Senate approves two new graduate programs

In his remarks to Senate at its April 22, 2016 meeting, Concordia’s president Alan Shepard reported that admissions for the fall 2016 semester have been strong, especially for graduate studies, and are higher compared to last year.

Shepard celebrated the $1 million donation to the John Molson School of Business by Hardy Grewal, BComm 83, who arrived in Montreal in the 1970s with only $7 in his pocket. Grewal took advantage of Concordia’s flexible schedule to take classes during the day and drive a taxi by night. The president said that the increased philanthropy to the university in recent years signals greater trust in the institution and respect for its students, faculty and staff.

Four Concordia mathletes recently won the $20,000 top prize at the 2016 Munich Re Cup, an actuarial case competition. Continuing the university’s string of grant winners from federal and Quebec agencies, MFA student Whitefeather Hunter, who works in the new field of biotextiles, became the Fonds de recherche Société et culture laureate for the month of March.

New graduate programs approved

Senate approved two new graduate programs, a PhD in Health and Exercise Science and a PhD specializing in Software Engineering (SE).

The PhD in Health and Exercise Science comes thanks to the improved infrastructure of the PERFORM Centre, which has increased external funding for faculty and allowed the Department of Exercise Science to hire four new professors in the past three years. The program must be approved by the Government of Quebec, which will take about a year.

With enrolment in the master’s in SE already higher than in the more general computer science designation, four new tenure-track SE positions have been filled in the past three years. All of them have successfully attracted external funding. The faculty has 15 professors in related fields, with more in the hiring process now.

The new PhD program, which will be implemented immediately because it is classified as an updated program, will mean better industry recognition of the expertise gained by many students.

Provost’s academic update

In his final academic update to Senate, outgoing Provost Benoit-Antoine Bacon highlighted a “triple launch.” First, Concordia is a founding member of Temps Libre, a new co-working space located in the Mile End.

Its 88 seats will be populated by social entrepreneurs, artists, NGOs and community members, plus there is free space for public lectures, exhibitions and workshops. Within Temps Libre, Concordia has a cluster of eight desks dedicated to faculty and students interested in exploring micro residencies, developing new collaborations and connections with the community, and discovering alternate modes of teaching.

Second, within Temps Libre, the Faculty of Fine Arts has launched the Institute for Urban Futures, a research platform that brings together various Concordia faculty and graduate students interested in engaging with ideas on futurism, speculative design, embedded community engagement, and site-responsive urban practices.

And third, on March 30, the new Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology was launched to great acclaim, including a high-profile piece in the Globe and Mail.

Bacon also reported that the university has 30 ongoing searches for full-time professors in a variety of fields, including environmental change and sustainability, avionics, Indigenous art practice, and strategic entrepreneurship.

Six additional hires have been authorized, effective immediately, to support key areas identified through the Strategic Directions initiative. Two are in chemical and materials engineering, and one each in architecture and urbanism, ecological economics and sustainability, nanoscience, and real estate management.

Revisions to Policy on Postdoctoral Fellows approved

Three important changes to the university’s Policy on Postdoctoral Fellows (VPRGS-4) were approved by Senate.

Effective June 1, postdoctoral fellows, who are funded by the university, will be considered employees and not trainees. As a result, they will contribute to the pension plan and employment insurance, and be eligible for parental leave and health benefits.

This revision reflects current practices across Canada and feedback received from postdoctoral fellows who expressed the need to be provided with better living conditions and a safety net in case of unemployment.

The second change sets a university-wide minimum salary or stipend of $30,000 per year per postdoctoral fellow. However, supervisors have the discretion to increase the remuneration.

Finally, the process of postdoctoral fellow appointments will be now be centralized through the dean of Graduate Studies instead of Faculty deans. This will allow the School of Graduate Studies to better capture and accurately track the number of postdoctoral fellows at Concordia and to ensure that the minimum stipend/salary is met in all appointments.

Draft policy on sexual violence presented

A draft of a new stand-alone policy on sexual violence was shared with senators. This new policy was one of the recommendations presented in a report released last August by the Sexual Assault Policy Review Working Group.

Spearheaded by deputy provost Lisa Ostiguy, the proposed policy links to existing policies and will apply to all members of the Concordia community (students, faculty and staff). It will include:

• A definition of sexual violence
• A definition for consent that is aligned with the Criminal Code of Canada
• Sections specifically related to sexual harassment and sexual assault
• A link to a procedures manual that describes the process and available support services

Ostiguy said the propsed policy has been reviewed by the Board’s Governance and Ethics Committee. It will go to the Board for approval on May 20.