Senate approves a new honours in management program

President’s remarks

In his remarks at Concordia's last Senate meeting on May 18, Concordia’s president Alan Shepard shared the news that Gordon Dionne, manager of the Access Centre for Students with Disabilities (ACSD), passed away on May 11.

During his five years at Concordia, Dionne was a strong advocate for all students and an exceptional mentor and leader.

The president acknowledged the contributions of Bram Freedman, vice-president of Advancement and External Relations. He left the university on July 6 to become president and CEO of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation.

Freedman has been a great advocate for Concordia during his career that has spanned more than 20 years, said the president. Under his leadership, the university launched the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen. Now, its most ambitious fundraising appeal to date.

The president thanked the senators for their work on various committees and their service during the past academic year.

He also drew attention to the spring convocation ceremonies which took place on June 11, 12 and 13. Honorary doctorates were presented to 11 outstanding individuals who have made their mark in the fields of law, Indigenous rights, journalism, nanoscience, business and philanthropy.

Concordia continues to make great strides in its strategic direction to double its research. The university received $2.4 million over five years for three new Canada Research Chairs and one renewal.

Researchers also received 50 Discovery Grants, which support research and long-term goals, totalling $6.85 million.

He also spoke briefly about Bill 62, adopted on October 18, 2017. The Government of Quebec has recently released guidelines on how it will assess requests for religious accommodation under Bill 62.

Shepard noted that university policies will continue to be applied and that no changes are anticipated at the present time. 

He added that Lisa Ostiguy, special advisor to the provost on academic life, has been designated as the person responsible for dealing with accommodation requests, as required by law.

Academic update

In his academic update to Senate, Graham Carr, provost and vice-president of Academic Affairs, drew attention to two exceptional students who have received prestigious awards.

The first was Amir Hooshiar who received the 2018 NSERC Gilles Brassard Doctoral Prize for Interdisciplinary Research. Only Vanier scholars are eligible to apply for the $10,000 award. Hooshiar is the first Concordian to receive the award since its inception in 2012.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, presented the award to Hooshiar in Ottawa. Carr said it was a proud moment for the outstanding researcher and the university.

The second student Carr highlighted was Frédérique Laliberté. She was a recipient of the 2018 Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Graduate Fellowship in Contemporary Art.

The fellowship is awarded to two students, one from Concordia and one from UQAM to support them in continuing their career after graduation.

Plans are on track for the opening of 4th Space this fall said Carr. This new street-level space in the J.W. McConnell Building (formerly the bookstore) will showcase research and research-creation.

The unique space will allow prospective and current students, faculty and staff as well as members of the public to experience the kind of research that is being produced at Concordia first-hand, he said.

New honours in management program approved

The John Molson School of Business (JMSB) will offer a new honours in management program following approval by Senate.

The program creates an opportunity for the most talented management students to conduct research in small business development, sustainability initiatives or leadership and interpersonal relations in larger firms.

The honours designation will enhance the value of their degree and encourage some of these students to pursue graduate work in management.

The Department of Exercise Science is now the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology

Following a recommendation from the Arts and Science Faculty Council, Senate approved the renaming the Department of Exercise Science as the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology.

The change in the department’s name reflects the expanding role of overall health within their programs and research and the need to promote physiology and the sciences, in addition to interventions. This not only includes exercise but sleep, nutrition and behaviour change.
 

Senators get an overview of eConcordia

Sandra Gabriele, vice-provost of Innovation in Teaching and Learning, provided an overview of how e-learning is growing at Concordia.

She said e-learning matters in higher education and is poised to be very disruptive, especially with the changes in demographics and federal government investments in lifelong learning. This will require flexibility and a change in delivery mechanisms.

“E-learning can help to address space issues and contribute to innovation in teaching,” said Gabriele.

It also presents opportunities for the development of new skills, self-directed learning and new media literacy.

Concordia currently offers approximately 70 e-learning courses in the fall and winter terms through eConcordia. Other universities have more offerings, such as Athabasca University, which offers 850 courses and seven programs.

Robert Beauchemin, president and CEO of eConcordia, gave an overview of eConcordia and its approach to e-learning.

“We try to have something different,” he said. “We produce tailor-made, non-templated online courses.”

There are a number of tools eConcordia uses to create online courses and achieve course objectives including: custom design and animation.

Developing an online course is a collaborative process between eConcordia and the professor. Phases include analysis, production and evaluation.