Ghislain Arsenault, BComm 85, ran into Concordia Stingers football coach Gerry McGrath a few years back. Arsenault wanted to know how he could help the team become more competitive.

That conversation led to the creation of the Champions Club in 2009. Since then, the club has held four dinner events that have raised $250,000 to allow Concordia’s football program to recruit the best student-athletes and build a stronger program on the field — and help students in the classroom.

“The main goal of the club is to raise money for student-athlete scholarships and bursaries,” says Arsenault. “I greatly appreciate the dedication it takes to be a student-athlete.”

For its fifth fundraiser, the Champions Club is organizing a Golf & Greet event at the prestigious Beaconsfield Golf Club in Pointe Claire, Que. Current Stingers football players will caddy for all foursomes. After the golf, Concordia President Alan Shepard will be on hand at a cocktail reception.

Arsenault’s objective this year is to raise $45,000 to $50,000. “I think our role as alumni includes helping these student-athletes shine in their sport as well as in their classroom and in life,” says Arsenault. “That means attending games, volunteering our time and, importantly, providing financial support.”

Tickets are still available for the cocktail reception, which costs $100 and will also feature live and silent auctions and a raffle.

What: Football Champions Club: Golf & Greet
When: Tuesday, June 18, 2013, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Beaconsfield Golf Club, 49 Golf Ave., Pointe Claire
Cost: $100 | includes one toast, two drinks and appetizers
Registration deadline: Tuesday, June 11, 2013

For more information or to donate to the Champions Club, contact Caroline Apollon at Caroline.Apollon@concordia.ca or 514-848-2424, ext. 3381.

Related links:
•    Golf & Greet information
•    Concordia Stingers
•    Beaconsfield Golf Club

From being a MuchMusic VJ to a CBC reporter, Jennifer Hollett has delved into the world of journalism in almost every way possible. After graduating with a BA in Journalism and Communication Studies from Concordia in 1997, Hollett recently returned to speak about her journey, emphasizing how important it was for her to practice the skills she learned in class.

The speech was made at the Donor Student Awards Celebration, organized by Advancement and Alumni Relations to recognize donors and to celebrate student success.

“It’s not just about studying, debating ideas and theory,” she said. “It’s equally about practice. Going out there, figuring it out, trying it on for size and maybe making some mistakes along the way.”

Hollett spoke fondly about her time as a DJ for CRSG, Concordia’s radio station, as well as a journalist for The Concordian. These extracurricular activities helped her win both the Canadian Women’s Press Club Scholarship as well as the Nick Auf der Maur Memorial Scholarship. More importantly, she said, the scholarships landed her first journalism job with Sony Music. From then on, Hollett has gone on to work at CTV, MuchMusic and CBC before graduating from Harvard University.

“Concordia got you to Harvard,” her father once told her. This, she says, is very true and her return to Canada — and Concordia — has allowed her to revisit everything she has learned at the hallowed university.

“Thank you to the donors and supporters for believing in students like me,” she said smiling. “Thank you to the students, all the young faces out there for your hard work as well as your inspiration. And just a larger thanks to all that Concordia is for teaching me at such an early age to just get out there and figure it out.”

Watch Hollet deliver her remarks:



Related links:
•    Concordia's Department of Journalism
•    Concordia's Department of Communication Studies
•    Concordia University Alumni Association
•    Advancement and Alumni Relations

From left: Gwen Tolbart, Joyce Napier, Barbara Hines, Marie Claire Morin and Linda Kay. | Photo by Renato Cruz Sogueco, BA 94

The event, held at the University Club of Washington DC, was distinguished by four seasoned journalists — all women — who comprised an expert panel on the influence of Canadian journalism in the U.S. and internationally.

About 70 guests, including Marie Claire Morin, Concordia’s vice-president, Advancement and Alumni Relations, took part in the discussion.

Listen to a podcast featuring Joyce Napier, BA 81, Radio-Canada’s Washington, D.C., bureau chief; Gwen Tolbart, BA 95, anchor/reporter for FOX 5 DC; Linda Kay, MA 01, chair of Concordia’s Department of Journalism; and Barbara Hines, director of the Graduate Program in Mass Communications/Media Studies at Howard University.

