Concordia University Magazine Spring 2016 | 3 the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Program, in 2014-15, Concordia Raised More Than $14.5 Million Advancing Digital Reality

SPRING 2016

SYNTHETIC SOLUTIONS FOR REAL-LIFE MYSTERIES Research at Concordia’s Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology explores ways to artificially create environmentally friendly biofuels, disease-fighting drugs and more

UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 2 2016-04-21 5:06 PM Project :Project Annonce : AnnonceMMI 2016 MMI 2016 ProvinceProvince : Quebec : Quebec Proof # :Proof 1 # : 1 PublicationPublication : Concordia : Concordia University University Magazine Magazine Client : TDClient Assurance : TD Assurance Due dateDue : 03/21/2016 date : 03/21/2016 Size : 8.125x10.75Size : 8.125x10.75 File # : 26-MM9737-16_MMI.AL1.EN•concordia(8.125x10.75)File # : 26-MM9737-16_MMI.AL1.EN•concordia(8.125x10.75)Color : QuadColor : Quad DesignerDesigner : Jordane :Bellavance Jordane Bellavance

Hamelin-MartineauHamelin-Martineau Inc. • 505, Inc. boul. • 505,de Maisonneuve boul. de Maisonneuve O, Bureau O,300 Bureau • Montréal 300 • (Québec)Montréal H3A(Québec) 3C2 •H3A T : 3C2514 842-4416• T : 514 C842-4416 : [email protected] C : [email protected] ATTENTIONATTENTION : MERCI DE : MERCI VÉRIFIER DE VÉRIFIERATTENTIVEMENT ATTENTIVEMENT CETTE ÉPREUVE CETTE ÉPREUVEAFIN D’ÉVITER AFIN D’ÉVITERTOUTE ERREUR/PLEASE TOUTE ERREUR/PLEASE CHECK THIS CHECK PROOF THIS FOR PROOF ERRORS FOR ERRORS Roloff Beny Foundation Fellowship in Photography: Bogdan Stoica

Howard BokSer DONATIONS WITH

A PURPOSE / Photography by Bogdan Stoica, BFA 10, MFA 16 We give readers a glimpse of SYNTHETIC SOLUTIONS *** collections how donors’ contributions FOR REAL-LIFE MYSTERIES funds acquisitions help the university. Library ach year, the Concordia Department of Studio Arts’ photography program awards the Roloff Beny Research art $3,220,765 $858,509 designation The researchers at the Centre for 5.9% Foundation Fellowship in Photography to a graduate student for his or her outstanding artistic CONMAG-01.p1.p1.pdfBlackYellow, Magenta, Cyan, 16:31:13 16-04-22 By Luke Quin * and academic achievement. Applied Synthetic Biology are paving22. % General 1 2Undergraduate $560,92 improvements E 3.8% capital the way to artifi cially produce support & In 2014, MFA student Bogdan Stoica, BFA 10, won the $10,000 fellowship. Stoica used the funds to $3,095,520 Buildings environmentally friendly biofuels,2 .2% $379,290 travel to his native Romania for two months in summer 2015 to work on a film project, trying to capture 2.6% Chart the best course for your life in the years ahead. life in the countryside. “Part of the Romanian identity is travelling through the landscape, seeing sheep disease-fi ghting drugs, and more. Unrestricted Graduate support fund and mountains,” says Stoica, who earned his BFA in film production. $2,9 6,905 $370,777 A PERFECT MATCH 18 By Vanessa Bonneau 20.0% 2.5% “I started creating a part-fiction, part-documentary movie,” Stoica says. However, he changed his 20 Chairs ** Concordia’s research partnerships $ 2,233 & professorships strategy while on location. “I really like documentary and fiction, but doing fiction means you have or project 0.8% $2, 29,7 3 4.6% to have a plan, and it stops youbenefi from seeingt the what’scompanies around you. involved, I like to have my eyes open.DONATIONS I stopped Program

Start with preferred insurance rates. thinking about the project, looked around and interacted with the landscape, and took it from there.” students — and the university. 6.5% designated $95 , 9 Stoica is now in the midst of completing the film, called Catherine et ce qu’il reste à traduire de cet été qui a yet By Wayne Larsen assoupi la terre. Once done, he plans to continue working in video and cinema and further pursueWITH his studies. A Not As his artist’s statement says: “My artistic approach builds on a deep-rooted desire to understand and explore the intimate and emotional facets of our existence. Through the mediums of photography, 26 32 ROLOFF BENY film and sculpture, I aim within my work to both mirror and conceptualize the intrinsicPURPOSE links between memory and identity.” FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS TO This is the first in a series that will depict the costs of running a FELLOWSHIP IN university like Concordia and how the university is funded. PHOTOGRAPHY: Supporting you... CONCORDIA PLAY A onors to Concordia are generous. Their VITAL ROLE IN HELPING contributions allow the university to expand its Bogdan Stoica 1 Still life GIVING FROM Dmission and advance big thinking among students and Concordia University. and researchers who tackle today’s important questions. Take advantage of teenager from iSlaz (01) 2 THE HEART 34ADVANCE ITS MISSION Annually, Concordia benefits from more than 3 teenager from iSlaz (02) 10,000 gifts — ranging in size and purpose — that propel achievements in labs, studios, libraries or on your group privileges: Your needs will change as your life and 4 CoStel Canadians — and Concordians — playing fields. This figure is a reflection of confidence are generous. Experts examine LUKE QUIN in the university’s mission, pride in Concordia and its PLUGGED IN TO THE FUTURE career evolve. As a Concordia University contribution to society, as well as alumni gratitude. 3 4 * the roots of that philanthropy. Thanks to ongoing philanthropic commitments from Concordia’s students and professors You could alumni, corporate leaders, faculty, staff, parents, retirees, save $415 graduate or student, you have access to By Julie Gedeon friends and even students themselves, Concordia continueswill continue to benefi t from an 2 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine to define the next-generation university. concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 3 the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex program, In 2014-15, Concordia raised more than $14.5 million advancing digital reality. or more when you toward students, libraries, research, academic programs combine your home and which offers preferred insurance rates, and other projects, and40 university activities. By Jesse Staniforth other discounts and great protection, 52 FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: auto insurance with us. DYNAMIC DUOS that is easily adapted to your changing needs. ARTS AND SCIENCE Don’t adjust your set! These The principal of Concordia’s Simone Plus, every year our program contributes to fi ve sets of Concordia alumni do de Beauvoir Institute asks, what supporting your alumni association, so it’s a great indeed look alike — they’re twins. 46 defi nes a feminist university? By Maeve Haldane way to save and show you care at the same time. By Kimberley Manning Get a quote today! Home and auto insurance program recommended by Our extended business hours make it easy. Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) spring 2016 volume 40 number 1 concordia.ca/magazine Saturday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (ET) Cover credit: Thinkstock 3 EDITOR’S VOICE 5 CONCORDIA NEWS HOME | AUTO 17 FROM THE ARCHIVES 54 ALUMNI NEWS 58 CLASS ACTS Ask for your quote today at 1-888-589-5656 62 WORDS & MUSIC or visit melochemonnex.com/concordia 64 ENOUGH SAID

The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex program is underwritten by SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY. It is distributed by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc. in Quebec, by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. in Ontario, and by TD Insurance Direct Agency Inc. in the rest of Canada. Our address: 50 Place Crémazie, Montreal (Quebec) H2P 1B6. Due to provincial legislation, our auto and recreational vehicle insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan. *Nationally, 90% of all of our clients who belong to a professional or an alumni group (underwritten by SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY) or an employer group (underwritten by PRIMMUM INSURANCE COMPANY) that have an agreement with us and who insure a home (excluding rentals and condos) and a car on July 31, 2015 saved $415 when compared to the premiums they would have paid with the same insurer without the preferred insurance rate for groups and the multi-product discount. Savings are not guaranteed and may vary based on the client’s profile. ® The TD logo and other TD trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 1 2016-04-22 3:25 PM Project : Annonce MMI 2016 Province : Quebec Proof # : 1 Publication : Concordia University Magazine Client : TD Assurance Due date : 03/21/2016 Size : 8.125x10.75 File # : 26-MM9737-16_MMI.AL1.EN•concordia(8.125x10.75) Color : Quad Designer : Jordane Bellavance

Hamelin-Martineau Inc. • 505, boul. de Maisonneuve O, Bureau 300 • Montréal (Québec) H3A 3C2 • T : 514 842-4416 C : [email protected] ATTENTION : MERCI DE VÉRIFIER ATTENTIVEMENT CETTE ÉPREUVE AFIN D’ÉVITER TOUTE ERREUR/PLEASE CHECK THIS PROOF FOR ERRORS I was 25 when I graduated, just in time to marry Al Mikalachki. We had three children and have all been successful in our goals. Since he died, I have used some of our money to help others. IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO HONOUR OUR ALMA MATER THROUGH A PLANNED GIFT. CONMAG-02.p1.p1.pdfBlackYellow, Magenta, Cyan, 16:31:13 16-04-22 – Dorothy Martin Mikalachki, BA 59

Al Mikalachki, BComm 58, and Dorothy Martin Mikalachki, BA 59, with their children Sandy, Jodi and Rob.

YOUR GIFT YOUR LEGACY YOUR PLAN A planned gift can help fulfill your financial, philanthropic and estate planning goals. Concordia’s Planned Giving staff can meet your unique financial needs.

CALL 54-848-2424, ext. 8945, OR -888-777-3330, ext. 8945.

#CUgiving concordia.ca/plannedgiving

VPAA-T16-29353-Concordia Magazine Winter 2016-Planned Giving ad.indd 1 22/04/2016 3:09:01 PM EDITOR'S VOICE

I was 25 when I graduated, just in time to marry Al Mikalachki. We had three children and have all been successful in our goals. Since he died, I have used some of our money to help others. IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO HONOUR OUR ALMA MATER Some things THROUGH A PLANNED GIFT. change, CONMAG-03.p1.p1.pdfBlackYellow, Magenta, Cyan, 16:31:13 16-04-22 – Dorothy Martin Mikalachki, BA 59 some don’t

hen I was preparing this issue, I realized that this is volume 40, number 1. Wow! WThis doesn’t mark the magazine’s 40th anniversary, just the start of its 40th year. Sort of. The beginnings of Chris and I have witnessed many and “A perfect match” on page 26 is in Concordia University Magazine were not changes through the years. Back in line with the direction “Get your hands linear. The fi rst issue of Extra, Concordia 1996, each issue was 32 black-and- dirty” — deepening students’ learning University Magazine was published in white pages, plus a colour cover. We experience outside the classroom — 1975. The initial Concordia University mailed about 50,000 magazines quar- describing the mutually benefi cial Magazine, with its current name and terly. Today we send our 64-page (or relationship of Concordia’s industry Al Mikalachki, BComm 58, and Dorothy Martin Mikalachki, format, actually appeared in 1978 as more) glossy three times annually to partnerships. BA 59, with their children Sandy, Jodi and Rob. volume 1, number 2 — with one edition more than 140,000 Concordia alumni, As the magazine moves into its fi fth each for alumni of Concordia’s founding faculty and staff, and donors. As readers decade, we can all expect more changes institutions, Loyola College and Sir can imagine, the technology to produce in our world and on these pages. One George Williams University. the magazine has changed much in that question remains for now: will Chris I too am approaching a milestone: time, too — after all, the internet was in and/or I be here when the magazine I arrived at Concordia in June 1996, its infancy back then. Today, most of our turns 50? meaning that I’ll soon hit two decades exchanges are done online. at the university and magazine. It Technology has changed things at also means it’s been my privilege to Concordia as well. As we point out in be editor, after my predecessors Joel “Plugged in to the future” on page 40, McCormick and Kathleen Hugessen, technology makes it easier for students for more than half the publication’s life. to communicate with faculty, access Concordia University Magazine welcomes YOUR GIFT readers’ comments. Letters should include I’m not even the magazine’s course material and watch videos of lec- the writer’s full name, address, school(s), degree(s) and year(s) of graduation for longest-serving staffer. That tures, among other benefi ts. In line with alumni. Letters may be edited for length and YOUR LEGACY would be Christopher Alleyne, BA one of Concordia’s nine new Strategic clarity. No letter will be published without the (comm. & cultural studies) 09, lead Directions, “Teach for tomorrow,” the full name of the correspondent. Concordia University Magazine is published creative at Concordia’s University university will continue on its path of three times a year for alumni and friends of Communications Services. Although technological advancement as it seeks Concordia University. Opinions expressed YOUR PLAN herein do not necessarily refl ect the views Chris is signifi cantly younger than I am, to deliver education that’s “connected, of the alumni association or of the university. he arrived two years before I did, three transformative, and fi t for the times.” Please address editorial correspondence to: The Editor, Howard Bokser years after graduating from the design Two other stories also relate to Concordia University Magazine program at Montreal’s Dawson College. our Strategic Directions: for “Double 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W. FB 520, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8 He was fi rst part of the magazine’s our research,” “Synthetic solutions Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 3826 design team and then became its senior for real-life puzzles,” on page 20 email: [email protected] designer in 1998. It’s been a true highlights the futuristic investigations For advertising information, call 514-848-2424, ext. 3876. pleasure working with Chris, who’s at Concordia’s Centre for Applied CALL 54-848-2424, ext. 8945, OR -888-777-3330, ext. 8945. Student intern: Katelyn Spidle, Debora Coelho talented, professional and, thankfully, Synthetic Biology into how yeast can Design: University Communications Services T16-31456 patient. (He’s a pretty good goalie, too.) be used to grow valuable molecules; #CUgiving concordia.ca/ concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 3

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 4 2016-04-21 5:06 PM CONCORDIA NEWS

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 5 2016-04-21 5:06 PM CONCORDIA NEWS

NEW FOCUS FOR THE CENTRE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

LESLIE SCHACHTER centre’s assistant director. “Students, alumni, potential oncordia’s Centre for students — they all have dif- C Continuing Education ferent needs and we’re trying has been an integral part of to satisfy all their needs in the university for more than the format they’re looking 40 years. Dedicated to the for. We constantly need to educational enrichment of adjust along with the evolu- it students, the centre offers tion of the workforce.” a wide range of innovative, Some of these new for- non-credit programs and mats include online courses, courses that cover business one-day sessions tailored and administration, com- to a specific area of study, munications and public boot camps and week-long relations, computer skills, seminars. “Professional personal development, pho- development can be much tography and language skills. shorter than a traditional Yet as with most educa- eight- or 10-week course,” tional institutions, there is a says Dunnigan. “We’re niversity

constant need to re-evaluate U finding that professionals ordia

program offerings and find c are looking to meet spe- on new and innovative ways C cific needs rather than get to meet the needs of to- ISABEL DUNNIGAN, DIRECTOR OF CONCORDIA’S CENTRE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION, a full program certificate. WILL OVERSEE THE CENTRE’S EXPANDED ROLE. day’s students. That’s why It’s a ‘competence profile’ the Centre for Continuing phase, and I’m confident “We’re seeing that the approach. Students need a Education has recently that the timing is excellent,” format of learning has more à la carte option that’s been given a new, more says Dunnigan. “Concordia changed so we have to related to a project they are focused mandate. is in the midst of develop- change our model to accom- working on or a knowledge Enter Isabel Dunnigan, ing a new strategic plan for modate these changes,” says gap they are looking to fill.” the centre’s new director. the next five years. We have John Dickson, BEng 83, the The centre has begun to With over 25 years of many new faculty members, experience in various new deans, a very dynam- capacities, including ic direction — the timing coordinating all kinds of couldn’t be better. We have CONT ED BY THE NUMBERS programs at Unversité de everything to succeed.” Sherbrooke, Dunnigan The Centre for Continuing Over the last decade, Concordia’s Centre for oversaw extended learning as Education, which has wel- Continuing Education has welcomed 45,800 students its director of development comed more than 45,000 of Continuing Education students from Canada and Of those, 2/3 are Canadians and 1/3 are international for the last six years. She around the world in the students from 191 different countries arrived at Concordia in last 10 years alone (see the June 2015 and has been sidebar, “Cont Ed by the These students have taken 84,475 courses asked to refocus and expand numbers”), continues to the Centre for Continuing provide popular program- That’s an average of 4,580 students per year, Education’s offerings beyond ming and courses using with course enrolments of 8,475 per year the traditional courses, traditional methods. Yet with more tailored content changes in technology and in a variety of formats, students’ expectations are 53 per cent of the centre’s students are female; while reaching out to new helping to spur on some the average student age is 30 student populations. modifications in how it can “We’re entering a new best serve its students.

