William Cheaib
Chief of Staff, Office of the President and Vice-Chancellor, and Associate Vice-President, International (Chair)
VOLUNTARY UNIVERSITY REVIEW
Concordia began a Voluntary University Review (VUR) in 2021. The VUR is a process for determining how best to maximize our impact and engagement as a university in alignment with the Global Goals.
Objectives of the VUR
- Build awareness of the SDGs at Concordia
- Assess the kinds and levels of activity with SDG linkages
- Foster collaborative efforts among faculty, students, staff to advance the SDGs
- Develop a strategy for engaging with the SDGs, and deepening and strengthening Concordia’s capacities for social impact
Components of Concordia’s VUR
- 17 Rooms exercise
- Other events and presentations
- Analyses of SDG-related activities
- Interviews and discussions
- Strategy design session
Leadership
Concordia’s VUR is being led by representatives of the Offices of the President, Provost, VP Research and Graduate Studies, and VP Services and Sustainability.
Jason Ens
Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic
Monica Mulrennan
Associate Vice-President, Research Development and Outreach, Office of the Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies
Sabrina Lavoie
Executive Director, Budget Planning and Business Development, Office of the Vice-President, Services and Sustainability
- Sandra Gabriele
Vice-Provost, Innovation in Teaching and Learning - Nadia Bhuiyan
Vice-Provost, Partnerships and Experiential Learning - Andrea Clarke
Senior Director, Community Engagement and Social Impact - Patrick Leroux
Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Arts and Science - Rachel Berger
Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Development, School of Graduate Studies - Damon Matthews
Professor, Concordia University Research Chair, and Scientific Co-Director of Sustainability in the Digital Age - Carmela Cucuzzella
Associate Professor, Concordia University Research Chair, and Co-Director of Next-Generation Cities Institute - Vivek Venkatesh
Associate Professor, UNESCO Chair, and Director of Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance - James Grant
Professor, Principal of Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability, and Co-Director of Loyola Sustainability Research Centre - Amr Addas
Adjunct Professor, Finance and Academic Director, Sustainability Ecosystem in the John Molson Executive Centre - Donny Seto
Lecturer, Geography, Planning, and Environment (Part-time faculty representative) - Barbara Henchey
Director, Office of the Dean, John Molson School of Business - Charmian Harvey
Executive Director, University Communications Services - Manon Tremblay
Senior Director, Indigenous Directions - Cassandra Lamontagne
Sustainability Coordinator, Office of Sustainability - Duraichelvan Raju
Graduate School Association representative - Faye Sun
Sustainability Coordinator, Concordia Student Union - Amy Nguyen
Program Coordinator, JMEC Sustainability Ecosystem and Concordia SDG Coordinator, SDSN Canada
Background
Voluntary University Reviews are modeled on the work of countries and cities that have undertaken to self-report on their progress toward the Global Goals as a way of mobilizing action in their jurisdictions.
Concordia’s VUR is inspired by the work of trailblazing universities like University of Toronto, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of California, Davis, which have undertaken some of the first university-based voluntary reviews.
While universities are not accountable like governments for the kinds of outcomes targeted by the SDGs, they are capable to making significant contributions to their achievement. VURs are key processes for plotting out how to maximize these contributions.
News
On November 29, Concordia President Graham Carr and Anne Whitelaw, provost and vice-president, academic, hosted a virtual event to launch the university’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) efforts. The event’s four special guests presented compelling cases for why Concordia and Canada should engage with the Global Goals.
The event featured four special guests:
- John McArthur, senior fellow and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution, based in Washington, D.C.
- Margaret Biggs, chair of the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa
- Sarah Mendelson, head of the Washington D.C.-based Heinz College of Carnegie Mellon University
- Éliane Ubalijoro, executive director of Sustainability in the Digital Age and director of the Canadian Global Hub for Future Earth, based at Concordia