Related links:
•    Concordia’s Department of Journalism
•    Concordia University Alumni Association
•   Advancement and Alumni Relations
•    All-Canada University Association

Transferable workplace skills can be acquired by volunteering. | Photo by Concordia University

Cherkasskiy’s story is a great example of how volunteering can help individuals pursue their goals, says Valerie Millette, coordinator of the Leadership Initiative Volunteer Engagement (LIVE) Centre at Concordia.

“We often think about strategic volunteering in a career-related way, which of course it can be, but it can be any objective,” she says. “Any volunteering in which somebody takes the time to think about their goals and sets out to find opportunities to achieve that goal is strategic.”

After spending a year volunteering at the Shriners Hospital for Children while she wrapped up her PhD, Cherkasskiy took another volunteer shift working with adult patients in the emergency room of the Montreal General Hospital.

“I'd been there for maybe a year, and I thought, well I actually like working with kids the most, so then I added [a volunteer shift at] the Montreal Children's Hospital as well.”

Helping out in hospitals exposed Cherkasskiy to the day-to-day realities of her future profession and provided her with invaluable knowledge and experience.

“I'm not speaking in hypotheticals about some ideal of medicine,” she says. “I've been there, I've seen it. I've been in the emergency room when people come in with a trauma. I've been able to help, and I know how it works and who does what. That's extremely valuable.”

Cherkasskiy has also been able to build a strong network around the profession she wants to pursue. During her shifts at the hospital, she met other aspiring medical students who shared their knowledge about the medical school application process with her. She also met a doctor who allowed her to shadow him for a day.

When it comes time for her interviews for medical school, Cherkasskiy will be able to call upon the specific knowledge, skills and contacts she has acquired as a volunteer. However, as Millette points out, strategic volunteers also gain a host of important transferable skills.

“In an interview setting, employers will note that many applicants have the same technical skills and will look for the candidate who is able to communicate, work with a team, show initiative, and leadership,” she says. “Those skills make a big difference in whether people are hired or not, over and above technical skills.”

Cherkasskiy agrees that volunteering is time very well spent in the pursuit of one’s professional career. “As a volunteer you're not just giving your time, you're also getting a lot of training and information that you can use elsewhere in your life.”

Summer volunteering opportunities
Consult the LIVE Centre’s drop-in hours online to plan a visit (Room H-608-1 of the Henry F. Hall Building) to learn about summer volunteering opportunities available right now. No appointment is necessary.

Related links:
•    LIVE Centre
•    LIVE Centre drop-in hours
•    LIVE Centre Facebook page

At age 25 and just three years out of film school, Quebec City native Chloé Robichaud is heading for the red carpet — for the second time — at the famed Cannes Film Festival. Robichaud’s short film Chef de meute competed in Cannes’ official selection last year.

With her first feature film, Sarah préfère la course, the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema graduate will compete alongside Sofia Coppola in the Un Certain Regard category.

“I feel so honoured to appear with Coppola,” she says of her idol. “It’s a bit surreal. I’m really grateful and happy for this opportunity to promote the film.”

The determined young director believes her film stands out for its authenticity. “It’s minimalist and hyper-realistic,” she says. “It’s about a woman runner who is really focused on her sport; not your typical feminine role.”

Scene from Robichaud’s film, Sarah préfère la course. | Photo courtesy of Les Films Séville

Main character, Sarah, is a track star whose financial difficulties threaten to derail her dream of accepting a spot on the McGill University track team, far from her suburban Quebec City home. Not willing to give up, she finds a way to become eligible for more generous loans and bursaries — by agreeing to marry her supportive boyfriend. The young bride soon realizes she faces many more hurdles in her relationship than on the track.

Fellow cinema graduates involved with the production — and accompanying Robichaud to Cannes — are producer Fanny-Laure Malo, BFA 10; director of photography Jessica Lee Gagné, BFA 12; artistic director Bruno-Pierre Houle, BFA 10; and first assistant director Catherine Kirouac, BFA 12. Another film studies graduate Alice Black, BFA 93, is among the festival’s jury members.

Part-time Concordia instructor Micheline Lanctôt — who introduced Robichaud to directing through her course — also stars in the film as the athletic coach.

Robichaud credits Concordia for instilling a sense of creative freedom in her filmmaking. It’s also where she developed many enriching relationships that have grown into a strong network.