6 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 6 2016-04-21 5:06 PM develop daylong, specialized seminars in a variety of disciplines in conjunction with the university’s faculties, aimed at meeting the specific needs of students and professionals. “The strategy that we’re developing is all about institutional collaboration,” says Dunnigan. “We are in the process of planning over 60 one-day seminars because we know there is a big demand for it. She adds, “We’ve heard from professionals in various fields and they want specific short-term, skill- niversity

set development. We have U

the capacity to manage and ordia c on

implement these one-off C trainings because we already THE CENTRE FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION’S AEROSPACE SUMMER SCHOOL WILL WELCOME INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, GRADUATE STUDENTS AND PROSPECTIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS TO MONTREAL IN JUNE 2016. have the infrastructure in place to offer parallel learning that the faculties the competencies they need Aside from specifically “Continuing education is themselves are not quite set to succeed. The intensive targeted career-oriented a concept of lifelong learn- up to do. We are working English program has seminars, the Centre for ing,” says Dunnigan. “It’s with the faculties to develop attracted many international Continuing Education will not necessarily related to these seminars, geared to- students throughout the also offer more in the way specific programs or courses wards graduate students and years and continues to of soft-skill options, such or grades — it’s human professionals.” serve a growing demand. as health and nutrition and development and can be Many of these seminars “We’re very proud of our mindfulness courses, topics broader in scope than a will be offered in English French conversation that may have a broader specific educational path.” and French at both the program, which has grown appeal to students at various — Leslie Schachter, BA 03, Sir George Williams and the most in the last year stages of their careers or GrDip (journ.) 13, is a Montreal Loyola campuses and will or two,” says Dickson of even post-career. freelance journalist. cover themes ranging from the Centre’s ministry- legal and business mat- recognized program. “It’s ters to human resources just exploding.” and engineering, includ- While many of the popular ing a one-week Aerospace career-oriented programs Recently moved? Summer School. like photography, business Update your records at Many of the tried and true essentials, entrepreneur- concordia.ca/keepintouch. programs will continue to be ship and marketing, desktop available. One of the Centre publishing and web pro- for Continuing Education’s gramming will remain, there cornerstones is its language will be a process of finding programs, which help ways to refine them through Keep in touch.

newcomers and established development with profes- concordia.ca/keepintouch professionals alike acquire sionals in the field.

concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 7

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 7 2016-04-21 5:06 PM CONCORDIA NEWS

HARDEEP GREWAL’S 1983 CONCORDIA YEARBOOK PHOTO. CONMAG-08.p1.p1.pdfBlackYellow, Magenta, Cyan, 16:31:13 16-04-22

DONOR WAS STUDENT BY DAY, CABBIE BY NIGHT

JAMES GIBBONS president and CEO of Los Angeles-based OhCal Foods ardy Grewal, BComm — one of the largest Subway H 83, had only $7 in his developers in North America. pocket when he arrived in Grewal’s family — includ- Montreal from his native ing wife Patwant and his three Punjab, India, in 1972. Today sons — are expressing their he is a highly successful gratitude to Concordia with businessman who has a gift to create the Hardeep donated $1 million to endow Grewal MBA Scholarship scholarships at Concordia’s Endowment at JMSB, which John Molson School of will produce opportunities Business (JMSB). To make for future students. ends meet as an immigrant “Concordia’s MBA pro- and student, Grewal drove gram is a gold standard, in

a taxi around the bustling Canada and internationally,” HARDEEP GREWAL, BCOMM 83, HEADS LOS ANGELES-BASED OHCAL FOODS — streets of Montreal. says Concordia President ONE OF THE LARGEST SUBWAY RESTAURANT DEVELOPERS IN NORTH AMERICA. Concordia’s flexibility made Alan Shepard. “There’s a it possible for him to pull circular effect. Many JMSB PROMOTING Hardeep Grewal MBA double duty: business classes graduates do incredibly FAMILY VALUES Scholarship recipients. by day, picking up commuter well. One way they show ap- For Grewal, doing well by his Three awardees will be fares by night. preciation is by supporting alma mater aligns with his chosen each year on the “I started at McGill, though Concordia students, who are family’s values and aspira- basis of commitment and I left because I couldn’t man- in turn equally successful, tions. “My father and mother spirit that reflect Grewal’s age class and work at the and it keeps perpetuating.” were farmers in India — with determination — not to same time,” says Grewal. “Hardy’s life was trans- only elementary school mention his family’s. “Concordia understood my formed through education,” learning,” he says. “Their Even though their income situation. They took me in. says Bram Freedman, dream for my three siblings was limited, Grewal’s par- That’s why I’ve always been Concordia’s vice-president and me was to get an educa- ents — Baldev and Gurdev loyal to the university.” of Advancement and External tion. It lasts your entire life.” — saved their money to send Three decades after graduat- Relations. “Such a significant They also instilled values their son to Canada, a coun- ing from Concordia, Grewal gift has the capacity of creat- Grewal says have served him try they felt would offer him has achieved immense busi- ing a multiplier effect. There throughout his career: to more opportunities and so- ness success as the overseer will be future generations work hard and to be honest cial mobility. of 2,100 Subway restaurant of business leaders who will with others. He left India at age 17 to franchises in the United be traced back to this gener- Those qualities inform join an uncle and his older States and Canada. He is ous donation.” the selection criteria for brother, Gurcharan, who

8 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 8 2016-04-22 3:36 PM had arrived in Canada in Kaur Grewal Atrium was 1969. “I came to Montreal titled in recognition of and three days later I was in the Concordian’s seven- high school,” says Grewal. figure donation. “I couldn’t speak English or “All students who come French. I was terrified and to Concordia hope to have didn’t want to go.” an impact of some kind,” Because of the language says Stéphane Brutus, in- barrier, Grewal was too dis- terim dean of the JMSB. “The couraged to attend class naming of spaces at the John HARDEEP GREWAL (RIGHT) WITH HIS FRIEND HARJINDER JETHA ON THE LOYOLA and eventually dropped CAMPUS IN THE EARLY 1980S. Molson Building is a high- out. Though it wasn’t all for water mark that all can be nothing. He married his encouraged by.” Grewal says high-school sweetheart, “I came to Montreal and three he was partly motivated to Patwant, in 1981. days later I was in high school. give for that reason: “I vis- At age 19, Grewal attended ited one of my sons at UCLA. Dawson College, then located I couldn’t speak English or French. It struck me that everything in Montreal’s Saint-Henri was named after someone. district. Upon graduating I was terrified and didn’t want to go.” I find that very inspirational.” from Dawson, he began He realized he wanted driving for what would “I could get a green card for Southwestern Ontario. to do the same for his alma become Angrignon Taxi. in part because I had a Then in 2015 he added mater. “I know where I came “There are wild stories I university education,” says Washington, D.C., Maryland from,” says Grewal. “I’m can tell you about my days Grewal. The couple left most and Virginia. “It’s hard to proud to have my name at- as a cabbie,” says Grewal. of their family and friends manage something that’s so tached to the school that was Among his experiences was when they made the move. far away,” says Grewal, who a building block for me.” becoming an unwilling get- “My wife didn’t like being has racked up over 4 million The entrepreneur says away driver — he was held away from Montreal,” says kilometres of air travel on it’s special for his entire up at gunpoint by some- Grewal. In 1989, partly the job. family. His parents moved one fleeing the scene of a to provide Patwant with to California when Grewal bank robbery. Through it a diversion, the couple A TRIUMPHANT RETURN could afford to support them. all, and after three years of purchased their first Subway Thanks to all that hard “My father, Baldev, passed taking classes year-round, restaurant in Los Angeles. work, a bright, inviting away in January at age 99,” Grewal received “the gift of a As Grewal relates, “The space on the fourth floor of says Grewal. “He knew what Concordia education.” restaurant my wife was run- Concordia’s John Molson this gift meant to me as a “As a recent graduate I ning made about $50,000 Building — where students graduate and what it says began working for an invest- each year. That’s more than come together — has a new about our family’s story.” ment company in Montreal,” I was making at the time. name. The Hardeep (Hardy) — James Gibbons, BA 11, MA 13, says Grewal. “I would see in- So, I quit my job and we put Singh Grewal and Patwant is a writer at Concordia. come slips of people making everything into purchasing $120,000 a year. I thought to more locations.” myself, can’t I do that?” After a few decades and three sons — named We really like hearing SUBWAY RESTAURANT Jess, Amaran and Shawn POWERHOUSE — Grewal sold all his loca- from you. One of Grewal’s distant tions to purchase OhCal relatives was the owner of tech Foods. With it, he gained Want to hear more company Indus Systems in oversight of all franchise from us? Chatsworth, Calif. Grewal was development in Los Angeles offered a job as an accountant County and neighbouring Like us on Facebook.com/Concordia.Alumni. and moved to the United Orange County. In 2009, Join the conversation! #CUalumni States with Patwant in 1984. Grewal bought the rights

concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 9

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 9 2016-04-21 5:06 PM setting an example

Claudine and Stephen Bronfman, centre, with several past and present recipients of Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowships in Contemporary Art. Montreal’s emerging artists deserve support

e believe that, as part of the Montreal community, Yet increasing pressure on limited public funds makes public- we must ensure that the strength of the visual sector investments in the arts a constant challenge. We “Wand media arts in the city is protected through the are deeply committed to ensuring our city thrives and finds participation of the public in cultural activities, as well as financial prosperity from the incredible work being done here. One of investment across sectors. the most powerful ways to do this is by supporting emerging artists.

Artists who live and work in our city are essential to the That’s why we have funded the annual Claudine and Stephen success of these investments. Their presence in Montreal Bronfman Fellowships in Contemporary Art since 200 — to contributes to our reputation as a cultural hub. Their inspired support the work of one graduate student from Concordia’s ideas for the use of technology and their fresh take on Faculty of Fine Arts and one graduate student from the faculty sociopolitical discourse ensure that the work produced in our of arts of Université du Québec à Montréal. city is cutting-edge. With an open heart, we invite you to walk around our city Statistics Canada reported that culture, defined as a creative, imagining “who” is behind each artwork you encounter. We artistic activity, the goods produced by it and the preservation of are certain that, in at least some small way, you will be not just heritage, generates billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands enriched by the arts, you may be transformed.” of jobs. This cultural production made up 3 per cent of the total Canadian economy in 200. — Claudine and Stephen Bronfman are Montreal philanthropists.

Find out how to join Claudine and Stephen Bronfman in contributing to Concordia. Info: concordia.ca/giving | 514-848-2424, ext. 4856 | 1-888-777-3330, ext. 4856 | [email protected] #CUgiving

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 10 2016-04-21 5:06 PM CONCORDIA NEWS

$1 MILLION IN NEW STUDENT SUPPORT FOR CANADIAN IRISH STUDIES

oncordia’s School helped build an $8-million ONE Cof Canadian Irish endowment for the School COMMUNITY Studies will benefit from a of Canadian Irish Studies. A $1-million endowment for former mayor of Westmount, UNIVERSITY student support. The newly Que., Gallery was named created Brian O’Neill Gallery one of the university’s Great GIFT AT A TIME Scholarship Fund will Concordians in 2014. “We provide financial assistance are very thankful that our to eligible students enrolled donors keep Irish studies in the university’s Irish on a solid financial footing,” HELP SHAPE CONCORDIA BY Studies major. says Gallery. “We welcome SUPPORTING THE “Brian is a force of all donations, no matter nature,” says Concordia how modest, not only 206-7 President Alan Shepard. because we need the help “Over two decades, he but because it reinforces a COMMUNITY propelled Concordia’s Irish belief in our goals.” CAMPAIGN! Studies program to the Michael Kenneally, forefront in North America principal of the School of in terms of creating new Canadian Irish Studies, opportunities, celebrating views the donation as the past and creating the homage to Gallery: “This future. This new scholarship scholarship fund will perpet- will recognize his impact for uate Brian’s legacy, as he is a generations to come.” central figure in the growth Established by the and development of Irish Canadian Irish Studies studies at Concordia.” Foundation, the Brian For Gabe Gilker, a third- O’Neill Gallery Scholarship year Irish studies student, Fund will provide approxi- the award helps further her mately $50,000 annually research into the 1916 Easter in support of nearly 20 Rising — which overthrew Powered by gifts ranging in size student awards. British rule and established and purpose, Concordia’s annual Concordia graduate Brian the Republic of Ireland. “It’s O’Neill Gallery, BA 57, LLD been the biggest blessing Community Campaign bolsters 10, co-founded the Canadian ever,” says Gilker. “I can ac- teaching, research and student life at Irish Studies Foundation tually buy my books and not Canada’s next-generation university. in 1995 to support the have to count my credit card study of Irish history and and debit card spending.” concordia.ca/communitycampaign culture at the university. —James Gibbons Gallery retired as chair in 2015, and was succeeded by #CUgiving Pamela McGovern. Gallery

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 11 2016-04-21 5:06 PM CONCORDIA NEWS

REBECCA DUCLOS’S EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND INCLUDES A PHD IN ART HISTORY AND VISUAL STUDIES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER. CONMAG-12.p1.p1.pdfBlackYellow, Magenta, Cyan, 16:31:13 16-04-22

Meet Rebecca Duclos, dean of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts

LESLIE SCHACHTER

hen Rebecca Duclos began her five-year term as dean of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts in August 2015, she brought a wealth of experience — and chachter S

Wenthusiasm. Duclos had been dean of Graduate Studies at ie l es

the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and previously held L faculty and research positions at a number of institutions, including the University of Manchester, McGill University, What drew you back to Concordia? Deakin University and Concordia. RD: “Its DNA. I taught at Concordia for three years. I fell in She sat down to share her thoughts on her dynamic faculty love with the university, its boldness and its history. And and its students, Concordia and its place within the cultural I was further attracted back by the terrific momentum it has. landscape of Montreal. Also, living in Montreal — it’s really the cultural nexus of Canada and it’s probably one of the best places to be involved Can you share a bit about your own background? with a faculty of fine arts. Because I worked in the cultural Rebecca Duclos: “I started out studying ancient Greek and field for years, was an independent curator, and have been in Latin. From there I moved into archaeology at the University numerous academic institutions as both student and teacher of Toronto, where I completed a double major in classics and for two decades, I have neither a strict academic background Near Eastern archaeology. I realized that I was more interested nor a strict administrative one. Montreal and Concordia have in an object’s life after it had been unearthed and how it the guts to hire people like me. They’re open. Trusting. And circulated — as not only a piece of material culture but also unfettered by tradition.” as a piece of history that could be continually reinterpreted. What are your impressions of Concordia since That led me into a graduate degree in museum studies at the you’ve returned? University of Toronto. As part of that I did an internship at RD: “In the arts generally in Montreal, we really have a climate the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and then left of collaboration and conversation. At Concordia, many of to teach in Melbourne, Australia, for a year before returning the students and the faculty take on a huge amount of solo, to Canada to work at various cultural institutions for a decade. independent work, but there is also a tradition of the ensemble The history of my career has been following my passions. and of the collective. That’s why I returned to school as a 40-year-old to take my PhD in England. It’s been a really interesting mixture of There is a communal idea of what it means to generate continually teaching, taking various degrees, independently knowledge and activity together that simultaneously curating, writing, researching, working with artists and being appreciates and acknowledges separate, individual, unique an administrator in these different realms.” contributions. It’s an interesting and challenging way to work — and characterizes the way many arts practitioners move through the world.”

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 12 2016-04-22 3:38 PM What is your vision for the Faculty of Fine Arts? Can you talk about Concordia’s partnerships with RD: “We have the benefit of this extraordinary faculty with a rich other cultural institutions? array of programs in the performing arts, cinema, design, studio, RD: “There are so many. But I can speak about at least one as- and the major academic and professional areas. And we also have pect of the relationship we are specifically developing with the access to so many other perspectives and practices and to the Musée des beaux arts around what might loosely be called ‘arts astonishing research that goes on in the rest of this university. and health.’ One of the main missions for the Musée is to think You name it: social innovation, theology, nanoscience, deeply about community and cultural health in both a physi- geography, electrical engineering, poetry. It’s amazing! cal and a metaphysical way. How do the arts function not just in society but for society? How do Our students have so many more cultural institutions become not potential connections at their “I love all of it! What job just destinations but caring en- fingertips. Now is the time to build tities contributing to civic life? relationships across the faculties lets you choose from a Many of our faculty have long so that those who are interested performance or a vernissage been asking these questions can have the opportunity to find and will be part of the museum’s out how other people think, how or a symphony or a play projects going forward. other disciplines work and what every night?” the issues of concern are that bring I am also excited to think about many of us together.” the future physical, architectural connections between Concordia and the Musée through What is the biggest challenge for the Faculty of Fine Arts? what I imagine as a contiguous campus that uses the Bishop RD: “We have what I would call good problems — trying Street corridor as a space for public programming, urban to figure out how our ideas and ideals and desires can be experimentation, street theatre, design innovation — a social matched with structures that can be morphed and moved space that links these two great institutions.” so that our actions are responsive and can become real — so they can be actualized. What do you like most about your job? RD: “I love all of it! The 70-hour weeks can be a bit punishing. Another good problem is the burden of choice felt by many of On the other hand, what job lets you choose from a performance our students. It’s difficult for some of them because, on the or a vernissage or a symphony or a play every night? There’s just one hand, society says you should have a plan and you need to so much going on. The job has two communities, one inside the be very practical and determined about your education. On university and also one out in the city. the other hand, many of us in the arts and culture field are highly responsive and shape-shifting and are used to living I love this constant stimulation, and every day is still a with certain kinds of ambiguity about what’s next. This can wonderful, whole new surprise.” feel stressful for students because the rest of the world is trying to lock them down. Yet it’s those very qualities they feel —Leslie Schachter, BA 03, GrDip (journ.) 13, is a Montreal freelance as creative practitioners that will let them be malleable and writer. amenable to whatever life is going to throw at them.”

How are Montreal’s cultural and artistic qualities reflected at Concordia? RD: “We’re so lucky here. It’s a very symbiotic relationship with the cultural landscape of the city and we’re just beginning to map out what some of our networks are. I would say that A little bird told us you every single one of our faculty and most of our students have like to stay connected. some connection to artist-run centres, museums, galleries, performance sites — and have relationships with critics, designers, curators and writers. It’s phenomenal the kind of Follow your alma mater on interconnections that happen. So the next step would be not Twitter @ConcordiaAlumni. only to recognize these linkages but actually to build on them so that the university can become an even more overt part of the #CUalumni cultural fabric in Montreal.”

concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 13

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 13 2016-04-21 5:06 PM CONCORDIA NEWS

CONCORDIA'S BIG THINKING

oncordia’s ideas festival, Thinking C Out Loud (concordia.ca/tol), returned in 2016 with another successful series of talks. The university’s public engagement series brought together Concordia researchers and faculty members with external thought leaders for discussions about ideas, big and small. The talks, with the exception of Being Instrumental, were held at Concordia’s D.B. Clarke Theatre.

