Concordia University

This article is about the university in Montreal, Quebec. For other uses, seeConcordia University (disambiguation).

Concordia University(French:Université Concordia) is apublicEnglish-languageresearch universitylocated inMontreal,Quebec, Canada.Founded in 1974 following the merger ofLoyola CollegeandSir George Williams University,Concordia is one of the three universities in Quebec where English is the primary language of instruction (the others beingMcGillandBishop's). As of the 2022–23 academic year, there were 49,898 students enrolled in credit and non-credit courses at Concordia, making the university among the largest in Canada by enrollment.The university has two campuses, set approximately seven kilometres (four miles) apart: Sir George Williams Campus is the main campus, located in theQuartier Concordianeighbourhood ofDowntown Montrealin the borough ofVille Marie;and Loyola Campus in the residential district ofNotre-Dame-de-Grâce.With four faculties, a school ofgraduate studiesand numerous colleges, centres and institutes, Concordia offers over 400 undergraduate and over 120 graduate programs and courses.

Concordia University

Coat of arms
Latin:Universitas Concordia
Other name	Université Concordia(FR)
Type	Public university
Established	August 24, 1974(1974-08-24);50 years ago As constituents: Loyola College(1896) Sir George Williams University(1926)
Academic affiliations	CARL,CUSID,IAU,Universities Canada
Endowment	C$344.004 million (2022)
Budget	C$653.708 million (2023-24)
President	Graham Carr
Vice-Chancellor	Graham Carr
Provost	Anne Whitelaw
Academic staff	4,439 (as of 2020–21)
Administrative staff	2,283 (as of 2020–21)
Students	49,898 (as of 2022–23)
Undergraduates	35,404 (as of 2022–23)
Postgraduates	10,084 (as of 2022–23)
Other students	Continuing education,4,410 (as of 2022–23)
Location	Montreal,Quebec, Canada 45°29′49″N73°34′41″W
Campus	Sir George Williams Campus:Urban Loyola Campus:Suburban, 40 acres (16 ha)
Language	English
Newspapers	The Link The Concordian
Colours	Maroon Gold Black White
Nickname	Stingers
Sporting affiliations	CIS–RSEQ
Mascot	Buzz
Website	concordia.ca

Concordia is anon-sectarianandcoeducationalinstitution, with more than 254,000 alumni. The university is a member of theAssociation of Universities and Colleges of Canada,International Association of Universities,Canadian Association of Research Libraries,Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate,Canadian Bureau for International Education andCanadian University Press.The university's varsity teams, known as theStingers,compete in theQuebec Student Sport FederationofU Sports.

History

The roots of Concordia University’s founding institutions go back more than 120 years with the establishment of Loyola College in 1896 and Sir George Williams University in 1926.

Loyola College

Main article:Loyola College (Montreal)

Loyola College in 1937

Loyola College traces its history to an English-language program at theCollège Sainte-Marie de Montréal(today part of theUniversité du Québec à Montréal) at theJesuitSacred Heart Convent. In 1896, Loyola College was established at the corner ofBleury StreetandSaint Catherine Street,and it was named in honour ofIgnatius of Loyola,founder of theSociety of Jesus.On March 10, 1898, the institution was incorporated by theGovernment of Quebecand became a full-fledged college. The same year, following a fire, the college was relocated further west onDrummond Street,south of Saint Catherine Street. Although founded as acollège classique(the forerunners of Quebec'scollege system), Loyola began granting university degrees throughUniversité Lavalin 1903.

The college moved into the present west-end campus onSherbrooke Street WestinNotre-Dame-de-Grâcein 1916. The School of Sociology opened in 1918. Since Loyola College never became a chartered university, it did not have the ability to grant its own university degrees. In 1920, the institution became affiliated withUniversité de Montréal,which began granting its degrees instead of Université Laval.

Memorial bronze honour roll plaques in the entrance hall near the administrative offices are dedicated to those from Loyola College who fought in the First World War, Second World War and Korean War.

The inter-war period was marked by the shift of education in the institution, thecollège classiqueeducation was replaced byhumanistic education(Liberal Arts College) in 1940, and Loyola became a four-year institution. Theology and philosophy were taught to all students until 1972.