The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema’s reputation as “Canada’s best cinema school,” she says, is what initially attracted Robichaud, who earned her BFA in film production in 2010.

“What I liked about the film production program is that we had the freedom to create. The professors really want you to experiment and that’s why there are so many great filmmakers that come from Concordia,” she adds.

Scene from Robichaud’s film, Sarah préfère la course. | Photo courtesy of Les Films Séville

“Internationally they say that Quebec cinema is experiencing a new wave. I think there’s something special happening here. Quebec films are being shown at major festivals: Berlin, Locarno and Tribeca. They have been featured at the Oscars three years in a row. It’s an inspiration for filmmakers like myself.”

Robichaud’s short film Chef de meute was nominated for best short film at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards and Quebec’s Jutra Awards. It was named among the Toronto International Film Festival’s Canada’s Top 10 in December.

“When you’re a kid, you dream about going to Cannes. It’s such a prestigious event, it can be a little intimidating but you have to remember to focus on what you have to do: promote the film so it continues to have a life after Cannes,” she says, reflecting on last year’s Cannes experience.

One of the highlights? She found herself a few feet away from French actor Marion Cotillard, one of her favourites.

The Cannes Film Festival runs May 15 to 26. Sarah préfère la course will be released in Quebec on June 7.

Related links:
•    Trailer Sarah préfère la course
•    Chloé Robichaud
•    Cannes Film Festival
•    "Great expectations: Montreal’s Chloé Robichaud goes to Cannes" — Globe and Mail, April 21, 2013
•    "Young filmmaker makes waves" — NOW, June 5, 2012
•    Concordia’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Richard Brown gets around. If the Concordia marketing degree he earned in 1983 fuelled what has been a stellar career, the MBA he completed in 1985 turbocharged it.

“I knew what I wanted and I knew an MBA would get me there because having an MBA was a differentiator,” says Brown..

He started his career as a brand manager for Unilever, the consumer goods giant. More than 25 years and three countries later, the Toronto-native is top man at Calgary-based H&R Block Canada.

“If at any point in my career someone looks at my resumé, one of the first things I want them to understand is what my personal brand is all about — that here is a versatile senior executive who has been successful in different industries, countries and management positions,” he says.

His journey began with a recession. “In 1982, the economy wasn’t very strong,” Brown recalls, noting it was a factor in his decision to pursue his MBA.

Canada’s unemployment rate hit a record 13 per cent in 1982, the economy ravaged by soaring inflation and high interest rates.

It took four years for the number of full-time jobs to be restored. Yet by 1987, Brown had landed a national marketing director job at Gillette-owned Braun in Toronto. Two years later, he was promoted to the International Business Management group at Braun’s German headquarters in Kronberg. 

He returned to Unilever in 1992 as a senior brand portfolio director for Lipton Canada where he managed various brands within the beverage business and launched the Becel and Country Crock food brands.

By the late 1990s, Brown had made his mark as national marketing director for PepsiCo Restaurants Canada and as vice-president of marketing at Taco Bell in California, where he managed a US$120-million marketing budget.

How did the Concordia MBA fit in? “My goal was to get to a general management position,” he says. “I liked marketing, so I chose a career in brand management as my path to get me there.”

‘Liked’ puts its mildly. By 2001, Brown was responsible for more than 70 marketing staff and a US$175 million budget as senior vice-president, marketing and sales, for Burger King Corp. in Miami, Fla.

Today, as newly anointed president of H&R Block Canada, Brown hangs his hat in Calgary yet insists southern California, where he has lived for 16 years, will always be home. “My kids — most of their life is down there.”

Ask Brown his thoughts on the value of his Concordia MBA and he’s every inch the marketing man. “It seems like the image and branding around the program has come a long way.”

It has. In September, Corporate Knights magazine ranked the John Molson School of Business MBA third best in Canada; The Economist’s 2012 ranking pegs it 78th globally — two facts Concordia marketers trumpet at every opportunity.

As for Canadians who wonder how to use their tax refunds, Brown offers his wisdom: “Max out your RRSP,” he advises.

Related links:
•    Concordia’s John Molson School of Business

On May 2 Peter Mansbridge celebrated 25 years as host and chief correspondent of The National, CBC’s flagship nightly news and current affairs program. | Photo courtesy of CBC

Peter Mansbridge, the host and chief correspondent of CBC’s The National, recently topped Reader’s Digest magazine’s annual poll as the country’s most believable person.