Games, ethics and how we connect, January 28: 1 2 Clive Thompson (right), author of Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for face-to-face contact in a time of the Better, joined Mia Consalvo, pro- virtual connections. 2 fessor in Concordia’s Department of Communication Studies, in conversa- Connecting your tech future — tion about games, who’s cheating and a conversation about what’s next, how your tech helps you connect. 1 March 1: Nora Young (right), broadcaster and Connecting and wellness — author (The Virtual Self: How Our Digital your brain matters, February 11: Lives Are Altering the World Around Us),

Author and psychologist Susan Pinker joined Jeremy Clark, an assistant niversity U (The Village Effect: Why Face-to-Face professor in Concordia’s Institute for ordia c

Contact Matters, left) and William Information Systems Engineering, to on 5 C Bukowski, professor in Concordia’s discuss what privacy means when self- Department of Psychology, discussed tracking and monitoring are routine. 3 Reader’s Digest Annual Lecture Series in Journalism: The post- election landscape — can Quebec and Canada really get along? March 2: CBC commentator and award- winning journalist Chantal Hébert, LLD 14 (right), discussed the shifting post-election Quebec-Canada landscape, moderated by Le Devoir’s Francine Pelletier. 4

Talking liberal arts, March 7: (From left) Rebecca Duclos, dean of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Giller Prize-winning author Joseph Boyden (The Orenda) and Jill Didur, an associate professor in the Department of English, considered the future and challenges to the liberal arts. 5

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6 7

Connect the dots — the science An evening with Ann-Marie Ottawa, April 21: of crime, March 14: MacDonald, April 19: The Walrus Talks The Future at (From left) Moderator André Picard of The award-winning author, playwright the National Gallery of Canada, with The Globe & Mail, Kathy Reichs, forensic and actor and Concordia’s Richler Writer Joanna Berzowska, associate professor anthropologist and best-selling novelist in Residence, 2015/16, presented a dy- in Concordia’s Department of Design (Déjà Dead), Cameron Skinner, associ- namic multimedia debrief on the writing and Computation Arts, and Concordia ate professor in Concordia’s Department life, literature and Richler’s legacy. President Alan Shepard. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and PhD student Brigitte Desharnais discussed The second part of Thinking Out Loud Toronto, April 27: the real deal on Bones-style science and once again included The Walrus Talks The Walrus Talks Vice at the crime solving. 6 series, which featured Concordians and Isabel Bader Theatre, with Nadia was organized in different Canadian cities, Chaudhri, professor in Concordia’s Mary-Ann Beckett Baxter in collaboration with The Walrus magazine: Department of Psychology, and Memorial Lecture: Being Rebecca Duclos, dean of Concordia’s instrumental, March 30: Calgary, March 21: Faculty of Fine Arts. The influential Québécois director, play- The Walrus Talks Health at —Howard Bokser wright and actor Robert Lepage, LLD 99 Theatre Junction Grand, with Kristen (right), joined Silvy Panet-Raymond, Dunfield, assistant professor in professor in Concordia’s Department of Concordia’s Department of Psychology, Keep an eye out for videos of the Contemporary Dance, to discuss his cre- and Louis Bherer, professor of talks to be added in the coming ative process and views on new directions Concordia’s Department of Psychology months at concordia.ca/tol. in performance creation. 7 and director of the PERFORM Centre;

concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 15

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 15 2016-04-21 5:06 PM CONCORDIA NEWS from T he arC hives

TAKE PRIDE Concordia now and then

in your alma mater oncordia alumni will have strong memories of their The Norris BuildiNg liBrary aT sir george Williams uNiversiTy iN 1952 1 Cuniversity days, whether five years ago or 50 years ago. provided a similar seTTiNg To Today’s moderN grey NuNs readiNg room. Yet even more recent grads may be surprised by how much researCh Was aN iNTegral parT of sCieNTifiC sTudy eveN BaCk iN 1938 aT sir the university has changed. Even familiar settings, like george Williams uNiversiTy, as iT is NoW iN The Thermal spray laB iN The libraries and classrooms, have evolved through the years. riChard J. reNaud sCieNCe pavilioN. 2

The following juxtaposed images provide a sense of those loyola College sTudeNTs eNJoyed TakiNg a Break iN The guadagNi louNge iN The changes in vivid fashion. mid-1960s, JusT as Today’s sTudeNTs do iN The louNge oN The loyola Campus. 3 Share your #CUalumni memories and tag us @ConcordiaAlumni.

MUSICIAN DAVID USHER (PICTURED) AND CONCORDIA PROFESSOR DAMON MATTHEWS SHOW US WHAT CLIMATE CHANGE COULD MEAN — IN OUR LIFETIME — AND HOW WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

TICK TOCK… MIND THE CLIMATE CLOCK

limate change is a threat to our planet — and our C species. The scientific community has determined the most dangerous effects of global warming occur when global temperatures rise two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. What does this two-degree threshold mean to you and me? Show your Musician David Usher and leading climate expert Damon Matthews, associate professor in Concordia’s Department 1 2 CONCORDIA COLOURS! of Geography, Planning and Environment, collaborated to demonstrate in real terms. They created a climate clock to show how current greenhouse gas emissions affect our planet’s trajectory to reach two As a graduate, your network o ers degrees. Emission data feeding the climate clock’s projections an opportunity to boast about will be updated, ultimately showing how our collective your connection to Concordia’s behaviour advances or slows the clock. In a video, produced by Melodie Le Siege, BA 10, they signature big thinking. explain what the two-degree scenario could look like, and use the climate clock to show how soon we’ll get there. Share the video if you care about our planet. Visit concordia.ca/countdown2degrees. — Louise Morgan

Join @ConcordiaAlumni on social media

3 #CUalumni

16 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 17

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 16 2016-04-21 5:06 PM from T he arC hives

Concordia now and then

oncordia alumni will have strong memories of their The Norris BuildiNg liBrary aT sir george Williams uNiversiTy iN 1952 1 Cuniversity days, whether five years ago or 50 years ago. provided a similar seTTiNg To Today’s moderN grey NuNs readiNg room. Yet even more recent grads may be surprised by how much researCh Was aN iNTegral parT of sCieNTifiC sTudy eveN BaCk iN 1938 aT sir the university has changed. Even familiar settings, like george Williams uNiversiTy, as iT is NoW iN The Thermal spray laB iN The libraries and classrooms, have evolved through the years. riChard J. reNaud sCieNCe pavilioN. 2

1 2

concordiaconcordia university university magazine magazine spring spring 2016 2016 || 1717

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 17 2016-04-21 5:06 PM Here’s a snapshot of where those gifts were earmarked:

Library collections / Research * art acquisitions $3,220,765 $858,509 5.9% 22. % General designation funds *** Undergraduate support $560,92 3.8% $3,095,520 Buildings & capital improvements 2 .2% $379,290 2.6% Unrestricted fund Graduate support $2,9 6,905 $370,777 20.0% 2.5% Chairs & professorships $ 2,233 0.8% $2, 29,7 3 4.6% DONATIONS Program or project **

6.5% $95 , 9 * Funds raised for research centres, such as the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies and Centre WITH A Not yet designated d’innovation en financement d’entreprises Desjardins, as well as to support overall research activities of the university. ** Funds raised for an academic program or project, such as the School of Canadian Irish Studies Program, the Sustainable Investment Professional Certification Program, or La Ruche d’Art Community Studio Project Fund. PURPOSE *** Funds raised to support general activities for a particular faculty or department, such as the Faculty of Fine Arts Development Fund or the Psychology Department Endowment Fund.

This is the first in a series that will depict the costs of running a CONTRIBUTIONS TO university like Concordia and how the university is funded. Donations to specific areas can be more specifically directed. CONCORDIA PLAY A onors to Concordia are generous. Their Here is a breakdown of how funds to Concordia Libraries were contributions allow the university to expand its divided from June 1, 2015, to February 28, 2016: VITAL ROLE IN HELPING Dmission and advance big thinking among students and researchers who tackle today’s important questions. ADVANCE ITS MISSION Annually, Concordia benefits from more than Library resources 10,000 gifts — ranging in size and purpose — that 43. % propel achievements in labs, studios, libraries or on playing fields. This figure is a reflection of confidence Library collections / LUKE QUIN in the university’s mission, pride in Concordia and its art acquisitions: contribution to society, as well as alumni gratitude. 40.8% Thanks to ongoing philanthropic commitments from alumni, corporate leaders, faculty, staff, parents, retirees, Programs / projects * friends and even students themselves, Concordia continues 6. % to define the next-generation university. In 2014-15, Concordia raised more than $14.5 million toward students, libraries, research, academic programs and other projects, and university activities. * Funds raised for academic programs or projects, such as the School of Canadian Irish Studies, the Sustainable Investment Professional Certification Program or La Ruche d’Art.

c218 || springspring 20162016 concordia concordia university university magazine magazine concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 19

T16-31456-ConMagVPAA-T16-31460-Funding Spring Academic 2016-FINAL.indd Achievement-Con 18 Mag Spring 2016.indd 2 20/04/20162016-04-21 11:41:53 5:06 AMPM VPAA-T16-31460-Funding Academic Achievement-Con Mag Spring 2016.indd 3 20/04/2016 11:41:55 AM Here’s a snapshot of where those gifts were earmarked:

c2 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine concordiaconcordia universityuniversity magazinemagazine springspring 2016 2016 || 19

VPAA-T16-31460-Funding Academic Achievement-Con Mag Spring 2016.indd 2 20/04/2016 11:41:53 AM T16-31456-ConMagVPAA-T16-31460-Funding Spring Academic 2016-FINAL.indd Achievement-Con 19 Mag Spring 2016.indd 3 20/04/20162016-04-21 11:41:55 5:06 AMPM SYNTHETIC SOLUTIONS FOR REAL-LIFE MYSTERIES k c

20 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine hinksto T

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 20 2016-04-21 5:06 PM At the Centre for Applied VANESSA BONNEAU

Synthetic Biology, yeast is cientists have identified 2,500 little-understood plant being used to grow molecules molecules that are of great Spharmaceutical interest — as cancer and that will prove valuable for heart disease drugs, painkillers, muscle health, energy, business and a relaxants and cough suppressants. The problem is they aren’t naturally growing range of fields abundant and it has not been easy to make enough of them to properly study their potential medical benefits. The good news: synthetic biology researchers at Concordia are on the case. “We’re really the first-ever centre in Canada to be doing this research,” says Vincent Martin, co-director and co-founder of Concordia’s Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology. Synthetic biology is the fusion of engineering and more traditional biology. “We know enough — not that much, but enough — in biology that we can start thinking about manipulating it, modify- ing it, engineering it,” Martin explains. The centre was founded in 2012, and its 16 members come from a range of Concordia departments including biology, electrical and computer engineering and journalism, and even from other universities across the country.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 21 2016-04-21 5:06 PM “We don’t need to rely on oil and gas anymore. We can get organisms to take carbon dioxide, or niversity U glucose, and make ordia c on

C these molecules.” VINCENT MARTIN, WHO CAME TO CONCORDIA IN 2004, IS A PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY AND THE CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR IN MICROBIAL GENOMICS AND ENGINEERING. HIS RESEARCH COULD LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BIOFUELS.

Martin, a professor in the Department yeast to produce the two starting mol- Unfortunately poppies are not as good of Biology, leads about a dozen research ecules. “We don’t need to rely on oil and at making thousands of other com- projects at the centre. His lab includes gas anymore,” says Martin. “We can get pounds, which are therefore greatly 13 postdoctoral researchers, research organisms to take carbon dioxide, or understudied. By taking the genes that associates and graduate students. In his glucose, and make these molecules.” make these compounds from the poppy work, Martin changes the DNA of yeast He also works on molecules that are and other plants and putting them into or bacteria in order to get it to produce used by the pharmaceutical industry, yeast, Narcross and fellow research- molecules with a pharmaceutical or including painkillers and opiates, and ers at the synthetic biology centre hope commercial application. alkaloids used to treat cancer and heart the yeast will make a high number of For instance, he leads a number of disease. “Our competition is the big Ivy those molecules and provide an alter- projects that use natural products to League schools,” says Martin. “We’re native source for them. She reports that make it faster and cheaper to produce really at the forefront of this research.” there are 2,500 molecules identified or environmentally friendly biofuels. One predicted in a variety of plants, not just such project has researchers working UNKNOWN MOLECULES the poppy, that are potentially of inter- to create a strain of yeast that can use One researcher is Lauren Narcross, est. “The goal of the project is to create the sugars in spent sulfite liquor, a toxic BSc 10, a current PhD student in an alternative technology that will al- wood pulp by-product, to make ethanol. Martin’s lab. Working with yeast, low pharmaceutical companies to study The research could potentially be used she produces molecules with a these other compounds,” says Narcross. to engineer yeast to generate other bio- pharmaceutical application. The goal Researchers at the centre work with a fuels such as butanol and biodiesel. of the project is to expand the total lab that grows and tests opium poppies. Another vein of research concerns number of molecules available for “We’re really good at the ‘working in the production of plastics, including, in research in the world. yeast’ part,” she says. one project, nylon for stockings. Nylon, Poppies, Narcross explains, are really a polymer, is made up of two different good at making a few compounds — such ROBOTS IN THE LAB components derived from petroleum as morphine, noscapine, papaverine, To conduct the research, Narcross and products. Its traditional production is codeine and sanguinarine — that have her colleagues must take the identified energy intensive, results in toxic by- been developed into pharmaceuticals genes out from the plants — including products and is reliant on the price of such as painkillers, muscle relaxants poppies — and put them into yeast to see oil. Martin’s research looks at how to get and cough suppressants. if they will start producing a lot of the

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 22 2016-04-21 5:06 PM of the centre under Martin. “That way, He’s currently working on microflu- you’re hoping the outcome is very pre- idics projects with both Martin and the dictable. You want to be able to go centre’s co-director and co-founder, around the design-build-test-learn Nawwaf Kharma. loop as fast as possible.” Martin says that a testament to the A FUNDAMENTALLY centre’s work is its ability to attract MULTIDISCIPLINARY INITIATIVE world-class researchers in the field of Kharma, an associate professor in the synthetic biology. One is Steve Shih, Department of Electrical and Computer who builds microfluidics — or lab- Engineering, sees the centre’s on-chip technology. “If my research multidisciplinary team as one of its is successful, we’ll be able to program greatest assets. “A high density of highly an experiment on a computer that will qualified people all working in the same automate the process on a chip,” Shih area — that’s what will guarantee we’ll says. “It could take days or weeks when get very good research done,” he says.

niversity a researcher conducts the experiment “When you get so many good people, U manually. On the chip, it takes a few like our recent hires, into a very well- ordia c hours,” which means saving time and defined area — in this case, synthetic on C money for other research. biology — and they share lab space, meet LAUREN NARCROSS EARNED A BSC IN CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY FROM CONCORDIA IN 2010 Shih studied engineering but did his regularly and have inspiring leadership, AND IS NOW A PHD STUDENT AT THE CENTRE FOR postdoctorate in a synthetic biology it works very well.” APPLIED SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY WORKING WITH YEAST TO ENGINEER THE PRODUCTION OF MOLECULES WITH lab. “This centre was the only place in His path from engineering into A WIDE RANGE OF PHARMACEUTICAL APPLICATIONS. Canada where I could research micro- synthetic biology is a novel one. “I fluidics, do the engineering, work on the was doing research in evolutionary desired molecule. However, this process chemistry and study the biology at the computing already, so I thought, I’ll just is difficult, time-consuming, tedious same time. That’s what attracted me,” he learn a bit more about evolution,” he and unpredictable. says. “I have an interdisciplinary back- explains. That was just the beginning. Luckily, automation of that process is ground and I wanted to be in an Kharma took a course at Concordia coming soon. A $2.5-million grant from interdisciplinary environment, so in molecular biology and became the Canada Foundation for Innovation I thought it was a perfect match.” friends with the prof, Luc Varin, BSc 87, to develop a biofoundry at the centre means a good deal of new equipment that will help researchers make and manipulate DNA. “There’s a lot of automation that can be put into place to give our scientists, who are trained in how to think, more freedom,” says Narcross. She was awaiting the arrival of the biofoundry’s first piece. “I’m really excited to see this technology completely change the research we do here,” she says. “The process is very satisfying. We get to problem-solve for a living. It’s cool to be making molecules that can make a difference to people.” Standardization is one of the goals k c

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“We get to problem-solve for a living. It’s cool to be making molecules that can make a difference to people.”

PhD 91, an associate professor in the He adds that the centre’s biologists synthetic biology. “It’s not just about Department of Biology and now also a recognize real-world boundaries of researchers,” Whiteway says. “There’s member of the centre. Through Varin, what’s physically doable, as opposed to also a journalistic element regarding Kharma met Martin and became in- what calculations or models theoreti- ethics and how the information is pre- creasingly interested in how he cally show what’s possible. That includes sented to the general public.” could apply computational engineering Malcolm Whiteway, a professor in the Whiteway refers to David Secko, an to biology. Department of Biology and Canada associate professor in the Department of Kharma also signed up for a mas- Research Chair in Microbial Genomics, Journalism and centre member. Secko, ter’s degree in biology, which he’s Biology. His research concerns the fun- who trained as a molecular biologist completing this year. Though he’s gal pathogen Candida albicans, and the before becoming a science journalist, found it demanding, he says the struc- new biofoundry will be crucial to several studies and promotes biotech literacy to tured learning was invaluable to his projects he leads. the general public. He recently hosted biology knowledge. Whiteway sees many benefits to the a panel discussion regarding CRISPR, a Martin too is a classically trained centre’s multidisciplinary nature. “It’s new technology for editing genes that’s biologist, although his postdoctoral re- good to be able to talk to smart people raised a number of ethical questions. search was in an engineering department who have different backgrounds than Another centre member, Tagny Duff, — which makes the co-directors a good you do about questions that are of rel- MFA (studio art) 05, PhD 14, associ- match. “I spent enough time with engi- evance to you because they can provide ate professor in the Department of neers to realize their thought process is novel insights,” Whiteway says. “Being Communication Studies, uses biology as completely different from biologists,” able to direct your grad students to the a medium for design and art. She’s cur- says Martin. “It’s a lot more structured, Martin lab on a question, for example, is rently working on a project that will be in most instances, and to me it was very extremely useful.” displayed at the Centre for Structural important to have that aspect in the cen- He points out that one of the centre’s and Functional Genomics on the Loyola tre. Nawwaf certainly brings that.” mandates is to spread knowledge about campus, where the centre is located.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 24 2016-04-21 5:06 PM Like Whiteway, Martin sees a need to Martin also challenged Cluis to do THE FUTURE educate the general public about syn- the best she could. “He was also great The centre is looking at developing thetic biology. “Go out there and try to at making me push boundaries, and programs for engineers and biologists, engage. Describe what it is you’re doing, encouraging me to be ambitious, not and that means crossing departments along with the potential benefits and to do things that have been done in the and faculties. pitfalls,” he says. “It’s a really interest- past or that weren’t very original.” To do this, Kharma and Martin are ap- ing way to bring synthetic biology into A lot has changed in synthetic biol- plying for an educational Collaborative popular culture.” ogy since 2014, but Cluis says what she Research and Training Experience does now is a direct application of what (CREATE) Program grant from the A CHANGING FIELD she learned during her PhD. “My way Natural Sciences and Engineering Because the field of synthetic biology is of thinking, trouble shooting and ap- Research Council of Canada. “It’s the growing and changing exponentially, it’s proaching research projects was really best way we can leverage our expertise crucial to train graduate students how to developed through my interactions with into a training program,” says Kharma. think and be creative, says Martin. “That Dr. Martin.” “It’s not a degree program; it uses ex- way they can use that expertise wherever isting structures and courses to train they end up.” somebody in a particular area. That way Corinne Cluis, PhD 14, knew pretty our research will benefit teaching.” early on in her career that she wanted to Martin adds, “You have to build your translate what she liked about research academic programs to be adaptable and and biology into products that were flexible so that when things change you useable for society. As a PhD student in can modify them.” Martin’s lab, she produced coenzyme What will future research in Martin’s Q10, an antioxidant that’s been shown lab look like? Some projects will be to alleviate symptoms related to heart moving into non-model systems. “We’re diseases, diabetes, Parkinson’s and starting to biologically engineer things Alzheimer’s. It’s also well known as that people have never engineered before: an anti-wrinkle agent. The goal was different types of micro-organisms, dif- to produce the molecule cheaply, ferent types of yeast,” he says. using a non-pathogenic form of the Automating more and more of the lab bacteria E. coli and cheap substrates like processes is also a priority. “The biofoundry glucose. Cluis managed to multiply the is going to be a big part of developing tools

production of Q10 in E. coli 20 times. CORINNE CLUIS’S CONCORDIA PHD RESEARCH WAS ON and technology to speed things up. This is Today she works in the strain devel- THE COENZYME Q10, AN ANTIOXIDANT THAT’S BEEN where it’s heading,” Martin says. “We’re SHOWN TO ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS RELATED TO HEART opment lab at Lallemand in Montreal, DISEASES, DIABETES AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS. all going to be on computers, building, a company that specializes in produc- designing and creating biological systems ing yeast and bacteria products needed Martin hopes that’s the case. “What I and pushing a button and some assembly to make wine, animal feed, nutrition- can bring to my students, having spent line somewhere will build it.” al products, probiotics, biofuels and and still spending time with these His aspirations go beyond the centre. baking and food products. There is a companies, is that I understand how “Our hope is to get the seeds of automa- cohort of four or five former students of they work, I understand what they’re tion going here at Concordia, and we Martin’s working at the company. looking for,” he says. Martin himself want to push that into a national plat- Cluis says the centre and Martin were co-founded Amyris, a renewable prod- form,” Martin says. “It’s not just for my crucial to the scope and success of her proj- ucts company that provides sustainable lab. It’s for labs across the university, ect: “He gave me a lot of freedom to think alternatives to a range of petroleum- province and country.” about my project, to try different things, sourced products. He continues to serve — Vanessa Bonneau is a Montreal freelance to give it the direction that I wanted.” as its scientific advisor. writer and editor. “This centre was the only place in Canada where I could research microfluidics, do the engineering, work on the chemistry and study the biology at the same time.”

