Board of Governors and Senate highlights: February 2025

The last Board of Governors and Senate meetings, held on February 6 and 7 respectively, opened with a word of welcome to Tim Evans, who joined Concordia as vice-president of research, innovation and impact on January 6.

At the Senate meeting, President Graham Carr also spoke of the recent passing of longtime Concordian Marc Lalonde, a graduate of the university and senior lecturer in the Department of Religions and Cultures, where he taught for 27 years.

Kudos

In addition to the news he shared in his written report, Carr highlighted some recent achievements by members of the Concordia community:

He congratulated the organizers of the John Molson School of Business MBA International Case Competition, which held its successful 43rd edition in January, welcoming 32 teams from 15 countries, and the John Molson undergraduate students who finished third overall and second in the competition for the academic cup in the Jeux du commerce case competition a few weeks ago.

He thanked the student organizers, faculty mentors, sponsors and judges who contributed to the success of the ninth edition of ConUHacks, Quebec’s largest hackathon, held at Concordia on February 1 and 2.

He congratulated the members of the Stingers’ women’s and men’s hockey teams who represented Canada at the 2025 FISU Winter World University Games in Torino, Italy. The men’s team won the gold medal while the women’s team won silver.

Carr also highlighted the recent achievement of aerospace engineering student and freestyle skier Marion Thénault, who won a bronze medal at the World Cup aerials event last month.

He spoke of this year’s edition of the Wild Talks Lecture Series, which welcomed acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky in conversation with Zoë Tousignant, BFA 03, PhD 13, curator of photography at the McCord Stewart Museum.

The president applauded the launch of the Minor in Black and African Diaspora Studies in the Canadian Context, a first of its kind in Quebec. To Senate, he also highlighted the participation of the John Molson School’s Community Service Initiative in a recently published calendar featuring a dozen successful Montreal-based Black entrepreneurs, half of whom are Concordia graduates, he said.

The president also thanked the members of the steering committee who led the Voluntary University Review. It documents the university’s current activities related to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and identifies ways to deepen Concordia’s contributions to global efforts to promote equity, security, well-being and respect for planetary limits.

Finally, Carr mentioned the recent listing by Forbes magazine of Canada’s best employers, in which Concordia placed third among organizations of at least 500 employees.

Legal challenge of Quebec policy changes

In mid-December, Concordia and McGill presented their arguments in the lawsuit they filed against the Quebec government following the changes in tuition policy announced in 2023. Carr added that a decision is not expected before the spring.

Financial outlook

The president then spoke of the university’s financial situation, mentioning the recent budget conversations held by Anne Whitelaw, provost and vice-president, academic, and Denis Cossette, chief financial officer.

He said Concordia was well on track to meet its $34.5 million deficit for 2024-25 but that the challenge going forward remains “daunting,” given the extremely negative effect that government policies are having on recruitment. He pointed out that 87 per cent of the university’s revenue comes from student tuition and associated government grants.

Concordia has experienced a 3.2 per cent decline in overall student headcount (or 1,441 fewer students), resulting from a decline in registrations from the rest of Canada and international students. In 2023-24, before new government policies were introduced, Concordia derived $54 million from international students through tuition and grants; the university projects this amount to drop to $18 million for 2025-26.

Concordia has a target deficit of $31.6 million for 2025-26 and achieving it will require additional cuts of between 4.6 and 7.2 per cent, to be distributed between academic and non-academic sectors. To minimize the cuts required, the university is aiming to bring in additional revenue by recruiting 1,000 more new students.

Finally, he mentioned that the university had received Moody’s latest credit analysis. The report maintained the credit rating Concordia was given last spring and gave a favourable assessment of its financial health and management. However, the analysis did indicate clearly, he said, that the university must look at adapting to the new funding reality. On this, Carr sees the need to take a multi-year approach to its financial planning and not only plan for a balanced budget by 2028-29, as it has committed, but looking beyond that target by designing a “new sustainable business model.” The exercise will include seeking novel sources of revenue.

At the end of the Senate meeting, Carr picked up the discussions that began last fall around the next iteration of the university’s Strategic Directions. The president emphasized that this reflection would have to be aligned with the new budget reality. He proposed resuming the discussions, including on how to best engage the community in the process, when the longer-term financial planning exercise has advanced further.

Annual report of the Office of Rights and Responsibilities

Aisha Topsakal, director of the Office of Rights and Responsibilities (ORR), presented the ORR’s annual report covering the period of May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024. The ORR administers the Code of Rights and Responsibilities, which prohibits behaviour such as harassment, discrimination, threats and violence. The ORR provides confidential consultations, as well as formal and informal avenues for submitting and resolving complaints.

In 2023-24, the ORR managed 442 files, an increase of 10 per cent compared to the previous reporting period, with 70 per cent of the files consisting of consultations.

To Board members, Topsakal mentioned that the ORR has observed a rise in reports of incivility which don’t quite meet the threshold of a code violation. She explained that the ORR coaches managers and faculty members on ways to de-escalate and resolve these situations.

Update on Campaign for Concordia

Paul Chesser, vice-president of advancement, updated the Board on the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now, which is entering its final stretch. The campaign is progressing well toward its $350 million goal; it has raised so far $312 million, more than any preceding campaign. Ten donors have contributed $85 million to the campaign, or 37 per cent of all gifts.

Chesser spoke of the many initiatives designed around the 50th anniversary of the university, including custom branding and advertising, a five-part podcast, flagship videos on each faculty, the “Great Concordians” series of articles featuring remarkable alumni and a variety of events. The closing celebration of the campaign and of the 50th anniversary will be held on September 25.

Revisions to the Policy on Research Chairs

Senate approved recommendations for revisions to the Policy on Research Chairs. The Senate Research Committee had proposed that research chairs be covered by two separate policies, one for external chairs and one for internal chairs, given the differing requirements for their nomination and review.

The committee had also recommended the modification of the eligibility criteria for the Canada Research Chairs in order to open them up to internal candidates. This adjustment, which aligns with practices at other Canadian institutions, will increase Concordia’s capacity to retain top researchers and to achieve its equity, diversity and inclusion targets.

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