In 1940, the Faculty of Science and the Department of Engineering were created. In addition to providing the same undergraduate programs as other colleges, the institution also offered innovative fields of study at the time, such asexercise scienceandcommunication studies.Students could enrol inacademic majorsstarting in 1953 andhonours programsin 1958. Students graduating from Loyola could afterwards pursuegraduate-leveleducation in other universities, with a few earningRhodes Scholarships.

Starting in 1958, Loyola also began offering its first evening courses for students who were not able to go to school full-time. New courses were given inlibrary scienceandfaith community nursing.Since its creation, Loyola College had welcomed almost exclusively young English-speaking Catholic men as students. It becameco-edin 1959 and became less homogeneous with the ever-increasing number of foreign students.

Obtaining a university charter was an important issue in the 1960s. Although many wanted Loyola College to become Loyola University, the Government of Quebec preferred to annex it to Sir George Williams University. Negotiations began in 1968 and ended with the creation of Concordia University on August 24, 1974.

Sir George Williams University

Main article:Sir George Williams University

Sir George Williams University'sHenry F. Hall Buildingin 1970

In 1851, the firstYMCAin North America was established on Ste. Helene Street in Old Montreal.Beginning in 1873, the YMCA offered evening classes to allow working people in theEnglish-speaking communityto pursue their education while working during the day. Sixty years later, the Montreal YMCA relocated to its current location onStanley StreetinDowntown Montreal.In 1926, the education program at the YMCA was reorganized as Sir George Williams College, named afterGeorge Williams,founder of the original YMCA in London, England, upon which the Montreal YMCA was based. In 1934, Sir George Williams College offered the first undergraduate credit course in adult education in Canada.

Sir George Williams College received its university charter from the provincial government in 1948, though it remained the education arm of the Montreal YMCA. Sir George Williams expanded into its first standalone building, the Norris Building, in 1956. In 1959, the college requested that the Quebec legislature amend its university charter, changing its name to Sir George Williams University.It established a Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies in 1963. Sir George Williams continued to hold classes in the YMCA building until the construction of theHenry F. Hall Buildingin 1966.

The university gained international attention in 1969 for what is known as the "Computer Centre Incident." Notably in spring 1968, six black West Indian students at Sir George Williams University accused a biology lecturer (later assistant professor) of racism. The complaint was lodged to the dean of students, Magnus Flynn. Dissatisfied with how the administration was handling their complaint, the students decided to make it a public issue in fall 1968. The students occupied and destroyed the Hall Building's ninth floor computer lab after threatening to do so should the riot squad be called.The events forced the university to re-evaluate its policies, leading to the creation of the Ombuds Office and establishment of the University Regulations on Rights and Responsibilities in April 1971. (SeeSir George Williams Affair).

Following several years of discussions and planning, Sir George Williams University merged with Loyola College to create Concordia University in 1974. Concordia provided students with representative student organizations and greater power over administrative decisions at the university.

Merger

In 1968, in the wake of the Parent Commission Report, which recommended thesecularizationof Quebec's educational system, theGovernment of Quebecasked Loyola College and Sir George Williams University to consider some form of union. The proposed merger was discussed by the Loyola-Sir George Williams Joint Steering Committee, a committee created to analyze all forms of possible mergers of the two institutions.It was proposed, in 1969, to create a university federation that allowed students to take courses at both campuses without paying additional fees. There was also mention of ashuttle bus servicelinking the remote facilities 7 km (4.3 mi) apart.

Criticized for the difficulties encountered by the cohesion of the various departments and faculties, this option was set aside, but not totally rejected by the Joint Steering Committee. The Joint Committee of Representatives of the Board of Trustees of Loyola College and the Board of Governors of Sir George Williams University was formed in December 1971 and in fall 1972 produced a document outlining the basis of a university with two campuses.While the committee considered a number of possible models, including that of a loose federation, the solution finally adopted was that of an integrated institution, Concordia University, operating under the existing charter of Sir George Williams University. Following several revisions in November 1972, the document became the main plan of the proposed merger. It was accepted by both institutions, which began the process of consolidating their operations.

In early 1973, the two institutions announced the merger would take place that fall. However, legal and administrative procedures delayed the merger for another year.On August 24, 1974, the Government of Quebec recognized the merger, thus creating Concordia University. The name was taken from the motto of the city of Montreal,Concordia salus(meaning "well-being through harmony" ).