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 26 2016-04-21 5:06 PM A PERFECT MATCH Concordia’s research partnerships merge academics with industry

WAYNE LARSEN

he last thing you want to hear from your phone service provider is that it’ll be shutting down for a fewT hours while it upgrades its system, and you won’t be able to use your phone during that time. “That would be unacceptable; a company cannot afford that, especially in such a competitive business environment,” says Ferhat Khendek, a professor in the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering in Concordia’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science (ENCS). “Failures will always happen, but when they happen, we have to take care that the user should never see them because they’ll switch to something else.”

AS THE NSERC/ERICSSON SENIOR INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH CHAIR IN MODEL BASED SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT, FERHAT KHENDEK DIRECTS GRADUATE STUDENTS’ WORK WITH ERICSSON CANADA.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 27 2016-04-21 5:06 PM Khendek is the NSERC/Ericsson “They’ve been a wonderful partner; AEROSPACE IS A BIG DRAW Senior Industrial Research Chair in they’re very engaged in the training of Along with other leading Model-Based Software Management. graduate students,” says Shelley Sitahal, telecommunications companies like He works in close partnership with Concordia’s director of Research Ericsson, ENCS faculty members are Ericsson Canada. He’s supervising a Partnerships and Innovation, when engaged in research partnerships in group of graduate students who col- describing Khendek’s long-term high-tech industries such as electronics laborate with the telecommunications collaboration with Ericsson. and software development. Especially giant’s software engineers to develop She points to the advantages to both prominent on the list is the ever- techniques and applications that accom- sides. “It really brings relevance to the growing aerospace industry, which plish such things as upgrades while their research we’re doing here,” Sitahal has several companies established system remains up and running. says. “Instead of guessing at what prob- in or near Montreal. “In terms of It’s just one ongoing project from the lems industry may potentially have, partnerships in ENCS, aerospace is many research partnerships between the they actually tell you, ‘Hey, we have this the big daddy of them all,” Sitahal says, faculty and a list of high-tech industry problem — how do we work together to pointing out that more than 50 per cent leaders that includes Bombardier, Bell solve this issue?’ And one of the great- of her department’s engagement is with Helicopter, Pratt & Whitney, Hydro- est benefits for our students is they have aerospace companies. Québec and Siemens. the opportunity to work alongside these This is in keeping with the growing Khendek, who has nurtured a close industry engineers who normally have emphasis on aerospace engineering at research relationship with Ericsson been around for 20 or 30 years and the university. Last February the Quebec over the past 20 years, says that col- really know their stuff.” government approved Concordia’s new laborations between academics and This experience also makes the Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in their related industries have benefits participating students more employable Aerospace Engineering. “In consult- for everyone. Students get valuable when they graduate; many end up ing with our industry partners it was hands-on experience working in state- working for the partner company for clear that what the aerospace industry of-the-art facilities under the guidance which they did their research. in Montreal needed were technically of insightful and experienced industry trained engineers with specialized professionals, while the companies of- interdisciplinary skills unique to aero- ten benefit from their research. space,” Amir Asif, dean of the faculty, “At Ericsson, my students in that said at the time of the announcement. partnership are all co-supervised by an “A lot of our partners right now are industrial researcher,” says Khendek. not just partners in research, but part- “We have meetings there every ners in education as well,” says Sitahal. Wednesday with their researchers. Each “The recently awarded NSERC Chair in student has an access card that allows Aerospace Design Engineering is pri- them to use Ericsson facilities. If they marily focused on the development of have a specific problem on the platform undergraduate curriculum supported or something else, an Ericsson internal by six companies. We’re engaged in contact will guide them to other internal training a new breed of engineers. So contacts who will help them.” companies are really investing their Khendek proudly points out that some time and resources to help us, which is software research work carried out by new and exciting and really a commit- Concordia students, specifically a way ment to changing the way we do things.” to automatically generate a configura- Robert Fews has been in the aero- tion for a system, has found its way into space industry for 50 years and has seen Ericsson’s operating platform — and a dramatic evolution in the technol- niversity

the company couldn’t be happier. U ogy. “They were flying with elastic bands

“They said this work has given them a ordia when I started,” quips Fews, who worked c on

lead of two years over their competi- C at British Aerospace — he was on the

tors,” he says. THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY ANDREAS ATHIENITIS’S tarmac when the first Concorde took off TEAM OF GRADUATE STUDENTS WORK ON PROJECTS — before moving on to Canadair and Bell SUCH AS OPTIMIZING BUILDINGS’ ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR LOCAL COMPANIES INCLUDING HYDRO-QUÉBEC. Helicopter. His expertise in the field

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 28 2016-04-21 5:07 PM of the expertise we have to offer, the availability of specialized infrastructure and government funding programs. We have to build that business case for them to show what the financial and intellectual leveraging opportunities are and why it makes sense to do that research in Canada.”

WORKING TO SAVE ENERGY For Andreas Athienitis, a professor in Concordia’s Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, the burgeoning field of solar energy has opened research and development opportunities that have put the institution well ahead of most universities — including a home-grown project that produced a groundbreaking environmental model. Athienitis is the NSERC/Hydro- Québec Industrial Research Chair in Optimized Building Operation and niversity

U Energy Efficiency and scientific direc-

ordia tor of the NSERC Smart Net-zero Energy c on

C Buildings Strategic Research Network. He led the design and implementation brought him to Concordia in 2009 as Much of what Sitahal’s Research of the John Molson School of Business special aerospace advisor to the dean. Partnerships and Innovation team Building’s “solar wall” installation, which He says that graduate students’ research does is to identify and structure fund- uses a single façade surface to generate collaborations are a step up from under- ing proposals for research projects both heat and electricity from the sun. It graduate internships, where students get with partners, an intricate process was the first of its kind in the world when to learn from on-the-job experience. (See in itself that involves extensive col- the building opened in 2009. the sidebar, “Co-op integrates under- laboration and involvement from both His current team of 12 graduate grads,” on page 30.) That means that for parties. There is also the matter of sell- students, six of whom are PhD can- economic reasons, all universities must ing a company on the idea of using local didates, works with a network of local bring their A-game when it comes to be- research resources — not always an companies, the main partner being ing partnered with companies, Fews adds. easy task in such a highly competitive Hydro-Québec, the province’s energy environment. utility. “We are doing two kinds of things A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE FIELD “It’s not Daddy Warbucks sitting over “From an industry perspective, the here with a pocketful of cash saying, university collaborative research ‘OK, where am I going to dole this mon- environment is extremely competitive,” ey out?’” she says. “The companies also “In Ericsson’s own says Fews. “Industries try to be as have to make the business case to their competitive as they can in terms of head offices. Most of the companies we words, they said where they place their research. They deal with don’t have their head offices this work has given want to find the number-one best in Canada, so making the argument that technical resource that’s available in research should be done here involves them a lead of two Canada. They also want to find the most putting together a very strong rationale years over their appropriate funding leveraging they can for that, which includes leveraging op- get their hands on.” portunities such as the uniqueness competitors.”

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 29 2016-04-21 5:07 PM “Our students have the opportunity to integration of a solar-energy system in work alongside these industry engineers an ultra-modern building. who normally have been around for 20 A more recent project involves research into preheated fresh air for or 30 years and really know their stuff.” buildings, whereby outside air is drawn in through the façade, heated by solar with Hydro-Québec,” says Athienitis, days or even a few hours ahead — and energy and then directed into the who arrived at Concordia in 1987. In based on the occupancy of buildings, we building’s indoor fresh-air system. addition to development of building-in- can adjust their operation to reduce the “This is an area in which we are ahead,” tegrated solar systems, he explains, “We projected upcoming demand for elec- Athienitis says. are optimizing building operations to tricity for both heating and cooling.” reduce and shift peak demands for elec- Apart from Hydro-Québec, REWARDING FOR STUDENTS tricity, especially when it gets very cold Athienitis’s students work within Mehran Khan, who completed his or very hot.” Athienitis’s group attracts the NSERC Smart Net-zero Energy MSc in fall 2015, has been collaborating top students from several disciplines, Buildings Strategic Research Network with Ericsson for more than two and several of his graduates have gone that includes partners from a di- years. He remembers his research on to faculty positions at Canadian and verse range of industries including partnership as demanding yet American universities such as Purdue. manufacturing, engineering and extremely rewarding. “The biggest Since Hydro-Québec often has to im- building-automation companies. “We advantages are that you face challenges port electricity from the United States are also connected with companies that you wouldn’t expect in a master’s in order to meet increased heating de- make solar panels to produce electric- program,” says Khan. Much of his mands whenever winter temperatures ity. We are now working with a company work at Ericsson involved developing drop considerably, it has a strong finan- to design windows that have solar cells techniques for middleware to ensure cial interest in reducing those demands built into them to generate electricity.” that the system doesn’t fail, and to during peak periods. “We can do that by Aside from the Molson Building, monitor load on the system in order optimizing the way buildings operate,” Athienitis proudly points to the recently to optimize its resources — identifying Athienitis says. “A lot of the work we are built new municipal library in Varennes, periods when higher call volume doing is based on predictive control. Que., as an outstanding example of his necessitates greater load capabilities, We use predictions of the weather — two research team’s contribution to the and vice versa.

CO-OP INTEGRATES UNDERGRADS

While experiential learning forms a big part of graduate students’ experience in the various research partnerships, it is the very foundation of Concordia’s Institute for Co-operative Education, which sends out undergraduates from the four academic faculties to companies to gain on-the-job experience in a field they’re studying.

Though they can be loosely described as internships for which generally no academic credits are offered, they are actually formal arrangements whereby the students are paid for their work. “The philosophy of Co-op is that students take what they learn from the classroom and apply it in a real job situation in the workforce,” says Gerry Hughes, BComm 74, director of Co-op. “The work terms are defined as anywhere from 12 to 17 weeks and the idea is that an employer would hire a student just like a regular employee. The student has to do 35 or 40 hours per week and often generates project-type work. Sometimes it’s a replacement situation, but for the most part it provides key benefits to the employer — and certainly to our students.”

Co-op’s program coordinators function as crucial liaisons between students and employers, setting up the work situations and offering guidance to students. In all, more than 1,800 students are involved in Co-op work programs with a wide range of employers, from Bombardier — described by Hughes as consistently the largest employer each year — followed closely by Pratt & Whitney and the pharmaceutical companies, right down to entrepreneurial startups and fast-growing companies such as Genetec Inc.

As in the graduate research partnerships, there are many mutual advantages for both the Co-op students and the companies that employ them. “One of the value-added benefits to the student is that it gives them confidence,” Hughes says. “They usually do three work terms,

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 30 2016-04-21 5:07 PM He also points out that his presen- scenes and contribute to the overall “We have some great programs and tation skills improved considerably effectiveness of these services. Yet as an excellent research community within thanks to the weekly routine. “You have Concordia continues to establish and Concordia, and we have been able to put to present whatever you’ve contribut- maintain solid relationships between together some very powerful programs, ed to your research on a weekly basis,” faculty members across the university both from a university perspective and he says. “You have a supervisor from and a wide range of industry research an industry perspective,” said Fews. Ericsson and you have a supervisor from partners and companies willing to help “We have a very good reputation.” Concordia; you have to present your train students, that win-win situation — Wayne Larsen, BA (journ.) 98, MA work progress in front of them — and agreed upon by both academics and (journ.) 14, is a Montreal freelance writer. each quarter you present to the high- professionals is likely to keep the er-ups at Ericsson so they can see what university’s name prominent among ROBERT FEWS, SPECIAL AEROSPACE ADVISOR TO THE DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE, HAS research and development is doing.” high-tech industry leaders. DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY. Networking is also a big plus, says Khan, who now works as a full-time research professional with Khendek. “You get to meet a lot of people in the industry, and that helps with the job hunt. That wouldn’t have happened had I not been in this program.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE From a reliable telecommunications network to abundant heat and energy efficiency to safe air travel, it’s easy to take for granted the everyday comforts and services made possible by our niversity

high-tech industries. It’s even easier U ordia

to overlook the young university c on

researchers who work well behind the C

and by the time they finish, their confidence has gone from X to Y to Z — they’ve really expanded. They get a good understanding of themselves, the recruitment process, and learn how they have to sell themselves.”

There’s also a financial benefit, as all work terms are paid. Valuable networking opportunities are cited as major enticements to Co-op students as well; a student who impresses a supervisor may be invited to apply for a job at that company upon graduation.

“We’re always challenging students to enhance their professional skills as well as their technical skills,” Hughes says. “We work hard to make sure the students understand the importance of balance between the academic knowledge they acquire, combined with key soft skills such as how to work in teams, leadership, and how to communicate effectively in a workplace environment.”

For the employers, Hughes says, the gain is working with enthusiastic, energetic students who can fill staffing needs and gaps — not to mention the financial value of a provincial tax credit of between 24 and 40 per cent of the student’s wages.

“Another key benefit for the employer is that it’s an effective interview process; the employer really gets to see the student in action,” says Hughes, himself a former human resources recruiter. “As opposed to standard recruitment processes, this way the employer gets to see how the students handle themselves, their attitudes, how they integrate themselves into the team, and their learning capabilities. This takes the mystery out of the recruitment equation and gives them the ability to maybe say, ‘We have a job for you when you finish school.’”

Hughes adds that he was especially pleased to see more emphasis on experiential learning being integrated into one of the university’s nine new Strategic Directions — to “get your hands dirty” — an initiative in which Co-op will no doubt play a crucial role.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 31 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Roloff Beny Foundation Fellowship in Photography: Bogdan Stoica

Howard BokS er

Photography by Bogdan Stoica, BFA 10, MFA 16

ach year, the Concordia Department of Studio Arts’ photography program awards the Roloff Beny Foundation Fellowship in Photography to a graduate student for his or her outstanding artistic E and academic achievement. 1 2 In 2014, MFA student Bogdan Stoica, BFA 10, won the $10,000 fellowship. Stoica used the funds to travel to his native Romania for two months in summer 2015 to work on a film project, trying to capture life in the countryside. “Part of the Romanian identity is travelling through the landscape, seeing sheep and mountains,” says Stoica, who earned his BFA in film production.

“I started creating a part-fiction, part-documentary movie,” Stoica says. However, he changed his strategy while on location. “I really like documentary and fiction, but doing fiction means you have to have a plan, and it stops you from seeing what’s around you. I like to have my eyes open. I stopped thinking about the project, looked around and interacted with the landscape, and took it from there.”

Stoica is now in the midst of completing the film, called Catherine et ce qu’il reste à traduire de cet été qui a assoupi la terre. Once done, he plans to continue working in video and cinema and further pursue his studies.

As his artist’s statement says: “My artistic approach builds on a deep-rooted desire to understand and explore the intimate and emotional facets of our existence. Through the mediums of photography, film and sculpture, I aim within my work to both mirror and conceptualize the intrinsic links between memory and identity.”