Appropriately, Mansbridge will speak on May 31 at Concordia for the annual Reader’s Digest Lecture Series in Journalism. He will discuss what he’s learned during his quarter-century as anchor of CBC’s flagship nightly news and current affairs program.

“I’ll tell some anecdotes about my career and what that says about our country,” Mansbridge says. “I look forward to meeting the journalists of tomorrow, and they can see one of those who’s been part of this field for a long time.”

The Reader’s Digest Lecture is the annual signature event of the university’s Department of Journalism. “We devote a lot of time and attention to securing a high-profile speaker to the series,” says Linda Kay, an associate professor and department chair. “We take great pride that the lecture has attracted prominent journalists, writers and politicians.”

The lecture series is sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Foundation of Canada and the Department of Journalism, and is free of charge and open to the public. Previous guest speakers have included Michael Ignatieff, prior to his stint as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, New Yorker contributor Adam Gopnick and investigative journalist Stevie Cameron.

Mansbridge himself is not a product of a university journalism program. Back in 1968, he was invited on air after a Churchill, Man., CBC Radio manager heard the young Mansbridge’s rich voice making flight announcements.
   
He says his start in many ways tells the difference between the profession before the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s and after. “Before Watergate, there wasn’t much demand for journalists. After that, the demand became enormous.”

Journalists have continued to face new challenges since the advent of the Internet and social media. The way news is delivered may have been dramatically altered, yet Mansbridge insists that the basic tools of being a good journalist remain the same. “It’s still about storytelling, being curious and challenging assumptions.”

He will also be on hand for the Graduate Diploma in Journalism 25th anniversary reunion cocktail reception, which will be held immediately prior to the lecture. Coincidentally, this month Mansbridge celebrated 25 years at the helm of The National.

His former CBC colleague Peter Downie began teaching in Concordia’s Department of Journalism in 1999 and has been the diploma program’s director since 2005. Downie credits the program’s longevity and success to the wide scope of its offerings and to the vision of its founders, Lindsay Crysler and Enn Raudsepp, who’ll also be at the reunion.

“We teach students writing, interviewing, video and other fundamental skills. It’s all about communicating effectively,” Downie says. “We attract students from around the world and have grads all over the world, working for the BBC, CBS, in print and other media. We’re hoping many will make it back for the reunion.”

What: Graduate Diploma in Journalism 25th anniversary reunion cocktail reception
When: Friday, May 31 at 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Where: Room H767, Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), Sir George Williams Campus

What: Reader’s Digest Lecture Series in Journalism featuring Peter Mansbridge
When: Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m.
Where: D.B. Clarke Theatre, Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), Sir George Williams Campus

UPDATE: The Reader’s Digest Lecture has reached capacity. To be added to the waiting list, contact Christopher.Walker@concordia.ca.

Related links:
•    Reader’s Digest Lecture Series with Peter Mansbridge
•    Graduate Diploma in Journalism 25th anniversary reunion cocktail
•    Department of Journalism
•    CBC’s The National
•    Reader’s Digest

All photos by Concordia University

“We’ll be having AFE application workshops for students who want to apply for Quebec loans and bursaries but know nothing about them,” explains Financial Aid Advisor Judith Lashley. “The workshops will explain the AFE, how it works, how the loan and bursary calculation is done and so on.”

Lashley recommends students not wait until the last minute to apply for Quebec financial aid. “The earlier students send their applications in, the better.  It can take a minimum of six to eight weeks for the government to process their file.”

The Financial Aid and Awards Office will also hold workshops to tell students about its other services and to teach students about budgeting.
 

“We’re holding a general workshop about what services we provide, what types of funding are available, and how we can help students,” says Lashley. “New this year, we will also have a series of budgeting workshops.  The introduction to budgeting session is designed to be fun and to give students a true overview of what a budget should do.  In the hands-on session, students will create a faux budget to learn how it’s done and how to set one up.”

The Financial Aid and Awards Office holds walk-in clinics every afternoon, and students can also book appointments if they wish to discuss their finances one-on-one with a financial aid advisor.
 