"When you join together two lively institutions, each with its own philosophies and ways of doing things, each firmly dedicated to freedom of thought and speech, you must expect a measure of friction. We look forward now to a new period of creative friction."

— Concordia Rector and Vice-Chancellor John O'Brien, on the finalization of the merger, August 16, 1974

Post-merger

The legal existence of Concordia dates from August 24, 1974. The integration of the various faculties of the two institutions into a coherent whole took several years. The five faculties of the new university were a combination of existing faculties and departments prior to the merger. There was a Faculty of Commerce, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Arts at Sir George Williams University. Additionally, there was a Faculty of Arts and Science at Loyola College. The Faculty of Engineering of both institutions had previously been combined.

The Faculty of Fine Arts was created in 1976.

The first phase of the combination of the Faculties of Arts and Science began in 1977 and ended in 1985.

In the late 1980s, the Georges P. Vanier Library on the Loyola Campus was enlarged, while in 1992, the library on the Sir George Williams Campus moved to the newJ.W. McConnell Building.The Norris Building was closed the same year.

On August 24, 1992,Valery Fabrikant,a mechanical engineering professor,shot five colleagues,killing four, on the ninth floor of the Hall Building. Fabrikant was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. The university erected a memorial to the slain professors (four granite tables) in the Hall Building lobby.

Starting in 1998, the university entered a major phase of expansion to meet its growing student enrolment. In August 2003, Concordia inaugurated the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex on the Loyola Campus.

In 2005, the university launched a major urban redevelopment project in the neighbourhood surrounding the Sir George Williams Campus, known as theQuartier Concordia.That same year, the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex opened its doors onSaint Catherine Street WestbetweenGuy StreetandMackay Street.

In September 2009, the university marked the opening of the new building for theJohn Molson School of Business.

In September 2015, the university held a ribbon cutting for theDistrict 3 Innovation Center's new space on the sixth floor of Concordia's Faubourg Building.

The university opened its interdisciplinary Applied Science Hub in 2020.

Campuses

Concordia's Loyola Campus in the fall

The Henry F. Hall Building (left) and the J.W. McConnell Library Building (right) on the Sir George Williams Campus

The university has two campuses, set approximately 7 km (4 miles) apart: Sir George Williams Campus in the downtown core of Montreal, in an area known asQuartier Concordia(around theGuy–ConcordiaMetrostation), and Loyola Campus in the residential west-end district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. They are connected by free shuttle-bus service for students, faculty and staff.

Sir George Williams Campus
Bldg.	Address	Functions
EV	1515Saint Catherine Street West	Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex
GM	1550De Maisonneuve Boulevard West	Guy MetroBuilding (administration)
GN	1185 Saint Mathieu Street	Grey Nuns Building(student residence)
H	1455De Maisonneuve Boulevard West	Henry F. Hall Building(social sciences, humanities and engineering)
LB	1400De Maisonneuve Boulevard West	J.W. McConnell Building(professor offices and library)
MB	1450Guy Street	John Molson School of Business(commerce and administration)
Complete list of buildings•SGW Campus Map

Loyola Campus
Bldg.	Address	Functions
AD	7141Sherbrooke Street West	Administration Building
CJ	7141Sherbrooke Street West	Communication Studiesand Journalism Building
GE	7141Sherbrooke Street West	Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics
HU	7141Sherbrooke Street West	Applied Science Hub
SP	7141Sherbrooke Street West	Richard J. Renaud Science Complex
VL	7141Sherbrooke Street West	Georges P. VanierLibrary Building
PC	7200Sherbrooke Street West	PERFORM Centre (Prevention, Evaluation, Rehabilitation and FORMation/training)
Complete list of buildings•Loyola Campus Map

Libraries, archives and galleries

Main article:Concordia University Library

Concordia University has three main library locations. The R. Howard Webster Library is located in the J.W. McConnell Building on the Sir George Williams Campus and the Georges P. Vanier Library is located on the Loyola Campus. On September 2, 2014, the Library opened the Grey Nuns Reading Room, a silent study space for Concordia students located in the former Chapel of the Invention of the Holy Cross. The Concordia Library houses several special and unique collections including the Azrieli Holocaust Collection and the Irving Layton Collection.Most special collections are located in the Vanier Library. The Library also maintains the university's institutional repository, Spectrum.The Library is a member of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.The Library also has partnerships with the Canadian Research Knowledge Network and the Data Liberation Initiative.