1 Still life 2 teenager from iSlaz (01) 3 teenager from iSlaz (02) 4 CoStel

3 4

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Howard BokS er

Photography by Bogdan Stoica, BFA 10, MFA 16

1 Still life 2 teenager from iSlaz (01) 3 teenager from iSlaz (02) 4 CoStel

3 4

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 33 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Giving from the heart

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 34 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Concordia experts discuss the varied reasons people donate, which stem primarily from the desire to make a difference

JULIE GEDEON millennials” held by Concordia and the PARENTAL FOOTSTEPS Council for Advancement and Support Some follow the example set by their hy do people donate to of Education. “People understand that parents or other relatives. Reginald charitable causes? What is it it’s an inherently selfish act that makes Howard Webster saw his father, Senator that prompts individuals to us feel good because it’s one of the few Lorne Webster, donate money to keep the Wopen their wallets, write out a cheque ways that we, as individuals, can actually YMCA in Quebec City open during the and even set up a charitable foundation? make a positive difference in the world.” Great Depression so that hot soup could Philanthropy in all its forms is be- Gomery also noted that individuals be handed out daily to people in need ing actively researched and discussed who regularly donate money and/or of a meal. Highly successful at various at Concordia as an issue that pertains to give of their time enjoy longer and enterprises in his own life years later, the vast majority of Canadians on either healthier lives for the most part. R. Howard Webster gained tremendous the giving or receiving end. They generally are grateful to be satisfaction by assisting worthy causes, Canadians are generous. Almost 90 able to help others. often doing so anonymously. per cent donate to charities in some way, according to the most recent National Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating prepared by Statistics Canada and Imagine Canada. However, less than 25 per cent take advantage of the allowable deduction when filing their tax returns. These figures also ex- clude the numerous times people stuff money into a jar, buy raffle tickets, make in-kind donations or volunteer time or services without asking for a receipt. “Philanthropy is about the joy of giving,” Elizabeth Gomery, co-founder of Philanthropica, a charity-oriented consultancy, told colleagues at a panel discussion called “The secret of giving: Why people donate — from boomers to

MICHÈLE PAULIN, A PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING AT CONCORDIA’S JOHN MOLSON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, WAS ONE OF THE PANELLISTS AT “THE SECRET OF GIVING: WHY PEOPLE DONATE — FROM BOOMERS TO MILLENNIALS,” A PANEL DISCUSSION HOSTED BY CONCORDIA AND THE COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION IN 2015. niversity U ordia c

on concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 35 C

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 35 2016-04-21 5:07 PM The R. Howard Webster Foundation 83 per cent of all donations in Canada, “A business school that wants a is one of Canada’s leading private grants according to the latest Statistics Canada complete approach to management organizations that have been pivotal in data, with the average donation among in all sectors must include a course helping Concordia and other institu- this highest percentile being at least on fundraising to address the major tions and organizations realize their $358. That figure may not seem like a revenue-generating stream of most not- goals. For instance, the foundation sup- lot but it averages out donations that for-profit organizations,” Lynch says. ported Concordia’s R. Howard Webster range from less than a hundred dollars He launched Adventum Philanthropic Library, which opened in 1992 and is to millions. Marketing to help smaller organizations named after its benefactor. “People donate money when they in the greatest need of effective fundrais- “We carefully research how we can can see how a cause aligns with and ing techniques but unable to afford most strategically donate money to achieve achieves their own philanthropic goals,” consultancies. “Too many small orga- something that government isn’t doing says Shaun G. Lynch, who founded nizations make contact with donors just so that all Canadians benefit,” Howard Adventum Philanthropic Marketing twice a year: once to ask for money, and Davidson, BComm 80, said at “The se- in 2006 and teaches marketing at then again only to send each donor cret of giving.” Davidson is the Webster Concordia’s John Molson School of a tax receipt.” Foundation’s president and trustee, as Business (JMSB). “For example, I can’t well as chair of the Concordia University do heart surgery but I can financially MESSAGE RELEVANCE Foundation and its investment com- assist the hospital that saved a relative’s A key aspect of fundraising is the actual mittee. “We always want to make the life with a triple bypass.” message that organizations convey. greatest possible impact with our Honing successful negotiation skills “There’s a tendency to state how grants,” he added. “So we particularly with the goal of obtaining donations is brilliant they are and the wonderful like initiatives that involve funding that one of Lynch’s main topics. In his 27- things they’re doing, instead of factually will be matched by the requesting orga- year career, Lynch has consulted for a conveying how they meet their donors’ nization and the government to achieve number of large fundraising efforts, objectives to make the world a better a significant undertaking.” including Concordia’s Campaign for a place,” Lynch says. New Millennium, 1996-1999, which It’s not enough, for example, to say MAJOR DONORS generated $77 million for the university. that a renovated children’s library will Individual contributions tend to be He joined the Department of Marketing look nicer for young readers. “I was able reflective of the country’s wealth when he was invited to teach fundraising to present some independent research concentration. Top donors provided at JMSB in 2001. that demonstrated how early literacy

HOWARD DAVIDSON, PRESIDENT AND TRUSTEE OF THE R. HOWARD WEBSTER FOUNDATION, AND ELIZABETH GOMERY, CO-FOUNDER OF PHILANTHROPICA, SPOKE AT "THE SECRET OF GIVING" PANEL DISCUSSION AT CONCORDIA.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 36 2016-04-21 5:07 PM opportunity to regularly communicate how that organization is meeting an individual’s philanthropic vision,” Lynch says. “Then occasionally that person could be asked to consider making a donation.” And once people make a donation — even a small one — they are more likely to contribute again. When it comes to younger generations, the messaging on social media has to specifically resonate with individuals

resdner for them to participate in a fundrais- D

oe ing event or to donate time or money. J Take, for example, the way students at RICHARD J. RENAUD (BOTTOM LEFT) IS PICTURED IN 2013 WITH SOME OF THE MANY STUDENTS WHO HAVE BENEFITED FROM HIS GENEROSITY. RENAUD SAYS HIS FIRST GIFT TO THE UNIVERSITY WAS A CHRISTMAS BASKET THAT HE AND many universities across Canada have HIS WIFE CAROLYN (TO HIS RIGHT) DONATED TO A LOYOLA CHAPEL DRIVE SOON AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE. responded to the plight of homeless people. “They’re not only willing to donate money but to sleep outdoors on a “I can’t do heart surgery but I can cold night in March to raise awareness and obtain donations from other peo- financially assist the hospital that saved ple,” Paulin says, referring to the 5 Days a relative’s life with a triple bypass.” for the Homeless campaign, which at Concordia was initiated by Josh Redler, BComm 08, in 2008. programs contribute significantly to Michèle Paulin, a professor in JMSB’s Snail mail is still the most effective children’s social and intellectual devel- Department of Marketing who holds means of solicitation, with three quar- opment,” he says. “That’s authoritative the Royal Bank of Canada Distinguished ters of donors indicating they initially proof that the library is doing something Professorship in Strategic Relationship responded to a letter. Yet email cam- that works.” Marketing, says that long-term affilia- paigns are on the upswing, with one Every donor shares three common tion is highly dependent on the student’s quarter to a third of recipients being elements. The first is ability, inas- actual experience at a school. “It’s so responsive, according to Lynch. much as people who don’t have money important for universities to minimize However, the rules of engagement are are unlikely to donate. “Ability in itself paper and online bureaucracy and ensure definitely changing with the younger is insufficient,” Lynch says. “Bill and that students instead obtain the face-to- generations, especially with the increase Melinda Gates could probably fund every face assistance they need to graduate with of online giving and access to informa- charity in the world at this point without a positive feeling about their education.” tion. “Millennials are very savvy these batting an eyelash, but unless your orga- days when it comes to greenwashing by nization has a way to get through to them YOUNGER TENDENCIES corporations, or companies adopting from among the thousands of requests, Social media facilitates reaching out to a charitable symbol but donating rela- it’s unlikely to be successful.” new people. Yet those individuals who, tively very little to that cause,” Paulin The second is interest or the donor’s for instance, click ‘Like’ on a Facebook explains. “They have constant access to concern for a particular cause — which page must additionally be enticed online experts, so when an organization goes back to conveying the way the or- to visit a website where they can be is not being genuine and transparent, ganization can show how its efforts align encouraged to make a small donation word spreads quickly through their with the donor’s intentions. through CanadaHelps.org or PayPal, or social networks.” Finally, there’s linkage. For example, to agree to provide an email or civic The research by Paulin and her alumni give to their university knowing address to be contacted directly. students indicates that, despite their that earlier donations helped them to “Once people have taken an active step reputation to the contrary, millennials get their quality education. in showing interest in a cause, there’s are ready to give money, time and other

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 37 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Be a GAME resources when a cause rings true and conversation needs to take place and can make a social or environmental to start with asking boomers how much improvement. “However, millennials of their hard-earned but unused RRSP CHANGER can’t all be thrown into the same large and RRIF savings they want to see go to interest group to the extent that perhaps government taxes rather than leaving a Suppo a new era previous generations were,” Paulin meaningful legacy. adds. “They have very distinct and varied “Boomers are radicalizing,” she in Stinger spo s interests that extend to differences in added. “With more time on their hands social and environmental causes as well.” and a sense of their own mortality, they’re looking at the kind of world FORMING HABITS they’re leaving to their children and they Giving is a question of finding and has been engrained in me as I think it aren’t very pleased with it. So they’re Give now at pushing the right button, according has been in a lot of past and upcoming becoming active in social movements, concordia.ca/giving to Richard J. Renaud, BComm 69. Loyola graduates.” especially concerning social causes and “I’ll have people tell me they’re not He notes that social media and online the environment. It’s something that in a position to donate, but then I call technology have made administration of they’re coming to late in life and feel them up a week later to invite them to a a greater number of smaller donations very passionate about.” Xander Jean, forward charity golf tournament costing $1,000 more feasible, especially in the current The role of women in gift-giving is for a foursome and they immediately economic downturn. “Every bit really also being more recognized and better sign up because they love to golf,” says does help,” he says. understood. “Women have always played Renaud, who is co-chair of Dundee Renaud lauds Concordia’s Graduating an active role in helping families to Sarea LP. Class Gift Fund, an initiative that asks decide how to engage in philanthropy,” Over many years Renaud has both graduating students to donate a mini- Gomery said. Fundraisers increasingly fundraised on behalf of Concordia and mum amount — $20.16 this year, with realize that if they don’t involve the donated generously to the university and the aim of making that amount a month- women of the family when soliciting a to other organizations and institutions. ly gift in perpetuity. “The program gift, she added, “they won’t get very far.” “Making that personal connection with initiates the idea of these graduates do- An increasing number of career individuals to find out their exact in- nating as soon-to-be alumni,” he says. women earning and spending their own terests is so important to aligning their “It gets them into the habit at a time income are becoming more interested in generosity with specific fundraising when they’re really aware of what their philanthropy on their own terms. “Again, campaigns and events,” he says. education at Concordia has afforded however, you must be really genuine Stinger roots His own multiple contributions to them.” and transparent in what you do, because run deep. Concordia include the Carolyn and women seem to have a stronger intuitive Richard J. Renaud Endowment and BOOMERS PLANNING AHEAD sense when something is not quite right Help our student Adopt-a-Student campaign, and his While millennials are looking to their or seems to differ from the way it’s being work as past chair and director of the future, many boomers are reassessing presented,” Paulin says. “A discrepancy athletes raise their Concordia Foundation. The Richard their lives and legacy. “Forty per cent will steer them away very quickly.” J. Renaud Science Complex opened in of Canadians say they’re not being Paulin adds that the best strategy for game by showing 2003 and was named as a tribute to his asked for a planned gift, with a lot of any organization attempting to raise efforts to revitalize the Loyola Campus. them adding that they would make one money these days is straightforward: your Stinger pride “Father David Fitzpatrick of the if approached,” Gomery said. “The “Promise less in terms of what you will this season. To see our St. Ignatius of Loyola Chapel would accomplish with the donated funds but always say that we express our then fully deliver on that promise.” schedule of games, spirituality through giving,” Renaud —Julie Gedeon, BA 89, BA 01, MA 09, is recalls of his Loyola High School days. a Montreal writer, editor and writing visit stingers.ca. “The Jesuit motto of ‘a man for others’ instructor/coach. Katherine Purchase, goalie

#StingersUnited #CUalumni #CUgiving

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VPAA-T16-26544-Ad-Stingers-Concordia Magazine Fall 2015-V2.indd 1 11/09/2015 2:14:19 PM T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 38 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Be a GAME CHANGER Suppo a new era in Stinger spo s

Give now at concordia.ca/giving

Xander Jean, forward

Stinger roots run deep. Help our student athletes raise their game by showing your Stinger pride this season. To see our schedule of games, visit stingers.ca. Katherine Purchase, goalie

#StingersUnited #CUalumni #CUgiving

VPAA-T16-26544-Ad-Stingers-Concordia Magazine Fall 2015-V2.indd 1 11/09/2015 2:14:19 PM T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 39 2016-04-21 5:07 PM PLUGGED IN TO THE FUTURE

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 40 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Following its new Strategic Directions, Concordia is moving towards tomorrow by becoming a digital university today JESSE STANIFORTH necessarily prepared for it. both campuses, new buildings featuring aybe it started with the “Thank heavens, we always have the latest high-tech classrooms, the M introduction of Moodle. early adopters — that’s fantastic,” says libraries lending laptops to students, A decade or so ago, Concordia Catherine Bolton, Concordia’s vice- and much more along the way toward introduced the web-based software, a provost of Teaching and Learning. “But becoming a digital university. combination bulletin board and paper-and- for people who had been at Concordia file storage space that allowed students to a long time, this was something THE RIGHT DIRECTION contact their professors at any time, and completely different. We always When Concordia announced its set of vice versa, and making course materials treat technology with a little bit of nine Strategic Directions in 2015 (see the constantly accessible from literally trepidation.” article “Our nine strategic directions,” anywhere with an internet connection. Bolton recalls she arrived at Concordia fall 2015, or concordia.ca/directions), No longer did professors arrive at 26 years ago without even a computer — the goal to “Teach for tomorrow” might every class with pounds of photocopies, she still used a typewriter. So she wasn’t have sounded like a jargon. Instead, it’s whether it was for syllabuses, hand- surprised that not everybody was quick to outs or readings. No longer did students start using Moodle. have only a few opportunities to speak to Things did change, however. “Today “Thank heavens, their professors per week. Suddenly, in everyone’s got their own Moodle site the online space, the very nature of the and they can do what they need to on it,” we always have classroom had changed. The university she says. early adopters — became digital long before anyone really Quickly following Moodle at Concordia planned for that possibility — or were was the introduction of WiFi throughout that’s fantastic.”

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 41 2016-04-21 5:07 PM “It’s almost unimaginable what the transformative power of digitization will be, in terms of our capacity not just to access and generate information but reconceptualize how we do things and with whom we can now begin to do things.”

is one in which all aspects of student LIBRARY LEADERSHIP and faculty life are channelled through As was the case at many universities, digital media in order to maximize the digital revolution at Concordia content quality, network opportunities began in the library — a long time ago. and prospects for learning and After beginning to use computers for discovery. How, he wonders, could cataloguing and acquisitions in the the university not mirror the essential 1960s, reports university librarian nature of a society that is now so Guylaine Beaudry, university libraries incredibly plugged in? began to see a boom in online

niversity “I see it as a huge opportunity that’s publications as of the mid-1990s. U already here — we’re already living it,” “2004 was the year when Canadian ordia c Carr says. “To me, it goes beyond the university libraries, collectively, first on C classic questions about online education spent more money on digital journals CATHERINE BOLTON, CONCORDIA’S VICE-PROVOST OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, HAS WITNESSED A VAST SEA or bringing digitization increasingly compared to print,” Beaudry says. CHANGE IN HOW TECHNOLOGY IS USED AND VIEWED BY into classroom activities. The reality is “And now most of us are spending PROFESSORS IN HER 26 YEARS AT CONCORDIA. that it’s a sine qua non of 21st-century between 85 per cent and 95 per cent research activity, of collaboration and of our multimillion-dollar budgets for really a mantra for a digital overhaul partnership. It’s almost unimaginable our collections on digital resources. that’s changing both the physical and what the transformative power of At Concordia, it’s 85 per cent of our mental space of the university, from digitization will be, in terms of our $6-million budget.” classrooms to libraries to the way capacity not just to access and generate The vast majority of that 85 per cent students and professors communicate. information, but reconceptualize how chunk is spent on e-journals, she notes, “It’s been interesting to see the Strategic we do things and with whom we can though every year more and more of the Directions evolve in a way that takes into now begin to do things.” digital budget goes toward e-books as well. account both our history and strengths So the process of Teaching for “The reason is that the scholarly on the one hand, but also the fast- Tomorrow isn’t so much attempting journal as a genre made this transition changing nature of the educational to imagine the university of the future from print to digital much earlier than and social landscape on the other,” but keeping up with technological books,” Beaudry says. However, she adds says Benoit Bacon, BA 95, Concordia’s progress as it occurs, being willing to that the physical collection still plays an outgoing provost and vice-president try out new ideas and thinking as much important role, as materials for some of Academic Affairs. “I think we have as possible about how to bring cutting- subjects — such as art history and other evolved a roadmap that will guide edge technologies into the service of humanities and social sciences — are Concordia’s continued evolution further student-faculty relationships. significantly less heavily digitized than on its distinctive path as an innovative, This instinct is part of the others. As well, an expert committee forward-thinking and socially engaged, university’s DNA, going back to its of the Royal Society of Canada on the next-generation institution.” roots. Sir George Williams University, future of libraries and archives recently Graham Carr, Concordia’s vice- one of Concordia’s founding estimated that only between 3 per cent president of Research and Graduate institutions, began life in the 1920s and 5 per cent of what has been published Studies, says that the university is through night courses — providing on paper in Canada has been digitized simply following the steady rush toward access to advanced learning to those who to date — making the library both an digitization that’s taking place in all of otherwise may not have had it. Online irreplaceable storehouse of traditional our personal, home and work lives. For courses are another next step in that information and a means for cutting- him, the notion of a digital university process of knowledge delivery. edge knowledge delivery.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 42 2016-04-21 5:07 PM DIGITIZATION IN PRACTICE How digital technology is reimagining the classroom experience

