higher education, as well as more jobs for university graduates in innovation, sustainability, green energy and clean tech.

Shepard commented that the clear overlap between these new government priorities and those long held by Concordia position the university to benefit from the upcoming budget. He also noted that, as the reinvestment was planned for the next three to four years, it was implied that further cuts would not come during that same period.

Shepard celebrated two recently announced Governor General’s Awards for Concordia alumni visual artists. Suzy Lake, MFA 83, is a Canadian pioneer in the use of performance, video and photography to explore the politics of gender, the body and identity. William Vazan, BA 70, is widely known for his work in multiple media, including sculpture, painting, photography and earthwork.

The president also provided updates on three executive searches ongoing at Concordia:

• Shepard has already held preliminary interviews with a few candidates for the position of chief financial officer (CFO).
• The provost’s search committee met for the first time on March 9.
• The search for the dean of the John Molson School of Business is progressing well.

Shepard reported to Senate interesting research findings from the Universities Canada workshop on the future of the liberal arts that he attended in Montreal, on March 7 and 8, at which he moderated a Presidents’ Panel.

Using the tax records of University of Ottawa graduates, the Education Policy Research Initiative found that social sciences and humanities graduates enjoy salaries competitive with those from more technical disciplines.

Although they start below average — earning some $40,000 a year right after graduation — only 13 years later they average $80,000, similar to the average earnings of math and science graduates.

Shepard cited the high attendance at the February 13 Admissions Information Day as an example of the university’s strong start to the winter term. Some 2,200 people turned out to get help with their admissions process and to see the university and its facilities from the inside.

Shepard suggested that to meet growing demand, the winter Admissions Day should be expanded to become more like the university’s Open House held every fall.

Phase 2 of the Webster Library Transformation has been completed two months ahead of time. The new fifth-floor space opened March 3 and boasts 550 additional study spaces, three new large reading rooms, five group-study rooms, and three silent dissertation writers’ rooms with shelving and lockers plus a lounge.

Finally, Shepard reported on the success of GradProSkills’ Graduate Student Career Options Day, held February 18. Some 125 participants in workshops learned about the many career options beyond academia for master’s and PhD graduates.

Provost’s academic update

Provost Benoit-Antoine Bacon reported to Senate on the major reorganization of student services under deputy provost Lisa Ostiguy. With much progress achieved on the reorganization of processes and teams, attention has turned to space allocation.

Plans will soon be underway to house the Student Success Centre in one centrally located, dynamic space on the Henry F. Hall Building’s seventh floor. When completed, the new space will bring together a variety of services that support students from admission to graduation, focusing on the first-year experience and retention, academic support for all learners and career planning.

Also in the planning is a space on the Guy-De Maisonneuve Building’s third floor. It will bring together the Access Centre for Students with Disabilities and Counselling and Psychological Services as part of the new Campus Wellness and Support Services Centre that includes Health Services on the floor below.

The International Students Office and the Student Advocate Program will also move to this new space that will have a shared reception and common space, and access to multi-function rooms.

Issues experienced with admissions last year from the advent of the new Student Information System have been largely corrected. Admissions for fall 2016 closed March 1, and Bacon was pleased to report the university had surpassed its application processing rates not only of last year, but of two years ago at the height of the old system. Bacon credited the Enrolment Services and faculty Enrolment Offices teams for their quick adaptation.

Ombuds Office annual report

In the Ombuds Office’s annual report to Senate, associate ombudsperson Julie Boncompain explained that the office handled 427 cases during the 2014-15 academic year. While the percentage of cases received as a proportion of the overall student body has remained constant over the past three years (0.8 per cent), the office saw a 50 per cent decrease in cases from undergraduate international students compared to the previous year. Employees accounted for 42 of the 427 cases, about 10 per cent.

Concordia was the first Canadian university to have an Ombuds Office. It was created in 1978 as part of the merger of the offices of Sir George Williams University and Loyola College. To ensure impartiality, ombudsperson Kristen Robillard, who held the position for 15 years, changed the office’s structure to have it report directly to the Board of Governors and be independent of the university’s administrative structures. Robillard stepped down in November for health reasons.

Find out more about Concordia’s Ombuds Office.