Concordia's Henry F. Hall Building houses the Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery. Samuel Schecter, an art enthusiast and businessman, set up two funds in 1962 to be used for the purchase of Canadian art atSir George Williams Universityand atLoyola College (Montreal).When Sir George Williams University and Loyola College merged to form Concordia in 1974, their respective art collections were also combined. The collection of the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery consists of 1,800 paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs and videos, many of the works by 20th-century Canadian artists.

Concordia's Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex houses the FOFA Gallery, a primary venue for exhibiting works by faculty, students and alumni of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Concordia's Visual Arts Building onRené Lévesque Boulevardhouses the VAV Gallery, a student-run exhibition space seeking to highlight the work of undergraduate students in the Fine Arts department.

Concordia's Records Management and Archives stores official records of, or relating to, or people/activities connected with Concordia University and its two founding institutions. The collection consists of manuscripts, texts, photographs, audio-visual material and artifacts.

New buildings

In 2001, Concordia embarked on a mission to develop and expand the quality of the downtown campus, and to revive the west end in Montreal.

The university also acquired the historicGrey NunsMother Housenear its Sir George Williams Campus,for $18 million. Built in 1871, it would alone double the size of the current downtown campus. From 2007 to 2022, the university moved into the building in four separate phases. The large property will house the Faculty of Fine Arts and possibly the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, and other departments. Concordia Residence Life currently houses nearly 250 students each year in the Grey Nuns Building. The dorm rooms are among the largest in the country, as many of the rooms have been transformed from when the section of the Grey Nuns Building was occupied by the Grey Nuns. The site was designated aNational Historic Site of Canadain 2011.

The Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex on the corner ofSaint Catherine StreetandGuy Street

The Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building) atSaint Catherine StreetandGuy Streetwas opened in September 2005. The building is directly connected to the Guy–Concordia Metro station and also houses Le Gym, a facility of Concordia's Department of Recreation and Athletics. Across the street, the 100-year-oldTD Canada Trustbuilding was donated to Concordia in 2005 by theToronto-Dominion Bank.

Construction of the new John Molson Building (MB), the home of the John Molson School of Business located on the corner of Guy Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard West, began in February 2007. At a ceremony at Concordia on October 30, 2006, theQuebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports,Jean-Marc Fournier,announced an investment of $60 million towards the construction of the new building. The government's $60 million represented about half of the total construction costs. Construction started on January 22, 2006, and the building was completed and opened in September 2009. The 15-story building now houses the John Molson School's about 9,100 full- and part-time studentsunder the same roof for the first time. The departments of contemporary dance, theatre and music also moved into the new MB Building. It is connected to the EV Building by a tunnel under Guy Street.

In April 2010, a 120-metre tunnel completed the underground connections of the Guy-Concordia Metro station with the Henry F. Hall Building and the J.W. McConnell Building.

Concordia opened the Applied Science Hubon the Loyola Campus in December 2020. The $63.1-million state-of-the-art facility — built thanks to $36.7 million in support from the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec — was strategically designed to enable interdisciplinary collaboration and research between faculty and students in the Faculty of Arts and Science, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science as well as the District 3 Innovation Centre.

Quartier Concordia

Quartier Concordiais a neighbourhood redevelopment project centred around Concordia University's Sir George Williams Campus in downtown Montreal. Bordered bySherbrooke Streetto the north, Saint Mathieu Street to the west,René Lévesque Boulevardto the south andBishop Streetto the east,the district is designed to be a green urban campus that will improve the use and quality of public places and spaces, student life on campus and transportation.

As part of the redesign, the smallNorman Bethune Squarewas redesigned and enlarged. Sidewalks in the area were also widened, with additional trees.

Since 2010, a tunnel links the university's Henry F. Hall and J.W. McConnell buildings with the Guy-Concordia Metro station.However, a project to create a green space onMackay Streetwas put on hold.

Administration and governance

Governance

Concordia is led by its president and vice-chancellor (referred to as the president), provost and vice-presidents. The Board of Governors and the Senate manage the university's affairs and academic integrity. The president and the senior leadership ensure transparency and accountability of the administration. The administration is supervised by the Board of Governors and Senate. Under the Charter of Concordia University,the university's highest governing body is the Board of Governors, which has final authority over the affairs of the university. The Senate derives its authority from the Board of Governors.