MOODLE When this versatile, open-source e-learning software first came into use a decade ago, not everyone knew what to do with it or how to best take advantage of its wide array of options. A combination bulletin board and repository for files, its value was not immediately clear to many professors, who were often comfortable at first only using it as a storehouse for course syllabuses. However, over increasing years, it has come into wide use at both the university and CEGEP level, so students and professors alike have come to expect Moodle to be a part of every class, whether in terms

niversity of providing files and readings, offering forums for virtual group work or allowing U them to be in constant contact. ordia c on C E-JOURNALS Especially in technical fields such as engineering, the idea of a printed journal in 2016 is anachronistic. Today, scholarly journals are mostly electronic, which allows Indeed, while they still have the stacks for portability and ease of text searches. Even outside technical fields, e-journals of glue-and-paper books synonymous have become increasingly popular. Their widespread adoption has also changed the with centuries of study, Concordia’s way that libraries occupy physical space: now hundreds of complete journal sets can Libraries are increasingly home to be stored on a single hard drive. some of the most dramatic changes in information technology and relations — LECTURE CAPTURE offering students large-scale computer In the past, it was sometimes possible to record classroom lectures with a video cam- visualization studios, multi-function era and watch the tape later on. Yet this was difficult to make widely available, and rooms with projection and video- fast-forwarding and rewinding to the necessary spot was time-consuming. Advances conferencing capacities and group-study in audio-video technology have made it possible today for lectures to be instantly rooms designed to serve students with a accessible online once they’re finished, easy to watch and scroll through and easy variety of technological needs. to return to. In practice, this means students don’t have to write down every word “We really believe that since of the lecture and can focus instead on the greater arc of the class while knowing Alexandria [in ancient Egypt], the they’ll be able to come back to the content later on. library is a centre of shared resources, and we simply continue that tradition,” VISUALIZATION STUDIO AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROOMS says Beaudry. “We’ve been doing Today’s physical classrooms can look very different from last year’s and last de- that with manuscripts, with print, cade’s. Nowhere is this as clear as within the Visualization Studio, part of the with the digital collection and also Concordia Libraries system, a room with three complete walls made out of high- with resources, equipment and definition screens. The totally immersive display environment allows visitors to infrastructure.” experience images such as maps, plans and blueprints in extraordinary detail. The That’s why Concordia has begun libraries also offer multifunctional rooms with projection capability and capacity for to transform the R. Howard Webster video conferencing, meaning a student’s research partners no longer need to be in Library on Concordia’s Sir George the same room — they don’t even need to be in the same time zone. Williams Campus, adding 88 per cent more student study space, 27 per cent more public space, doubling the number of study seats and bringing it to the

highest technological standards. niversity U Beaudry says this increase breaks ordia c

down into two individual surges in on C use and interest. On the one hand, a

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 43 2016-04-21 5:07 PM users are going. When we’re doing The fundamental roles of professors, our jobs properly as librarians, we’ve says Carr, remain teaching, training created a very good interface and we’re graduate students and engaging in helping our users to find what they need research — knowledge creation and without our intervention. In the digital knowledge transmission — while serving space, our intervention took place before the university, the academic community they use this system — so they can find as a whole and the public. There has what they need when they need it.” been no change in those orientations. Importantly, Beaudry and her team However, he adds, “The capacity of aspire to making the full array of professors to execute those roles and library offerings not just available but think of them differently as a result of also attractive to students from many digitization has changed. Of course, if different disciplines. “Just because I’m thinking about a classroom context, you’re a business student, you don’t part of their responsibility is to meet have to confine yourself to reading with students and answer questions only publications related to your field they may have outside of class hours of study,” she says. “We want to do — so faculty members still keep office exactly the opposite, because it’s how we hours. But email works 24/7. The role contribute to the development of good hasn’t changed, in terms of interacting citizens.” with students, but the pathway for that For specialists, though, Carr says interaction has changed.” there’s never been a better time to be None of that is unfamiliar to most working in the library, thanks to the people — students, professors or aggregation of Big Data — extremely staff. Our daily lives are full of digital large data sets that can be analyzed to information in ways we couldn’t have reveal patterns, trends and associations dreamed of just a decade ago. For that niversity

U — which is enormously useful in the reason, the process of becoming an

ordia study of subjects like genomics. increasingly digital university is less c on

C This widening of access to foreign and more intuitive than even the information, Carr says, “has created most technophobic person might have GRAHAM CARR, CONCORDIA’S VICE-PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES, SAYS THAT A resources people can access today imagined. While there remain hold- MOVE TOWARD BECOMING A DIGITAL UNIVERSITY MEANS FULLY MEETING STUDENT AND FACULTY’S that they could never previously have outs, Bolton says that’s the reason the NEEDS FOR BETTER LEARNING AND DISCOVERY. imagined accessing beforehand. Strategic Directions laid out its goals so The capacity is both to gather the plainly. “I hope we get to a point where The Concordia University Alumni Association lets you: recent redesign of the Webster Library information and to archive, curate and we don’t think twice about incorporating returned the space to the early 20th- store the information, and also to make technology into our classes,” she says. • Keep in touch with fellow graduates century style of the reading room and that information accessible through “Some faculty members have done that continues to attract waves of students open access sources.” immediately, no problem or hesitation • Enjoy exciting programs and activities daily. Yet the library also exists in a — but part of the strategic direction is virtual realm that accordingly attracts TEACHING FOR TOMORROW to encourage everyone to join in that • Take advantage of special benefits and savings an enormous virtual presence. As for the role of teachers, it has stayed journey with us.” “We have brick-and-mortar libraries roughly the same even as the process of — Jesse Staniforth is a Montreal freelance Find out more: concordia.ca/alumni that are like hives, it’s very animated,” digitization has been picking up speed. writer. she says. “One day we can have 12,000 It’s important for universities to embrace visits in a 24-hour cycle at Webster. But technological advances, yet to do so in a in parallel to this physical universe, discerning way that constantly considers Celebrate the Concordia University Alumni Association’s best at we have a digital library that we make the educational value of technology, The 25th Annual Alumni Recognition Awards Banquet available and that’s where most of our rather than tech for tech’s sake. Thursday, May 9, 206, 6 p.m. –9:30 p.m. Sofitel Hotel Montreal, 55 Sherbrooke St. W. Information: [email protected] Or visit concordia.ca/alumni

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 44 2016-04-21 5:07 PM The Concordia University Alumni Association lets you: • Keep in touch with fellow graduates • Enjoy exciting programs and activities • Take advantage of special benefits and savings Find out more: concordia.ca/alumni

Celebrate the Concordia University Alumni Association’s best at The 25th Annual Alumni Recognition Awards Banquet Thursday, May 9, 206, 6 p.m.–9:30 p.m. Sofitel Hotel Montreal, 55 Sherbrooke St. W. Information: [email protected] Or visit concordia.ca/alumni

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 45 2016-04-21 5:07 PM These five sets of Concordia alumni twins shared their university experiences — and more DYNAMIC

MAEVE HALDANE DUOS tarting university is an exciting step full of promise, although it can be a little scary. So imagine Sbeing able to make such a stride with someone at your side who knows you better than anyone — your twin. The following five sets of twins attended Concordia. Even the ones not believed to be identical are tough to tell apart. Some took every course together, some started at different times, but each was the other’s biggest booster and sharpest critic, and valued sharing this coming-of-age experience with their closest confidant. And as Lesley Haley, BSc 96, says, “We’re twins, we’re sisters. I don’t know if it can get any closer.”

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 46 2016-04-21 5:07 PM LESLEY JORDAN and LISA JORDAN HALEY

JORDAN e at dvoc A he T , oodwin G teve S

ON CHOOSING CONCORDIA: LESLEY JORDAN AND LISA JORDAN HALEY CELEBRATE THE GOLD MEDAL LISA TOOK HOME AS ASSISTANT COACH OF THE CANADIAN WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAM AT THE 2014 oth Lesley Jordan Haley, BSc 96, and Lisa Jordan, BSc SOCHI OLYMPICS. B96, were avid all-round athletes in their high school in Westville, N.S., with Lisa favouring hockey. While playing at the Canada Winter Games in Charlottetown in 1991, Lisa was During their studies, Lisa played forward for the Stingers approached by Concordia Stingers women’s hockey coach Les while Lesley worked her way up to being goaltender. Lisa claims Lawton about coming to Montreal. “I was interested in going to that her sister is largely to credit for their 1995-96 team mak- play hockey and study sports medicine,” says Lisa. Lesley adds, ing the Concordia Sports Hall of Fame. “She moved up to being “My mom said if one of us goes, we both go together.” Lesley the shining star,” Lisa says. joined her sister at Concordia and both made the hockey team. Though Lesley says Lisa is “definitely the leader,” Lisa was SINCE CONCORDIA: encouraged by having Lesley with her. “Moving away from Both moved back east to Halifax to work as athletic thera- home was intimidating, to a large city and large school. There pists. Lisa soon became Saint Mary’s University women’s are more people at Concordia than in our home town!” The hockey coach. Five years ago she took on coaching at Ryerson Jordans chose to live in residence but not together. Lisa laughs, University in Toronto, where she lives with her husband “Mom felt we wouldn’t get along well enough to share and son. a bedroom.” Lesley was an assistant coach with Lisa at Saint Mary’s, then “Making the decision to go there was a life changer,” says became head coach at Dalhousie University for nine years. She Lesley. “Les was phenomenal, as was assistant coach Julie now works as a paramedic in the Halifax region. Healy [BSc 83], who’s a strong female leader.” “We really were each other’s biggest fans and supporters in our sports careers, even when coaching against each other,” ON BEING A TWIN: Lisa says. Lisa’s career pinnacle so far, though, is bringing “It was a huge advantage; we had a great time for five years. home a gold medal as assistant coach of the Canadian women’s Having one person by your side being brutally and objectively hockey team at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. honest is great. You always have support and someone to lean on," says Lesley. “We each had our best friend there,” Lisa adds. “We both studied exercise science and it was fantastic that there was always someone to relate to.”

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 47 2016-04-21 5:07 PM BILL CONROD and SCOTT CONROD CONROD

WHILE BILL CONROD LIVES IN OTTAWA AND SCOTT CONROD IS IN MONTREAL, ON CHOOSING SIR GEORGE WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY THEY KEEP IN TOUCH DAILY AND VISIT EACH OTHER SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR. (one of Concordia’s founding institutions): aving been happily in the same high-school classes for H the previous three years, Bill Conrod, BSc 62, and Scott SINCE UNIVERSITY: Conrod, BSc 62, wanted to stick together and were considering After completing their degrees, each decided to go into edu- their options, from joining the Armed Forces to working in a cation. Bill taught high school and then at Montreal’s Dawson bank. Medicine had also caught their imagination. So they met College, where he eventually became an administrator. He with their sister’s friend, Jim McBride, BA 59, who worked in then worked in Prince George, B.C, and Algonquin College in the Sir George Williams registrar’s office and told them that the Ottawa, where he retired in 2000. He is also the author of two faculty of science had spots available and they could apply for a books, Memories of Snowdon in the ’50s and More Memories of bursary. The twins enrolled together and took exactly the same Snowdon in the ’50s. “I’m still married to my college sweetheart, courses at university. Jill Foote, with four children and 10 grandchildren, all causing some mischief somewhere,” Bill says. ON BEING A TWIN: Scott’s education career wound through Montreal elemen- To help fund school, Bill got part-time work in the emergency tary schools, and he then became director general of the ward of the Royal Victoria Hospital on weekends. “Because we Laurenval School Board (now Sir Wilfrid Laurier). He alleg- looked so much alike we alternated the job for the next three edly retired 16 years ago but still worked at various education years,” says Scott. They participated in another deception years jobs. He is now teaching education nearly full-time at McGill later, when Bill was suddenly laid up in the hospital for surgery University. Scott is married to Beverley White, BA 81, MA 84, on his daughter’s wedding day. Refusing to let his daughter PhD 92, who has a thriving psychology practice. They have cancel the event, he had Scott walk her down the aisle. No one three children and five grandchildren. “Bill beat me on that,” realized the switcheroo until Bill delivered a message by video. quips Scott. “Being a twin was a great help at university,” says Scott. “We got to know everyone and became active in various com- mittees.” The Conrod boys took part in the annual variety shows and helped plan orientation week and Winter Carnival. They were also members of the Garnet Key Society.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 48 2016-04-21 5:07 PM FAYE ASSEE and CHRYSTAL ASSEE GIGNAC ASSEE

FAYE ASSEE AND CHRYSTAL GIGNAC ASSEE FREQUENTLY TAKE VACATIONS TOGETHER, MOST RECENTLY TO ST. MAARTEN IN THE CARIBBEAN. THEY BOTH RUN AND GO ON HIKES WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY.

ON CHOOSING CONCORDIA: ON BEING A TWIN: hrystal Assee Gignac, BA 09, and Faye Assee, BA 06, “We were both known by different teachers and students, so it each says the other inspired her to follow her dream of made it easier to enter relationships with people,” says Faye. higherC education. Faye had originally considered studying Frequently, one twin would be approached by someone who social work at Dawson College. When that didn’t work out assumed she was the other, Faye says. “We had a deal that we’d she worked as a team leader for a pharmaceutical company. acknowledge people all the time, even if one or the other did Chrystal helped her find a suitable degree at Concordia, in not know that individual.” applied human sciences. Then, a few years later, Faye urged Chrystal to enter the same program. “I have a learning disorder SINCE CONCORDIA: and fell on Concordia due to its humanity in helping students Faye did become a social worker as well as a yoga teacher and achieve,” says Chrystal. therapist. She lives in Montreal, where she trained at Naada “We both wanted to be in the helping field, as we were Yoga and Yasmin Yoga. Chrystal is a mental health counsel- inspired by our parents,” Faye says. “They were always lor and a yoga therapist and teacher, and did her training at helping out friends, family and strangers. Our mother had Amazing Yoga in the United States. She lives in Hudson, Que., us do volunteer work when we were young, and the values in and is the proud mom of two “beautiful” pre-teen boys. our upbringing focused on empathy, generosity and helping Together they founded Yogalogy, which offers yoga therapy others,” Chrystal adds. “We both believe that volunteering is services and encourages people to find strength in nature. True core to compassion. Our mom and dad had enormous hearts to their values, they offer free yoga therapy for certain clients and souls.” who couldn’t afford it otherwise. “We both fell in love with yoga The Assees were raised speaking both English and French. for so many reasons and decided to add it to our careers in the They had done their primary and secondary education in helping fields,” Faye says. “Yoga seems to reach a different part French and were keen on taking their next educational steps of the body and mind that traditional psychotherapy and medi- in English. cine doesn’t.” They particularly like working with adolescents. “They are so receptive and still so enthusiastic and innovative about life,” she says.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 49 2016-04-21 5:07 PM ANDREA PERREAULT and NANCY PERREAULT PERREAULT

NANCY PERRAULT PAINTS WATERCOLOURS WHILE ANDREA PERRAULT DESIGNS GREETING CARDS ON THE COMPUTER AND r u

e HOLDS WORKSHOPS FOR ll

e OTHERS. “WE’RE BOTH H TECHNOLOGICALLY l SAVVY AND CREATIVE,” sabe

I ANDREA SAYS.

ON CHOOSING CONCORDIA: astute husband: Andrea says that when they met at Concordia ndrea Perreault, BSc 80, BCSc 85, and Nancy Perreault, he sought her out at her locker. Nancy instead showed up, but BSc 87, were attracted by Concordia’s flexibility and after a moment of conversation he said, “You’re not Andrea, strongA science programs, although they didn’t want to take the are you?” He didn’t even know she had a twin. same classes. Andrea studied biology (and, briefly, German), then switched into computer science. SINCE CONCORDIA: Nancy pursued biochemistry full-time for a year and then Nancy worked in a research lab and as a teacher, spent time at continued at night while finishing a college diploma in archi- home with her family and now proofreads English as a Second tectural technology during the day. She greatly appreciated how Language textbooks. the university accommodated her needs. After graduating, Andrea set up computers for an office and then stayed at home with her family, and later was a substitute ON BEING A TWIN: teacher. Her first-born was autistic, and Andrea was initially Nancy found it fun to have someone she was so close to at told he was unlikely to ever go to school. She worked hard with university. “We got to meet each other’s friends and make new him over the years and he went on to attend Concordia’s John friends, and ended up in a big group together,” she says. Nancy Molson School of Business, before deciding it wasn’t for him. did find the inevitable mix-ups sometimes tiresome. Once at the “It has been an interesting and rewarding journey even though Louvre Museum in Paris someone came up to her and asked if she it was fraught with many unknowns,” Andrea says. had been in his biochemistry class last semester. “I thought, wow, Andrea is now studying to be a massage therapist using the I can’t even escape being mistaken for my sister even in another energetic polarity technique. “This is a profession which I can country all the way across the ocean!” do at my own pace and I really enjoy,” she says. “I intend to Now, when Andrea stands at the back of her Montreal West work until the day I die.” Island home, she can see the front of Nancy’s house. Andrea’s Nancy and Andrea’s daughters are almost like sisters, only mother-in-law is also an identical twin, so Andrea’s husband three months apart. The girls, Nancy says, “have a great time Pierre Helleur, BComm 76, knew the importance of the twin telling everyone they could almost be half-sisters because their relationship and helped find the place nearby. This is one mothers are identical twins.”

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 50 2016-04-21 5:07 PM DIONNE PIERRE DIONNE RESIDES IN TORONTO WHILE MICHEL DIONNE LIVES IN THE MONTREAL REGION. “WHEN POSSIBLE, WE TRY TO TAKE VACATIONS TOGETHER AND MANAGE TO SEE EACH OTHER AT LEAST FOUR TIMES A YEAR,” SAYS MICHEL.

PIERRE DIONNE and MICHEL DIONNE

ON CHOOSING CONCORDIA: Being in the same classes was a tremendous help for ex- hen Michel Dionne, BSc 90, and Pierre Dionne, BSc 90, changing ideas and studying. Yet they’re also very competitive. W started university in the 1980s, Concordia was the only “Neither one of us wanted to end up with a lower mark!” Montreal school to offer a degree in actuarial mathematics. Michel says. This resulted in exceptional GPAs of 4.26 and Yet the twins saw two huge advantages in attending Concordia. 4.20, out of a maximum of 4.30 — politely, they don’t mention “First, being French-speaking, we knew that this would help whose was whose. “However, since we had similar handwrit- improve our English language skills, which is a must if you ing, thought processes and aptitude, some teaching assistants want to work anywhere in North America,” says Michel. The thought we were copying each other’s homework,” Pierre says. other was that Concordia’s co-operative education program “One teacher decided to sit us at the opposite ends of the class- let them try out different actuarial internships, which really room during exams, remarking, ‘I know you will write the same helped them figure out where they wanted to specialize. thing anyway, but let’s split you up just to be safe.’” Another reason? They enjoyed each other’s company — and studying together — so of course wanted to be at the SINCE CONCORDIA: same university. Pierre lives in Toronto with his wife DeDe and a dandy hairless Sphynx cat, while Michel is married to Sylvie ON BEING A TWIN: Beauchemin, has two teenage daughters and lives on Deciding what field to study is stressful, Pierre and Michel ad- Montreal’s South Shore. Both have reached high levels in mit, as it will have an impact on the rest of one’s life. “But we their fields: Pierre is senior vice-president and chief agent always had a lot of communication between each other, and this for the Canadian branch of the international reinsurance helped in choosing,” says Michel. “That we have the same apti- company CCR, and Michel is vice-president and appointed tude and taste also made these discussions much easier.” They actuary for Intact Financial Corporation. came to a decision together, to study actuarial mathematics Both are wine enthusiasts and have cellars that boast bottles with a minor in computer science. After a year, they re-eval- from all over the world. No doubt they continue to compare uated and both decided that dropping the minor and taking notes as they did at university, but these days over grape vari- economics, management and other business courses would be etals rather than statistics. better for their careers.