“We’re reaching out to students early to help them start their financial aid application on time and with the best information, right from the beginning,” says Stephanie Sarik, interim registrar and director of the Financial Aid and Awards Office. “There are many factors to consider when applying for government loans and bursaries. Our goal is to provide students with useful tools and information that explain these processes and help make them easier to manage.”

Students can find out more about FAAO workshops and workshop registration on the Financial Aid and Awards web page.

Related links:
•    Financial Aid and Awards Office
•    Aide financière aux études

Silence of Thought, Music of Sight, 2012. | Image courtesy Pavitra Wickramasinghe

Wickramasinghe’s exhibition, Time Machine, is at Concordia’s FOFA Gallery until May 24. The artist, who has travelled extensively, says she was in South Korea last year talking to a friend many time zones away on Skype when she realized how place and time had melted away. “It’s easy to forget where you are when you’re talking to someone who’s far away,” she notes. “The sense of place and time is fluid.”

This is not just any exhibition; it’s the culmination of two years of research, travel, studio exploration and teaching that Wickramasinghe undertook after receiving the Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art in 2011, just as she graduated.

The award allows fine arts graduates to develop their professional practice, exhibit their research-creation and broaden their teaching experience. Valued at about $55,000, the fellowship is given each year to a promising postgraduate in visual art and design from each of Concordia and the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). The winners of the 2013 Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship will be announced on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

Thanks to the award, Wickramasinghe has been able to focus on working with imagery that evokes concepts of travelling and the fluidity of place, using light as her primary tool. One of the resulting works in Time Machine, for example, consists of paper airplanes - chosen for their universality - folded from 8.5-by-11-inch paper, laser-cut with patterns from classic wallpaper that cast fragile but elaborate shadows.

“Wallpaper both attracts attention and hides something, as does light and shadow,” she explains.

The exhibition includes an installation featuring a ship made of found crystal objects with three masts with rectangular sails made of laser-cut paper. With a light projected from behind, it looks like a galleon from the Age of Exploration. Also on view will be Wickramasinghe’s experiments to give physical form to light and shadow.

The exhibition catalogue, The Book of Light and Shadows, will be launched on Thursday, May 9.

Fellowship ‘fantastic’
Wickramasinghe, who was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Canada when she was 12, was insatiably curious about how the world around her worked, asking her father “a hundred questions a day”. As a botanist, he was always conducting simple science experiments, which may explain why Wickramasinghe has a methodical approach to her own creative trials.

Pavitra Wickramasinghe at the installation of her Bronfman fellowship exhibition, Time Machine. | Photo by Concordia University

She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Video remained her main focus but she revelled in the opportunity to try such disciplines as ceramics, photography, glass-blowing and painting. Three years as an assistant director introduced her to a vast range of work and approaches, while having her own studio during a residency at the Banff Centre allowed her to realize she could indulge in the multidisciplinary style that she truly wanted. “It made a real difference in my practice, and affected how I looked at art,” she says.

Wickramasinghe has been busy since then, having worked in solo and group exhibitions and screenings across Canada and around the world. Residencies have included the Art Omi International Artists Residency program in Ghent, New York, and Pépinières Européennes pour jeunes artistes in Spain. She completed her MFA in 2011, where the calibre of her work was duly noted with the prestigious award.

The Bronfman fellowship has been “fantastic,” she says, a big boon to helping her maintain her momentum and launch her practice — just as it was intended. She was able to travel to research, keep her studio, buy materials, pay the bills while she attended residencies both in Canada and abroad, and continue to teach.

“It’s a lot of expectation and a big commitment and you want to do well, but it can be overwhelming,” Wickramasinghe says about the fellowship, advising this year’s recipients to take a few months at the outset to plan their travels for research.

“I’m a bit nervous, but I’ve been working very hard so I feel ready – and excited – about exhibiting at the FOFA Gallery and launching the catalogue for it,” she says.

The Doctor is in.

What: Time Machine exhibition
When: Monday, April 15, to Friday, May 24, 2013

Where: FOFA Gallery, EV 1.715, Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (1515 Ste-Catherine St. W.,) Montreal

What: Time Machine catalogue launch
When: Thursday, May 9, 2013, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Where: FOFA Gallery, EV-1.715, Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (1515 Ste-Catherine St. W.,) Montreal

Related links:
•    Pavitra Wickramasinghe   
•    FOFA Gallery 
•    Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art
•    Concordia’s MFA program in Studio Arts
•    Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts 

From left to right: Alan Shepard, Jennifer Hollett, Nicholas Sweet and Marie Claire Morin | Image courtesy of Joe Dresdner

The ceremony, a spring tradition at Concordia, brings together talented and deserving students to thank donors who create awards from which students benefit.

