Senate notes: January 2020
Concordia President Graham Carr welcomed members of Senate to its first meeting of 2020 on January 24.
Carr expressed his deep sympathies for the Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 disaster victims, who included two alumni from Concordia’s Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering. He thanked the community for organizing a public vigil and pointed out that Concordia has set up a Memorial Scholarship Fund for Iranian Students.
He informed Senate that Concordia is closely monitoring the Coronavirus situation.
Carr also reported that he recently attended a Universities Canada conference, where attendees discussed higher-education priorities and the government’s international strategy.
In addition, he noted that the university has extended its community presence with the recent opening of the Creative Living Lab at the Cavendish Mall in Côte-Saint-Luc, Que., by engAGE, Concordia’s Centre for Research on Aging.
He commended students for two great initiatives, the John Molson International MBA Case Competition, held January 6 to 10, and the 24-hour ConUHacks V hackathon on January 25 and 26.
Carr congratulated three Concordians for their Order of Canada appointments: Hana Gartner (BA 70) and Caroline Ouellette (LLD 19) as officers; and Lynn Zimmer (BA 69) as a member.
And he reminded Senate of the upcoming Winter Open House on February 15.
Academic update
In addition to the information available in her online academic report, Anne Whitelaw, interim provost and vice-president, academic, encouraged members of Senate to check out the activities during First Voices Week at Concordia from February 3 to 7.
Undergraduate curriculum proposal for new minor in science journalism
André Roy, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, and David Secko, chair of the Department of Journalism, presented a proposal for the creation of a minor in science journalism. Secko explained that the department is building a research and teaching platform for science journalism and looking to bring the skills of journalism to the science fields. Senate approved the proposal.
Time and Space presentation
Whitelaw and Stéphanie de Celles, Concordia’s registrar, updated Senate on the work of the university’s Time and Space committee. They are looking at ways to improve scheduling challenges faced by undergraduates.
“Our goal is to help students get through university as smoothly as possible,” Whitelaw said. “Our intention is to harmonize, not standardize.”
The committee will reach out for input from students, faculty and staff through its website, surveys, meetings and focus groups.
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