Board of Governors highlights: April 2025
President Graham Carr opened the April 16 Board of Governors meeting by denouncing an act of antisemitic vandalism directed at Concordia’s Azrieli of Israel Studies that occurred on the evening of April 10. He reiterated that such actions have no place at Concordia nor in our society. The SPVM hate crimes unit is investigating the incident.
Climate at heart of campus discussions
The president took the opportunity to mention that the STRIVE task force and its subcommittees are continuing their work with a view to providing preliminary reports this spring. The task force was launched a year ago and has been consulting the community on their experiences around identity-based violence.
Meanwhile, the university held the inaugural event of the new Courageous Conversations speaker series on April 4. The series is aimed at fostering a collective reflection on how campus communities can engage in respectful intercultural dialogue and cultivate empathy despite increasing political polarization. The event attracted 150 attendees (in person and online) and generated overwhelmingly positive feedback, Carr said.
Legal challenge of Quebec tuition policy
Concordia is still awaiting a decision by the Quebec Superior Court on the legal challenge it launched against the government of Quebec on the 2023 tuition policy changes.
Impact on international recruitment widens
These policy changes and more recent policies by the federal and provincial governments limiting the number of international students continue to affect Concordia’s application numbers. The number of international undergraduate applicants for fall 2025 has decreased significantly compared to fall 2024, when the number of applicants had already dropped. Graduate professional programs are also affected by the “collapse” in international demand, the president said. This “disastrous impact” is being felt by all Quebec universities and to a similar degree by other Canadian universities, he added.
Concordia is ahead in Quebec applicants compared to last year at this date and the number of PhD applicants looks “promising”. However, these potential gains are not sufficient to offset the decline seen in other areas. Based on the data currently available, the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire conservatively estimates that the decline in international students alone will cost the Quebec university network $200 million next year. Concordia’s revenue from international students is expected to drop to $18 million, a third of what it was before the tuition policy changes introduced a couple of years ago. “We are witnessing the largest defunding of universities in Quebec’s history,” Carr said.
Added to the cap on the number of international students, the government of Quebec also announced at the end of February that it was removing newly recruited international faculty and researchers from the list of candidates eligible for fast-track permanent residency. Carr pointed to the lost opportunities for Quebec institutions as universities around the world look at the recruitment possibilities offered by the turmoil U.S. universities are facing.
No additional funding in last Quebec budget
The government of Quebec announced a 2.1 per cent increase to higher education funding in its budget tabled on March 25. However, it does not include provisions to help the universities cover the increase in their operating costs, an “unprecedented situation”, Carr said. In fact, the end of some programs such as one supporting recruitment in engineering will result in a funding drop for Concordia.
Major gift from Desjardins Group
After inviting governors to read his written report highlighting recent achievements by the Concordia community, the president thanked Desjardins Group for its recent gift of $2.575 million. This donation to the Campaign for Concordia will support programs based at District 3 to accelerate the creation of high-impact, scientific and technology-driven startups. It will also fund career development initiatives and flagship events at the John Molson School of Business. Concordia’s 20-year partnership with Desjardins reflects “a strong value alignment between two organizations with authentic ties to the real world, a passion for entrepreneurship, and a commitment to youth and next generation enterprise,” the president said.