“Tonight is for discovery. It is a time when young leaders meet experienced mentors,” said Marie Claire Morin, vice-president, Advancement and Alumni Relations at Concordia.

Broadcast journalist Jennifer Hollett, BA (journalism and communication studies) 97, spoke eloquently of her time as an award-winning student and recalled how her father once said: “Concordia got you to Harvard.”

Nicholas Sweet, an engineering student and president of Space Concordia, shared how he led a team to victory in the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, a feat that will see Concordia launch a satellite into orbit this year. “This puts Concordia on a global stage,” Sweet said.

Concordia President Alan Shepard lauded AAR’s initiative to unite students with donors and pointed out the high number of honours available. “Concordia donors fund more than 500 awards that support 1,700 students a year,” Shepard said.

This video was produced by reporter Rachel Lau of the Concordia Department of Journalism and cameraman David Adelman (alumnus).

Related links:
•    Concordia’s Advancement and Alumni Relations
•    Space Concordia

Indian-born, Emirati-raised Concordia economics student Nick Cooper has made himself right at home in his new city. Since arriving in Montreal last fall, he’s been accepted into a graduate program, found a rewarding part-time job raising funds that support fellow students and has even joined a pipe band. 

This enthusiastic 23-year-old dreams big, aspiring to study law and one day — just maybe — become a Supreme Court judge.

Cooper arrived in Canada from Dubai in 2008 to study biochemistry at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, where he eventually earned an honours BA, majoring in political science. 

He fell in love with Montreal on his first visit to the city, which was reputed among his classmates to be the most fun Canadian city east of Kingston.

What brought him to Concordia was the Master’s in Public Policy and Public Administration (MPPPA) program, which he’ll begin in September.

“I’d heard Concordia offered a very balanced, well-rounded education,” says Cooper, who was attracted by the MPPPA program’s interdisciplinary nature, its professors, and the focus of their research. Its internship option is rare in a public policy program and a huge plus, he says.

Integrating into his new city, Cooper found a place in the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pipe Band, where he played the bass drum during the fall term. He had picked up the unusual talent playing with his former school’s marching band as a way to participate in university life. He enjoys the camaraderie among band members.

Cooper finds that same spirit and enthusiasm among his colleagues at the call centre in Concordia’s Advancement and Alumni Relations. He and his fellow student telefundraisers solicit gifts from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, graduating students and friends of Concordia.

“My colleagues and supervisors are so involved and invested in the cause — raising funds for students and the university. It’s really nice to see that because it’s so important to Concordia,” says Cooper.

“I’ve always liked the idea of working for the university. It keeps me connected to my school, while it helps me to meet my financial needs, to an extent.”

Cooper has survived on loans and bursaries since his arrival in Canada. That’s another reason he understands the importance of giving to Concordia.

“Even a small gift can make a difference to students like me,” he explains. “Provincial loans are just barely enough to make ends meet, covering the cost of tuition, books, rent and bills. So for me, a bursary offers a safety net.”

He has received two bursaries at Concordia. Coincidentally, one of them is funded directly by a gift secured through the call centre in 2008.

“Receiving a donor-funded bursary is reassuring. It says, ‘I know what you’re going through and there are better times ahead,’ ” Cooper says.

“Donors can make a big difference by supporting students like Nick through financial aid and awards. They may also choose to give to libraries, research, athletics or any of hundreds of areas that benefit the wider student body,” says Derek Linetsky, development officer, Community Programs, Advancement and Alumni Relations.

“Working for the Annual Giving Campaign has opened my eyes to the generosity of donors, which has a direct impact on students like me,” Cooper says.

The 2012-13 Annual Giving Campaign closes on April 30. Please give today!

Related links:
•    Advancement and Alumni Relations
•    Concordia’s Department of Economics
•    Concordia’s Master’s in Public Policy and Public Administration
•    RCMP C Division Pipes and Drums Band



 

Concordia University is reinforcing its partnership with the Association francophone pour le savoir – Acfas, by hosting the major annual gathering for researchers and scientists from all disciplines. The 2014 Acfas Congress will also be an occasion to celebrate Concordia’s 40th anniversary.