Academic units

Faculty / School

Faculty of Art and Science

Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science

Faculty of Fine Arts

John Molson School of Business

School of Graduate Studies

The university has four faculties — Faculty of Arts and Science, Faculty of Fine Arts, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science and John Molson School of Business — as well as the School of Graduate Studies. The respective faculties supervise the academic departments/institutes. For example, the Faculty of Art and Science oversees the Department of Applied Human Sciences and Simone de Beauvoir Institute.

Finances

In the 2021–22 year, Concordia received $586.5 million inrevenue.Fifty-two per cent of the university's revenue comes from grants of theGovernment of Quebec,which are given based on the student population.As of 2022, the university's foundation has $358.451 million in its endowment.In November 2017, Concordia launched the Campaign for Concordia.The campaign's original target was $250 million, since raised to $350 million.Its goal is to support the university's nine strategic directionsthat will advance Concordia's position as "Canada's next-generation university."In January 2018, Concordia President Alan Shepard reported that the university had already reached "more than halfway" of its goal.As of 2023, the campaign is still ongoing.

Academics

The location of Concordia's two campuses in Montreal

Students begin their university studies in September or, in some cases, in January or May. An undergraduate degree normally requires three or four years of full-time study, a master's one to three years, and a PhD at least four years. Diplomas and certificates usually take no longer than a year and a half to complete.

Concordia has more than 400undergraduate programs under the Faculty of Arts and Science, theGina CodySchool of Engineering and Computer Science, the Faculty of Fine Arts and the John Molson School of Business.Students are normally enrolled in one of these faculties but may take courses from any of the others as part of their studies. Class sizes vary from 30 to 400 students.

The School of Graduate Studies offers about 120 programs leading to master's and doctoral degrees, and graduate diplomas and certificates for professionals seeking to upgrade their knowledge and skills.

Concordia Continuing Education offers university-level studies and training to those from diverse backgrounds and stages of life.

The Institute for Co-operative Educationadministers more than 70 bachelor's and master's programs in an alternating co-op work-study format. Concordia's co-op programs enable students to enrich their learning by participating in career-relevant 12–17-week full-time, paid work terms. Depending on their faculty and major, co-op students will usually graduate with a minimum of 12 months of academically relevant work experience. There are also Industrial Experience and Professional Experience options in certain disciplines that enable students to participate in a summer-only work term. Concordia is a member of the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE).

During the 2022–2023 academic year, there were 35,404 undergraduate students, 10,084 graduate students and 4,410 continuing education students enrolled at Concordia.

Faculty of Arts and Science

Concordia's Faculty of Arts and Science consists of 21 departments and seven colleges, schools and institutes in thehumanities,sciences andsocial sciencesat the undergraduate and graduate levels. There are 257 programs, offering more than 2,400 courses. There are 869 full-time and part-time faculty members.During the 2022-23 academic year, there were 18,502 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the faculty.

In addition to regular academic programs, the Faculty of Arts and Science also includes three colleges, two schools and two institutes. These are the Liberal Arts College, the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability, the School of Community and Public Affairs, the School ofIrish Studies,the Science College, theSimone de BeauvoirInstitute and the Concordia Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies.

The Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability (formerly Loyola International College) is an interdisciplinary college on the Loyola Campus, the original site of Loyola College. It offers minor programs in Diversity and the Contemporary World and Sustainability Studies.

At the undergraduate level, the Faculty of Arts and Science offers both Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) programs with majors ranging from economics,political scienceand sociology to actuarial mathematics,biologyand ecology.

Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science

The Gina Cody School of Engineering andComputer Science,formerly known as Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, is named after Concordia alumnaGina Cody,who donated $15 million to the university in 2018. In response, the university renamed its faculty of engineering and computer science in her honour, making it the first engineering school to be named after a woman in Canada and globally.In 2018,Maclean'sranked its programs as one of the best in Canada.The faculty offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate-level programsin the following departments: Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Centre for Engineering in Society;Computer ScienceandSoftware Engineering;Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering; Chemical and Materials Engineering;Electrical and Computer Engineering,andMechanical,IndustrialandAerospace Engineering.The engineering programs are all accredited by theCanadian Engineering Accreditation Board(CEAB).During the 2022-23 academic year, there were 11,848 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the faculty.