Maeve Haldane is a Montreal freelance writer and mother of twin boys. She is pictured with her sons enjoying Rockefeller Center, steps from the Lego Store, in New York City in summer 2011.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 51 2016-04-21 5:07 PM FACULTY SPOTLIGHT ARTS & SCIENCE

KIMBERLEY MANNING BECAME PRINCIPAL OF CONCORDIA’S SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR INSTITUTE IN JANUARY What defines a feminist university?

KIMBERLEY MANNING prides itself on creating access and opportunity for any student desiring Kimberley Manning is principal of an undergraduate education, that Concordia’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute develops innovative strategies to rectify and associate professor in the Department institutional inequities — for example, of Political Science between full-time and adjunct faculty, between faculty and staff, and between uebec universities are at women and men in academic leadership Q a turning point. — and that, with community partners, How do we survive hefty budget cuts, offers best practices of transformation maintain ambitious research programs, for other institutions similarly striving service the prospective professional to rectify historical injustices. needs of undergraduate students A feminist university is one that and create opportunities for critical is deeply attentive to what Canadian intellectual engagement both within and political theorist Rita Dhamoon calls outside our academic institutions? the production of difference. When one “My department had early on committed to the importance of work-life balance and to reward creative professional development.”

This is a tall order with which many starts from the assumption that there in higher education are currently is a mainstream to which others must contending. In 2016, I’d like to think conform, an identity becomes “a symbol about how a feminist university might of difference” in which histories and be able to respond to these 21st-century practices of oppression are effectively challenges — and, in so doing, open up erased. Rather than celebrating new possibilities for social innovation. “diversity,” therefore, Dhamoon’s A feminist university is a next- project calls for a disruptive practice generation university that places social in which “meaning-making processes justice at the centre of its mission that create and sustain relations of and practice. It is a university that domination” are brought fully to light.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 52 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Building from Dhamoon’s insights, our capacity to reimagine ourselves as a a feminist university does not call for society. In fact, with upstart universities the inclusion of marginalized others, such as Concordia fostering new models such as women, racialized minorities of collective excellence, it may be time to and sexual minorities, into a pre- appreciate how far feminism has taken existing hierarchy. Rather, it disrupts us, in order to appreciate how far it can and reshapes the forces of knowledge take us next. production, the relationship between Learn more about Women’s Studies teaching and learning, and the means offered at Concordia and about the by which creative output is measured Simone de Beauvoir Institute at and valued. concordia.ca/sdbi. So how might a feminist university address one example of a major problem in the North American academy today: “the baby penalty”? Research suggests that men with children are about 20 per cent more likely than women with children to secure tenure. Research also suggests that collective solutions, namely paid parental leave and affordable quality daycare, can go a long way to resolving this deep inequity. That has certainly been the case with respect to the development of my own MARTIN ALLOR (1954-2016): career at Concordia, where three year- ”A FORMIDABLE INTELLECTUAL“ long parental leaves and the availability of excellent daycare have enabled me to mature as a scholar, teacher and parent. Martin Allor, a professor and former chair of Concordia’s Department of Yet Concordia offered something Communication Studies, died in Montreal on February 26. more: the opportunity to become a social innovator. Five years ago when I came Allor joined the department in 1984. He taught cultural studies, media criticism, to my home Department of Political documentary and television studies, video production and discourse analysis, Science and said that I wanted to work media criticism, reception theory and cultural policy. on the challenges faced by Canadian transgender children and their families, “Marty was a formidable intellectual who made a significant mark on the my colleagues didn’t blink. Indeed, development of cultural studies in North America,” says Sandra Gabriele, current although I was hired as the “China chair of the department. “He was a tremendous, important part of the history of specialist,” I was given the flexibility our department, shepherding us into our new building and always on the ready to and support necessary to carve out a serve the university.” whole new niche of study and activism. This nurturing response was not Allor’s influence in his field extended well beyond Concordia. “Marty was a gentle, accidental: indeed, my department had incredibly smart man who changed the lives of innumerable young scholars, early on committed to the importance of artists, activists and media creators,” says Will Straw, of McGill University’s work-life balance and to reward creative Department of Art History and Communication Studies. “His teaching wove professional development in its many together the most exciting and progressive currents in cultural scholarship from unique variations. around the world. Few newcomers have become a Montrealer so quickly, or Rethinking the university project understood Quebec so well. In his modest, institution-building way, he brought and its social value through a feminist communications studies in Canada into an exciting new phase in its history.” lens, I would argue, alerts us to the importance of collective solutions to Allor passed away several days after suffering an aneurysm. He was surrounded individual dilemmas. In this sense, the by friends and colleagues throughout his final hours. drastic provincial cuts to education, to public daycare and to so many of our service sectors seriously undermines

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 53 2016-04-21 5:07 PM ALUMNI NEWS

For news on the full slate of recent and future Concordia Advancement and Alumni Relations events in Montreal, across Canada and the world over, visit concordia.ca/alumni.

To listen to podcasts or watch videos of Advancement and Alumni Relations events, please visit concordia.ca/alumni. CONMAG-54.p1.p1.pdfBlackYellow, Magenta, Cyan, 16:31:13 16-04-22

1 Donor and Student Awards 2

3 4

5 Superbosses 6 She talks dinner

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 54 2016-04-22 3:40 PM Donors and Students Awards Concordia President Alan Shepard and Bram Freedman, vice-president of To listen to podcasts or watch videos of Advancement and Alumni Relations events, please visit concordia.ca/alumni. Advancement and External Relations, welcomed award-winning Concordia students and generous donors to the Donor and Student Awards Celebration on March 23, 2016. The gathering, attended by some 300 people at the Sofitel Montreal Hotel, was organized by Advancement and Alumni Relations in association with the Financial Aid and Awards Office. Among those who enjoyed the festivi- ties were David Gawley, who established the Marjorie McInnes Grant Cooper 8 Florida Bursary, Linda Leith and student recipient Sydney Sullivan 1 ; student Steven Papadakos (centre), recipient of the Superbosses Fariborz and Roya Haghighat Entrance Sydney Finkelstein, BComm 80 Scholarship in Engineering, with bene- (left), shared insight on what makes factors Roya and Fariborz Haghighat 2 ; exceptional leaders — like fashion student Suparna Barai, recipient of the maven Ralph Lauren or Oracle founder Sandhya and Swati Sharma Memorial Larry Ellison — with more than 80 Scholarship, and benefactor Mahesh guests at Concordia’s John Molson Sharma, professor of Supply Chain School of Business (JMSB) on March 8. and Business Technology Management Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor in Concordia’s John Molson School of Management and faculty director of of Business 3 , and students Ardalan the Tuck Executive Program at the Tuck 9 New York Sabamehr and Kallol Barua, Avtar School of Business at Dartmouth College Pall Graduate Award in Earthquake in New Hampshire. He is also author Engineering recipients, and Tripar and of Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Kathy Reichs Master Class Avtar Pall, MEng 76, PhD 79. 4 Master the Flow of Talent, which was There are 206 bones in the human body named to Forbes magazine’s list — a fact Kathy Reichs, LLD 11, knows of 16 must-read books for 2016. better than most. A best-selling author Stéphane Brutus, interim dean of (Déjà Dead) and forensic anthropologist, the JMSB, introduced and moderated Reichs’s business is identifying human the event. 5 remains. The popular Bones Fox TV series is loosely based on her character She Talks Dinner Temperance Brennan. Reichs delivered The exclusive networking event She Concordia’s first-ever “master class” Talks Dinner featured Mary-Anne presentation, emceed by Caroline Van Carignan (front, centre), president of Vlaardingen, BA 84, a reporter with Purkinje, in conversation with Jamie CTV News Montreal, to more than a Orchard, BA 91 (front right), senior dozen Community Campaign leadership anchor of Global News Montreal, at donors and Heritage Society members Montreal’s Branzino Restaurant on on March 15. The event followed a sold March 10. Also at the sold-out event out Thinking Out Loud talk at Concordia was Anne-Marie-Croteau (front left), on March 14 (see page 14). 7 associate dean of Professional Graduate Programs and External Relations, 7 Kathy Reichs General Administration, in the JMSB. 6

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Florida Humberto Santos Award of Merit Susan Raymer, BA 71, and Ben Emilio B. Imbriglio, Celebrate the Concordia University Wygodny, BA 69 (fourth and fifth BComm 81, GrDip 82, Alumni Association’s best at from left), welcomed some 40 alumni is the CEO of Raymond for a cocktail dînatoire at their Bal Chabot Grant Thornton The 25th Annual Harbour home on March 3. Among and one of the foremost those in attendance were Xavier-Henri public-private partnerships experts in Alumni Recognition Hervé, BEng 87, DSc 11, founding Canada. He has long been associated Awards Banquet director of Concordia’s District 3 with Concordia as a part-time Innovation Center, Bram Freedman, accounting teacher, business coach and Thursday, May 19, 2016, vice-president, Advancement and financial strategist. He was chairman of 6 p.m.–9:30 p.m. External Relations, Leisha LeCouvie, the board at Montreal’s Santa Cabrini Sofitel Hotel Montreal, 1155 Sherbrooke St. W. senior director of Alumni Relations, and Hospital, a co-founder of the Rivière- Information: [email protected] Concordia President Alan Shepard. 8 des-Prairies Chamber of Commerce Or visit concordia.ca/alumni and a long-time member of the Italian New York Chamber of Commerce in Canada. He At the President’s Signature Event at was named Cavaliere dell’Ordine d’Italia New York City’s 92nd Street Y on March in 2010. Equitas. She has been teaching 30, guest speaker Patti Sonntag, BA journalism at Concordia since 1996 00, managing editor of The New York Honorary Life Membership and enjoys working alongside several of Times Syndicate and Concordia’s first Henry Beissel, a renowned her former students. journalist-in-residence, discussed playwright, poet, author, “The Future of Journalism” with Brian essayist and translator, is Alumnus of the Year Gabrial, associate professor and chair of the founder of Concordia’s Louis Hugo Francescutti, Concordia’s Department of Journalism. Creative Writing program. BSc 80, has made it his Some 50 alumni and friends were joined In 1966 he joined the faculty of the mission to raise awareness by Concordia President Alan Shepard, Department of English at Sir George of public safety and Bram Freedman, vice-president of Williams, one of Concordia’s founding the promotion of injury prevention. Advancement and External Relations, institutions. Against all odds, he In addition to his dedication as and Temi Akin-Aina, associate director established the Creative Writing program an emergency physician in two of of Alumni Relations. 9 that continues to flourish today. His most Edmonton’s most challenging hospital well-known and successful work is Inook environments, Francescutti has Eight Honoured with and the Sun, which premiered in 1973 and spearheaded various public safety Alumni Recognition Awards has been performed all over the world. awareness initiatives and campaigns, With this year’s slate of Alumni He retired in 1996 as distinguished including an award-winning Recognition Award winners come professor emeritus. multimedia injury prevention program distinguished alumni, faculty, staff, for teenagers called HEROES and an students and volunteers who have Benoît Pelland Distinguished emergency medical response electronic made significant contributions to the Service Award medical record. Concordia community both locally Caroline Van Vlaardingen, and abroad. Their efforts will be BA 84, recently celebrated Alumni Award for formally recognized at the 25th Annual her 30th anniversary Excellence in Teaching Alumni Recognition Awards Banquet, as a reporter for CTV Giuliana Cucinelli, BA 03, sponsored by the Concordia University Montreal News. She has is an assistant professor Alumni Association and organized by won four Radio Television Digital News in the Educational Advancement and Alumni Relations, Association (RTDNA) awards for her Technology program in the Department on May 19 at the Sofitel Hotel Montreal. work as a journalist and has lent her of Education, and the co-director of Congratulations to the 2016 honourees: support to numerous community the Communities and Differential causes including the Leukemia and Mobilities research cluster of the Lymphoma Society, Missing Children’s Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture, and Network, St. Columba House and Technology at Concordia University,

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 56 2016-04-21 5:07 PM and a research associate of the Mobile ice hockey championships in 1998 recycling program in partnership with Media Lab. Her research-creation and 1999, in addition to 15 Quebec Habitat for Humanity. program focuses on the social, cultural championships. Lawton was also head and educational impacts of technology. coach of Team Canada’s women’s team Outstanding Student Award She is particularly interested in digital in 1994, when they defeated the United Alexis Lahorra is a media theory and production, social States for the gold medal at the World communication and media, youth culture and digital media Championship in Lake Placid, N.Y. cultural studies and practices, intergenerational storytelling, Spanish student at social justice, critical disabilities, and Young Alumnus of the Year Concordia. She is the technology and mobilities. Jonathan Lachance, founder and president of the BAdmin 11, is the general local chapter of Jack.org, a student Outstanding Staff Award manager of Equium Inc. group that supports and sustains Les Lawton won over 500 in Calgary, where he mental health awareness at Concordia. games as head coach of oversees the management The group’s goal is to engage Concordia the Concordia Stingers of a $200-million real estate portfolio and the surrounding community women’s hockey team, a across Alberta. He is an award- in a conversation on mental health position he held for more winning environmental steward within through loud, positive and fun than 30 years. During his tenure, he the real estate industry. Lachance initiatives. Lahorra is also a student guided the Stingers to victories in the is actively involved in affordable ambassador for Concordia’s Alumni inaugural CIAU (now CIS, Canadian housing development and community Relations. She hopes to graduate Interuniversity Sport) women’s engagement through a furniture in 2018.

HOMECOMING206 Save the Date: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 • Resolute Forest Products© keynote lecture with September 22-26, 206 award-winning journalist/author Mohamed Fahmy FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Return to Concordia for reunions, lectures, tours — • CEED Concordia (formerly Concordia Volunteer Abroad and to connect with friends, old and new. Program) 0th Anniversary Reunion • Shuffle 27 and President’s Picnic Visit concordia.ca/homecoming for more info and updates. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 For questions or to update your contact information: • Homecoming Football Game from the exclusive Alumni Zone [email protected] • Department of Physics Anniversary Reunion • Engineering and Computer Science Reunion 54-848-2424, ext. 5647, or toll-free: -888-777-3330 • Tour the historic Grey Nuns Building • Celebrate in style at the President’s Homecoming @ConcordiaAlumni Dinner: for reunion year classes, including special honours for the Classes of 966 and of 99 #CUalumni #CUhomecoming SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 • Concordia Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

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Alumni with more than one degree Management Inc., managing of Education and Social Work Impact honorees by Variety, the from Concordia, Sir George Williams director of Atwater Financial at the University of Auckland, weekly American entertainment and/or Loyola are listed under Group, and a partner at Robert New Zealand, in February trade magazine. Walter is chief their earliest graduation year. Boisjoli & Associates S.E.C. 2016. He is also director of marketing officer at Comedy the faculty’s Quantitative Data Central in New York City. Robert Boisjoli, Analysis and Research Unit. 79 BComm, GrDip 81, was 35TH REUNION Apostoly Peter recently appointed chief Walter Levitt, BA 99 Kouroumalis (Toly financial officer at Canadian Gavin Thomas 93 (comm. studies), was A.K.), BFA (cinema), received Metals Inc. in Montreal. 81 Lumsden Brown, BEd selected as one of the 2016 an award of recognition from Robert was CEO of AKESOgen, (TESL), was promoted to full Entertainment Marketing the IndieFEST Film Awards in Inc., and is chairman of Palos professor in the Faculty January for his experimental film, Velvet Dreams. IndieFEST 2 is a worldwide competition 1 that aims to give exposure to directors, producers, actors, creative teams and new media creators.

Nicole Rigillo, MA 07 (social and cultural anthro.), earned her PhD in anthropology from McGill University in June 2015. Her dissertation, Doing Well by Doing Good: Logics of Corporate Social Responsibility in Bangalore, India, was awarded the Margaret Lock Prize by 3 4 McGill’s Faculty of Medicine. Nicole is currently conducting research with an international team based at Université du Québec à Montréal on the topic of global philanthropy.

5TH REUNION

Kevin Gallagher, GrDip 11 (journ.) 11, temporarily stepped into the role as news reporter at CTV National News in early 2016. He is a news reporter at CTV Montreal, where he works in front of and behind the camera, shooting, editing, writing and tweeting.

1 Jackie Rae Wloski, BA 71, will be among 42 artists from the Women’s Art Society of 3 Chrissy Cheung, BFA (design art) 00, held an exhibit, “Stairway,” at Galerie LSB in Montreal participating in its juried art show, which will be held May 28-29, 2016, at Concordia’s Montreal from April 19 to 25, 2016. 3) Stairway Grey Nuns Building. 1) Toad Hiding 4 Hoda Ackad, BFA (studio art) 01, held an exhibit of her large-scale paintings, “The 2 Raymonde Jodoin, BFA 83, held an exhibit, “Les Toris gris,” at Senthé, salon de thé Power Behind the Scenes — Culture Montreal,” at Galerie Luz in Montreal from March 9 to et de go in Montreal from January 11 to February 15, 2016. 2) Toris gris # 1 April 2, 2016. The portrait series depicts designers, impresarios, architects, directors and visionaries who shape Montreal’s cultural landscape. 4) Moshe Safdie

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 58 2016-04-21 5:07 PM Chloë Bellande, BA (Spanish) 07, is an award-winning screenwriter (While The Village Sleeps and Will of Fortune). She co-produced and co-directed the short film Searching for Paradise Sandra Paikowsky, BA (fine arts) 67, Concordia professor with actor Chris Young (pictured). The film was screened emeritus of Art History, was appointed a Member of the Order for the press at Concordia’s J.A. DeSève Cinema on April 21. of Canada in January “for her contributions to the development Searching for Paradise is a controversial drama inspired by the of Canadian art history as a discipline.” About 40 colleagues, story of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. Young stars friends and family gathered at Concordia’s Department of Art as Ace, a contract killer who works with a group of vigilantes History on February 16 to celebrate Sandra’s achievement. dedicated to eliminating the worst criminals on the planet.