This year, several Concordia University researchers (professors, lecturers and graduate students) will once again take part in this high point of francophone university life. Nearly 6,000 researchers, including 500 international participants from some 40 countries, will take part in the 81st congress to be held at the Université Laval from May 6 to 10.  They will present and share their research findings and address such topics as public diplomacy and the culture of the future, feminist movements, Aboriginal governance, groundwater, innovative microsystems, nanoparticles and striking a research-activism balance, to mention but a few.



Acfas organizing committee (from left): Sami Antaki, Angela Luciano, Sabrina Lavoie, Graham Carr, Guylaine Beaudry, Ollivier Dyens and Marie-Josée Allard. | Photo by Concordia University

At Concordia in 2014, La recherche : zones de convergence et de créativité will be the theme of the 82nd Acfas congress. A number of elements must converge to inspire innovation and creativity, be it the talent and skills of researchers, existing institutional frameworks, the social environment or the availability of financial resources. Convergence occurs when research is the focus in an environment that facilitates interactions between researchers from various disciplines, fostering the emergence of new ideas.
 
“We are very pleased to welcome the largest multidisciplinary gathering of researchers in the Francophonie. As an institution which is seeking to redefine the university of the 21st century, Concordia is eager to facilitate interactions and stimulate the birth of new ideas”, says Concordia University President Alan Shepard. “The convergence of disciplines continues to be a necessity for science and for technological and social advances.”

"Acfas is extremely pleased to collaborate with such a creative institution as Concordia University for its 82nd congress, in a context in which the university must continually redefine its role within a changing society,” says Louise Dandurand, president of Acfas. “In this sense, now, more than ever, convergence between the research community and the university network is necessary if they are to fulfil their desire to improve quality of life in our society, beyond any economic or social interests." 



About Acfas: 
The mission of the Association francophone pour le savoir – Acfas, which was created in 1923, is to promote scientific endeavours, stimulate research and facilitate the dissemination of knowledge. The association, based in Québec, brings together some 6,000 researchers from all knowledge sectors.

About Concordia:
 Established in 1974, Concordia University is recognized as an innovative teaching and research institution. The Concordia community approaches societal issues from a broad perspective and encourages students to become active, critical and concerned citizens. Based in Montreal, Concordia counts 46,000 individuals from more than 150 countries as part of its student body.

Related links:
•     81e Congrès de l'Acfas - Savoirs sans frontières
•     Themes addressed by Concordia University researchers
•     Concordia University
 

Acfas organizing committee (from left): Sami Antaki, Angela Luciano, Sabrina Lavoie, Graham Carr, Guylaine Beaudry, Ollivier Dyens and Marie-Josée Allard. | Photo by Concordia University

Acfas
The 82nd Acfas conference is expected to attract more than 5,000 French-speaking delegates, as well as the general public.

“We’re looking forward to relating Concordia’s strengths in terms of scholarship within the francophone community, especially with one in five of our students being francophone,” Carr says.

Guylaine Beaudry, director of the Webster Library and president of the Acfas scientific committee, says more than 3,000 presentations will be given at this important annual conference for the sharing and discussing of research.

“I’m also really looking forward to people who aren’t involved with Concordia or other universities on a daily basis having this opportunity to find out more about the dynamic research and creativity happening within universities,” she says.

“The theme we’ve chosen, La recherche : zones de convergence et de créativité, fits with Concordia’s efforts to encourage innovation by creating spaces and opportunities for scholars, researchers and students to work together across disciplines,” Beaudry adds.

Encuentro
Concordia’s interdisciplinary strength is also why the Hemispheric Institute asked Concordia to be the first Canadian institution to host Encuentro. The conference and performance festival are held every second year to encourage artists, performers, visual artists, scholars and activists to share how performance can mobilize social and political change.

Rights Here!, a community based human-rights education project staged by Concordia’s Department of Theatre in collaboration with Montreal’s Park Extension Youth Organization in June 2007. | Image courtesy of Isabelle Fleurelien, Studio IF

About 750 delegates are expected to attend next year’s Encuentro. The daily workshops and round-table discussions will be followed by performances and exhibitions, with various events open to the public.

