Board Notes: April 2019
Board hears the president’s roundup of recent campus highlights
President’s remarks
Concordia President Alan Shepard welcomed members of the Board of Governors to the April 17 meeting. His report is available in the Board materials.
Shepard pointed out that his Report to the Board of Governors states that he met with more than 100 graduates on his recent multi-city Alumni Tour. In fact, he met with several hundred alumni.
“It’s a pleasure to talk to graduates and to make connections and visit those who are in a position to be donors,” he said.
He informed members of the Board that the newest honorary degree recipients will be announced in early May. He also related that hundreds of students and others joined the president for coffee get-togethers on the Loyola and Sir George Williams campuses.
Shepard congratulated the Stingers teams for their banner year. The men’s rugby team won the inaugural Canadian University Sevens Championship, and the men’s and women’s basketball teams advanced to the Canadian national championships.
He referred to an agenda item: the passing of a new undergraduate fee levy of $0.09 per credit for the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). “I’m very familiar with WUSC, which is a great program.”
Shepard reported that Concordia just announced news of its $10-million federal grant for the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities. The grant also allows the university to enlist five researchers. Concordia won the funding in a highly competitive field, he noted.
Concordia also recently launched its Indigenous Directions action plan.
He added that the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre recently announced a $2.5 million investment to support FUSION, the Future Skill Innovation Network. The national project, initiated by Concordia, aims to make graduating students ready for a world marked by rapid change.
Sandra Gabriele, vice-provost of Innovation, Teaching and Learning, is Concordia’s campus lead for FUSION.
Finally, Shepard reported that the Government of Quebec’s recent budget includes the deregulation of tuition for international undergraduate students. Beginning September 2019, the government will no longer provide grants for teaching, support services and space-related services for international students in cycle 1, and for professional and non-thesis students in cycle 2.
Shepard said that the finance committee would examine the issue and report its recommendations to the Board.
Sophie Hough-Martin, the Board’s undergraduate student representative, delivered a presentation on the same issue.