Rami Wazir, BComm (acct.) 07, is president of the Concordia University Alumni Association chapter in Qatar. He is pictured (right) atop Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest point, in February. During his time at Concordia, Rami was a counsellor for the Concordia Jacques Chagnon, BA (poli. sci.) Student Union, and later worked for Concordia’s Financial Services. 75 (left), is the current speaker of He moved to Qatar in 2012. Rami tackled Mount Kilimanjaro to raise the National Assembly of Quebec. funds for One Acre Fund, a non-profit organization that supplies He represents the electoral district of Westmount–Saint-Louis and smallholder farmers in East Africa with asset-based financing is a member of the Quebec Liberal Party. Jacques delivered a lecture and agriculture training services to reduce hunger and poverty. called “The interaction between elected officials and the civil service” at Concordia’s Department of Political Science on March 21. At a reception following the lecture, Concordia President Alan Shepard presented him with a gift to acknowledge his 30 years as an MNA. Also pictured is Jacques’ Concordia yearbook photo from 1975.

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Joyce Napier, BA (journ.) 81, 1 joined CTV News as Ottawa Bureau Chief in March. Joyce will tap into her lengthy journalistic resumé and extensive contacts, overseeing political news from Ottawa for CTV News across all of its platforms. Joyce was Washington Bureau Chief for Radio- Canada from 2003 to 2014. In August 2015, she returned to Canada to become Radio-Canada’s Senior Political Correspondent for the network’s parliamentary bureau.

William (Bill) Vazan, BA (fine arts) 70, 2 and Suzy Lake, MFA 83, 3 were among the eight Canadian artists named as recipients of the 2016 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts from the Canada Council for the Arts. The awards recognize outstanding career achievement and 1 2 carry a $25,000 prize. The awards presentation ceremony took place at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on March 23, 2016.

Suzy, an American-born resident of Toronto, was also recently nominated for a Scotiabank Photography Award. Bill was born in Toronto and now lives in Montreal. He has taught at Université du Québec à Montréal’s École des arts visuels et médiatiques for more than 30 years.

Nathalie Dubé, BComm 90, 4 became ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco in December 2015. Nathalie headed up the trade and investments section at the Canadian embassy in Paris from 2009 to 2013, and from 2013 to 2015 was director of Invest in Canada at the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service. 3 4 Carol McQueen, BA 95, 5 was appointed ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia in December 2015. Carol has spent most of her career living and working in Africa — far from her native Montreal neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. She earned a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in 1995 and travelled to England and eventually pursued a PhD at Oxford University.

Sina Queyras, MA (English) 95, an assistant professor in Concordia’s Department of English, won the 2015 ReLit Award for Poetry for her collection MxT (Coach House Books). The ReLit Awards are the country’s pre-eminent literary prize recognizing independent presses.

Michelle Richardson, BA (journ.) 04, 6 assumed the top editorial post of the newly merged newsrooms of the 5 6 Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Sun newspapers on March 28. Michelle was assignment editor and city editor at the Montreal Gazette before jumping into the managing editor’s chair in 2014.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 60 2016-04-21 5:07 PM IN MEMORIAM

Charles J. Boltuck, BA 47, Douglas I. Yeudall, BSc 58, PhD 12, January 29, 2016, Owen Carter, GrDip 83, December 26, 2015, St. Cloud, December 3, 2014, Kirkland, Montreal. She was 64. November 8, 2015, Montreal. Minn. He was 92. Que. He was 84. He was 81. Shirley Perlman, BA 74, October Frank Lipari, attendee 47, Kevin Moore, BA 61, February 14, 2015, Montreal. She was 84. Helen (Opperman) Doutre, October 27, 2015, Montreal. 4, 2016, Dorval, Que. He was 77. BA 87, February 9, 2016, Robert Michael Zacharko, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. Reilly Watson, BA 50, John R. Lafave, BA 62, BSc 74, January 4, 2016, She was 92. February 6, 2016, Ottawa. January 19, 2016, St-Sauveur, Ottawa. He was 63. He was 86. Que. He was 74. Shelly Shoub, BA 87, January Michael J. Dwyer, BComm 7, 2016, Montreal. She was 56. Margaret M.B. Borden, BA Leonard M. Croft, BA 65, 75, MTM 85, November 7, 2015, 51, October 20, 2015, Cedar October 20, 2015, Hilton Head, Newmarket, Ont. He was 70. Roger A. Balk, PhD 88, Rapids, Iowa. She was 89. S.C. He was 85. October 10, 2015, Montreal. Bonita Ann Rinahan, BA 75, He was 85. William G. Hamel, BComm The Rev. Canon Brian K. October 19, 2015, Toronto. 53, October 22, 2015, Oakville, Prideaux, BA 65, February 8, She was 71. Peter H. Lynch-Staunton, Ont. He was 83. 2016, North York, Ont. BA 88, December 4, 2015, Robert Nathan, BA 76, Magog, Que. He was 53. Bernard Woloshen, BA 53, Charles C. Sandiford, November 10, 2015, Montreal. January 25, 2016, Montreal. BComm 65, October 15, 2015, Virginia Nixon, MFA 88, PhD Montreal. He was 81. Richard Oana, BComm 76, 97, December 9, 2015, Montreal. James Ellemo, BA 56, December 17, 2015, Montreal. She was 76. October 11, 2015, Montreal. Ralph Kachanoff, BA 66, He was 61. He was 83. October 26, 2015, Montreal. Angela Sorbara, BA 89, Cert Rosalia Szewczuk, BA 78, 10, January 22, 2016, Montreal. Edward J. Shrimpton, Kevin Hammill Johnson, BA October 26, 2015, Montreal. She was 50. BA 56, December 5, 2015, 67, December 1, 2015, Montreal. She was 69. Greenfield Park, Que. He was 70. Gwinn D. Bradley, BFA 90, He was 80. Rosslyn Tetley, BFA 79, January January 10, 2016, Montreal. Fraser William Adams, 14, 2016, Montreal. She was 82. He was 73. Jenny Goldman, BA 57, BA 68, December 11, 2015, January 8, 2016, Montreal. Sherbrooke, Que. He was 69. Deena Eliosoff-Chernoff, Bernice Thorneycroft, BFA She was 81. MBA 80, November 1, 2015, 90, November 23, 2015, West Walter Allan Garrett, Montreal. She was 68. Bay, N.S. She was 83. Alexander M. Hryshko, BA 68, November 3, 2015, BComm 57, February 19, 2016, St-Basile-le-Grand, Que. Gerard Hackshaw, BA 80, MA Margaret Ann Hall, BA 91, Montreal. He was 85. 89, February 13, 2016, Montreal. MA 99, November 12, 2015, Michèle M. Gorry, BA 68, He was 59. Montreal. She was 49. Zigmas Lapinas, BSc 57, December 10, 2015, Montreal. January 2016, Montreal. She was 57. Harriet E. Campbell, MBA 81, Naim Shohet, BComm 92, He was 91. November 13, 2015, Ottawa. December 11, 2015, Montreal. Arnold Raymond Dagenais, She was 89. He was 86. William M. Lawlor, BComm BSc 69, January 8, 2016, 57, February 15, 2016, Montreal. Vancouver. He was 82. Daniel Joseph Dumont, BSc Diana Jamieson, BFA 98, 82, MSc 86, December 17, 2015, October 18, 2015, Montreal. Donald J. Weeren, BA 57, William J. Barkas, BSc 71, Hamilton, Ont. He was 55. She was 91. September 14, 2015, Halifax, N.S. December 24, 2015, Dorval. Nicole M. Marchessault, Catherine Zoccoli, BSc 01, Michael Laplante, BA 58, Steven White, BA 72, BCSc 82, October 13, 2015, October 21, 2015, Lachine. December 14, 2015, Montreal. February 2, 2016, Montreal. Pointe-Claire, Que. She was 60. She was 37. He was 78. He was 66. Hon-Ying Wong, BComm 82, Corinne D. Corcoran, James Yelland, attendee 58, Carol-Ann Tetrault Sirsly, October 19, 2015, Hong Kong. BAdmin 03, January 17, 2016, August 9, 2015, Burlington, Ont. BComm 73, BSc 74, MBA 75, He was 58. Orleans, Ont. She was 55.

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T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 61 2016-04-21 5:07 PM WORDS & MUSIC

Leggings, latitudes and the water of life

KATELYN SPIDLE In Leggings Revolt (Orca, on the planet. Equipped In Interpol Confidential $9.95), Eric transfers from with an old digital camera, (SilverWood Books, $22.99), an all-boys to a co-ed high Zegeris likes to camp out the world’s largest global po- onique Polak, MA 84, school and joins the student for days awaiting the per- lice organization is plagued is having quite a year. life committee. By having to fect lighting to capture his by strife and treachery. With TheM professor of English and enforce the school’s dress large-format images. He the general assembly fast ap- humanities at Montreal’s code, Eric learns about is a former biology teacher proaching, the infighting is Marianopolis College is an gender inequality and its who currently resides in bound to come to a dramatic active freelance journalist consequences. Peterborough, Ont. head. This is the first work who writes about subjects In her first non-fiction of satire by novelist Michael that impact society, like book, Passover: Festival For the second book in his E. Rose, BA 77. The author is mental health, community of Freedom (Orca, $9.99), Montreal series, Mackay best known for his spy thrill-

initiatives and abuse. She’s Polak explains the cultural, Smith, BA (poli. sci.) 76, ers, including The Mazovia also the inaugural CBC/ historical and social signifi- sends readers back in time Legacy (2003) and The Quebec Writer’s Federation cance of Passover while also to the glory days of the city’s Tsunami File (2009), which writer-in-residence. Yet her exploring her personal rela- storied Golden Square Mile. were both shortlisted for an true passion shines through tionship with Judaism. Using archived images, con- Arthur Ellis Award. Formerly writing books. Polak has temporary photos, maps and chief of communications published 19 books for young Arnold Zageris, BSc 69, informative descriptions, for Interpol in France, Rose adults, three of which have travelled to the earth’s Montreal’s Golden Square now lives with his wife in been released in 2016. southernmost continent five Mile (InfiniteBooks, $46.95) Sydney, Australia. Forensics Squad times over 13 years to create uncovers the neglected his- Unleashed (Orca, $9.95) is his second book of photog- tories of many of this historic Readers hoping to explore about a girl named Tabitha raphy, Antarctica: South neighbourhood’s landmark some of the city’s lesser- who attends a summer Of 60°S Latitude Parallel buildings. Researched over known exhibition spaces forensics camp with her (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 18 months, Mackay vis- will delight in Montreal’s friend Mason. When her dog $75). Following On the ited dozens of sites and Other Museums: Off the is stolen by a neighbourhood Labrador (2015), Zageris interviewed countless Beaten Track (Vehicule dog-napping ring, Tabitha once again offers a rare historians, curators and Press, $12.95). The 100- puts her detective skills glimpse into one of the most archivists to produce the page illustrated pocket to use to solve the crime. isolated geological regions 168-page hardcover. guidebook, meant for

62 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 62 2016-04-21 5:08 PM Montrealers and visitors employee at the shelter. Son (FriesenPress, $19.99) screened at the Antigonish alike, lists museums by sub- Through this friendship, is the second book by Erin International Film Festival ject and neighbourhood and Moineau finds the strength Scullion, BA 86. Through a (2013) and the Montreal First includes practical informa- to believe in herself, rise to touching collection of per- Peoples Festival (2014). The tion like entrance fees and life’s challenges and even sonal stories, essays and film explores the ancestral opening hours. A first by make her dreams a reality. poems, Scullion offers her stories of four fictional char- Montreal-based freelance Arsenault is a past president son advice on life, fam- acters whose families form writer Rachel Alkallay, BA of the Concordia University ily and the universe. While part of Canada’s diverse 82, MA 91, the topics cov- Alumni Association. she acknowledges that he cultural heritage. ered in Montreal’s Other may not appreciate the ges- Museums include com- From his “Intrigues et am- ture right away, ultimately Marie-Christine Arbour, puters, aviation, ecology, itié” series, La face cachée she hopes he will never attendee 15, tackles the heavy music, rare books, printing, ($13.98) is the newest book lose sight of how much he topic of mental illness in religion, sports, history, the by Claude André Poirier, is loved. While she once her latest novel, PsychoZe circus and the military. MBA 86. Drawing on his longed to become a farmer, (Annika Parance Éditeur,

own life experience as a Scullion is now a profes- $24.95). While working on Author Elaine Arsenault, trained engineer and busi- sional writer for Agriculture her MA thesis in literature, BA 83, explores the sad re- ness administrator, the and Agri-Food Canada. protagonist Marie-Christine ality of Alzheimer’s disease story follows a young en- begins to experience the first in her latest book, Moineau gineer named Anouk After four years of collabo- symptoms of schizophre- (Éditions du Phoenix, Beauregard as she devises ration, artist and filmmaker nia. Plagued by paranoia and $11.95). An 11-year-old girl a plan to uncover the iden- G. Scott MacLeod, BFA 03, loneliness, she finds a small decides to spend her sum- tity of a menacing character MA 13, and storyteller and group of self-proclaimed mer holiday helping her who has it out for her. After writer Mike Burns hope their God seers who, despite their grandmother paint the rail- finding a suspicious receipt animated film seriesThe supportive friendships, only ing outside her family’s on her office printer one Water of Life (MacLeod 9 propel her deeper into her dilapidated Montreal duplex. Friday night, Anouk turns to Productions, $199.99) will illness until she can no lon- Sensing that her grand- her brother and childhood be welcomed into Canadian ger distinguish reality from mother is headed for an friends to help her solve curriculums, libraries and fantasy. Arbour is an ac- institution, Moineau goes to the mystery. museums. It was chosen complished novelist who has the local animal shelter with as the official selection for published widely in French hopes of finding the perfect Part memoir, part love the American Indian Film and English newspapers. pet to console her. Instead, letter, I Need You to Know: Festival (2013) and the Kerry she befriends Gadoue, an A Bouquet of Stories for My Film Festival (2014), and

concordia university magazine spring 2016 | 63

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 63 2016-04-21 5:08 PM ENOUGH SAID

Concordia taught me to succeed

ELIZABETH DARLINGTON, professor Cary Boucock showed me how BA 01 important it is to have passion for your work. I think of these three regularly.

love my job. Were it not for Concordia, It is because of them that I teach with CONMAG-64.p1.p1.pdfBlackYellow, Magenta, Cyan, 16:31:13 16-04-22 I I’m certain I never would have found pride and gusto. my path teaching English as a second How I fell into ESL is literally a Imagine language (ESL). story for the pub. Upon my gradua- While I haven’t exactly put my degree tion from Concordia in 2001, I once that in sociology and Jewish studies credits again felt a surge of panic. I was 28, to discipline-speciﬁ c work, my enrich- well-educated, yet had no real skills — ing global experience helped shape me. unless you consider pouring the perfect Today, that great learning experience is pint of Guinness an asset on the world

passed along to my own students. stage. I had been working at an Irish IEGE S E

I’ve never heard of a child telling his pub throughout my university days and L

or her parents that they want to be an a co-worker told me about some online ELODIE M

ESL teacher when they grow up. I know classes she was giving to Europeans. ELIZABETH DARLINGTON TEACHES ENGLISH AS A that my aspirations to be a cashier at the SECOND LANGUAGE AT THE MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LANGUAGE ARTS. local grocery store made it a highly un- ”I was able to make likely career prospect. Before Concordia, I graduated from them relax, laugh Many of my students come to the the theatre program at Dawson College and, in the process, school feeling much like I did at in Montreal, with strong encouragement Concordia. They are fi sh out of water, not to continue down that artistic road. improve their English unsure they can succeed, fearful of The curtain closed before my career be- defeats and public failure. (OK, that last gan. After CEGEP, I took a job at a diner without much one was my own fear.) ALUMNI TERM LIFE INSURANCE and quickly discovered that food service heartache at all.“ I know exactly how intimidating wasn’t my cup of tea. I spent the next few education can be when you don’t years working in a pub, fi nding myself My own teaching career began by believe in yourself. Concordia and fretting about my future. giving telephone lessons. I loved it, taught me to realize that I am just as To a child, anything is possible. With Alumni Term Life Insurance, After enrolling in various because the learners on the other end qualifi ed to succeed as anyone else. My you can help your loved ones live their dreams. Get a quote today and see how independent study courses, I spent of the phone were expressing the same university experience showed me that affordable it is to protect their future. 1995 to 2001 in wide-eyed amazement anxiety about learning that I once encouragement, effort, perseverance of Concordia professors who cultivated voiced. I was able to make them relax, and support are critical ingredients in To learn more visit www.manulife.com/concordiamag my patience, academic self-esteem and laugh and, in the process, improve meeting my life objectives. determination to fi nish my degree while their English without much heartache I keep in touch with many of my ESL or call toll-free 1-888-913-6333 doing my best. at all. students once they return to their coun- My university studies were the most I then earned my TESOL (Teachers of tries. I’m greatly validated by their good revelatory days of my 20s — I shudder to English to Speakers of Other Languages) memories. Gratitude never stops from think where I’d be today without higher certifi cation. I gradually made my way them. Nothing says you’ve done a great education and my professors. Yael Glick to giving corporate lessons and fi nally job more than “Thank you so much!” Get an online quote of the Department of Sociology and arrived at the Montreal International I don’t think I’d be a very for Alumni Term Anthropology taught me to have more Institute for Language Arts (MIILA). compassionate teacher if I hadn’t lived Life Insurance self-confi dence in my intellectual prow- At MIILA, I teach teenagers and adults through terror — terror of discovering I to enter! ess, Frank Chalk from the Department from all over the world to understand, could realize my ambitions with the help of History inspired me to pay atten- speak, write and feel comfortable with of my professors. Underwritten by No purchase necessary. Contest open to Canadian residents who tion to precision, and late sociology the English language. Thank you, Concordia! are the age of majority in their province or territory of residence The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. as of the contest start date. Approximate value of each prize is Manulife and the Block Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company $1,000 Canadian. Chances of winning depend on the number of and are used by it, and by its affiliates under license. valid entries received by the contest deadline. Contest closes © 2015 The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife). All rights reserved. Manulife, Thursday, December 3, 2015, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Only one entry PO Box 4213, Stn A, Toronto, ON M5W 5M3. per person accepted. Skill testing question required.

64 | spring 2016 concordia university magazine

T16-31456-ConMag Spring 2016-FINAL.indd 64 2016-04-22 3:20 PM Imagine that

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