“Performance studies is expanding within Canada, and Concordia is doing all kinds of exciting work in this field across disciplines,” says Mark Sussman, associate dean, Academic and Student Affairs in the Faculty of Fine Arts, as well as a theatre artist and performance scholar. “The Hemispheric Institute recognizes our strengths in fine arts, communication studies, art history, and design and computation arts when it comes to performance studies.”

Encuentro’s 2014 theme, “Manifest! Choreographing Social Change in the Americas,” will be timely given current debates about people’s rights to express demands for social change.

Students are expected in large numbers at both conferences. “These events offer a great opportunity for students not only to learn but also present their research and to network with others, including potential supervisors for future studies,” says Carr.

Concordia has already proven itself in terms of staging large events when it hosted 8,900 delegates at the Humanities and Social Sciences Congress in 2010. “Acfas and Encuentro will build on that success,” Carr says.

Related links:
•    L’Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas)
•    Encuentro
•    Hemispheric Institute

Staffer Mike Cohen, circa 1985. | Photo courtesy of Frederic Serre

Inside the living room of my pad, located around the corner from the legendary Montreal Forum, five fresh-faced student journalists — Gordon Ritchie, BA 89; Anne Craig; Milva D’Aronco, BSc 87; Gabrielle Korn, BA 88; and I — secretly gathered one weekend that November to write the constitution of a brand new publication called The Concordian. A month earlier we had held hushed meetings at various downtown watering holes to discuss the idea of launching a new student newspaper that would compete with The Link.

Alert Link newshounds quickly found out about our little scheme, and in no time, word got out and tongues wagged. The very act of launching a second paper was seen as the highest form of treason.

Controversy erupted. Friendships were strained. We were accused of being right-wing nuts and thankless traitors.

As Montreal’s Gazette reported at the time in its news story, Rival campus papers slug it out as trend shifts right: “two new newspaper wars have broken out in Montreal’s English-language market,” referring to the birth of The Concordian and the McGill Magazine.

And what a war it would turn out to be — fun, mischievous and never boring, which brought out the best in competitive news coverage from both papers.

On January 4, 1984, more than 12,000 copies of The Concordian hit the stands on the Loyola and Sir George Williams campuses. The printing tab came to $750.

The modest eight-page paper contained a few ads, and was helped by a controversial Concordia Student Union start-up grant of $450 — a big chunk of coin at the time that the student association defended as being justified but which also allowed us to get three old typewriters and cover typesetting costs. They even found a tiny, basement office for us in a building on the Loyola Campus.

For the next three years of my tenure, I got to see a tireless group of students crank out a paper each Wednesday. Classes were skipped. Mistakes were made. Corrections and apologies were issued. Careers were launched. Lifelong friendships were born. It was a wild, amazing ride.

Staff of The Concordian, 1985. Frederic Serre is second from right, back row. | Photo courtesy of Frederic Serre

Upon graduation in 1986, my experience with The Concordian helped me land a job as a newspaper reporter, propelling me through my career as a crime journalist, photographer and cartoonist. Today, I run my own business and I’m the editor of two law-enforcement magazines.

I don’t think any of us back in 1983 gave much thought to the paper’s long-term future. Our focus was on our three- to four-year stay at Concordia. We were there to put out a newspaper, gain real-life journalism experience, pass our courses, grab our diplomas and hit the job market.

But life offers heart-warming sidebars.

On March 30, current staff of The Concordian held a reception in the swank Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex to mark the 30th anniversary of this venerable newspaper.

A handful of us old-timers were there, including Derek Marinos, BA 96, and my old buddy, George Kalogerakis, BA 87, who today is the managing editor of the Journal de Montréal. We gave speeches. We reminisced. We met a fine group of excellent young journalists with vision and passion. We got to see how the world of student journalism has evolved, thanks to technology and news-savvy kids who know how to cover a story.

But most important, we were humbled and awed that, 30 years later, our little paper is still around, still battling it out with its old friend, The Link, and still ready to fulfill countless dreams for the next generation of student journalists.

Related links:
•    The Concordian
•    Concordia's Department of Journalism
•    “Rival campus papers slug it out as trend shifts right” — The Montreal Gazette, January 28, 1984