Troitsky Bridge Building Competition TheTroitsky Bridge Building Competitionbrings together engineering students from across Canada and parts of the United States. Teams of students representing their universities must build a 1-metre-long bridge using only regular popsicle sticks,toothpicks,dental floss,and whiteglue.A panel of judges grades the bridges based on originality and presentation while a hydraulic loading device is used to determine the maximum load and performance.

Faculty of Fine Arts

The Faculty ofFine Artsoffers 26 undergraduate programsand 17 graduate programs.It includes nine departments and four research institutes.During the 2022-23 academic year, there were 3,982 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the faculty.Among the departments isThe Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema.It is informally identified as MHSoC, and offers study in the fields of film animation, film production and film studies. It is the largest, university-based centre for the study of film animation, film production and film studies in Canada.

John Molson School of Business

Main article:John Molson School of Business

The John Molson School of Business (formerly the Faculty of Commerce and Administration) offers 18 different programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels from five different departments.The departments are Accountancy, Finance, Marketing, Management and Supply Chain and Business Technology Management.During the 2022-23 academic year there were 9,097 undergraduate students and graduate students enrolled,and John Molson School has 61,000 alumni.The John Molson School is accredited by theAssociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business(AACSB).The business school is located in aLEEDsilver-certified building.

Rankings and reputation

University rankings
World rankings
ARWUWorld	601–700
QSWorld	415
THEWorld	501–600
USNWRWorld	665
Canadian rankings
ARWUNational	21–22
QSNational	17
THENational	20–24
USNWRNational	21
Maclean'sComprehensive	10
Maclean'sReputation	18

Concordia University has placed well in postsecondary school rankings. The 2024QS World University Rankingsranked the university 387 in the world.In the 2023Academic Ranking of World Universitiesrankings, the university ranked 501–600 in the world.The 2024Times Higher Education World University Rankingsplaced Concordia 501–600 in the world.InU.S. News & World Report2022–23 global university rankings, the university placed 653rd in the world.The university was also ranked byMaclean'sCanadian university rankings. In October 2023,Maclean'sranked Concordia 9th in Canada under its comprehensive universities category.

The university'sJohn Molson School of Businesswas ranked among the top 10 Canadian business schools and the top 100 worldwide byThe Economistin 2022.Moreover, Concordia was ranked seventh in Canada and 229th among world universities in the International Professional Classification of Higher Education Institutions, a worldwide ranking compiled by theÉcole des Mines de Paristhat uses as its sole criterion the number of graduates occupying the rank of chief executive officer atFortune 500companies.

Student life

TheJ.W. McConnellLibrary Building onDe Maisonneuve Boulevard

Student housing

Four residence buildings are available for students who wish to live on campus: Grey Nuns Residence, Jesuit Residence, Hingston Hall (HA) and Hingston Hall (HB).

For students who choose to live off campus, theConcordia Student Union's Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank (HoJo) offers classified ads, legal advice and safety resources.

Sustainability

Concordia's "sustainability hub" promotes sustainable development. In February 2019, Concordia became the first university in Canada to issue a sustainable bond. According to the university webpage the bond will "generate environmental and social benefits as defined by theUnited Nations' Sustainable Development Goals ".According to Denis Cossette, the university's chief financial officer, "the $25-million senior unsecured bond offers investors a 3.626 per cent yield and has a duration of 20 years." Because of this bond, Concordia would be able to issue sustainable bonds instead of green bonds.

Athletics

Main article:Concordia Stingers

Concordia University's athletic teams are called the Concordia Stingers. They compete with other schools inCanadian Interuniversity Sport,and more specifically, in theQuebec Student Sports Federationand theQuebec University Football League.The university has 10 varsity teams. In the fall, teams compete inCanadian football,men's and women's soccer, men's and women'srugby unionandsport wrestling.There are female and male wrestlers on the team from year to year, and they compete as one team. In the winter, teams compete in men's and women'sice hockeyand men's and women'sbasketball.

TheConcordia Stingers women's ice hockeyteam won the Canadian national championships in 1998, 1999 and 2022.The Stingers baseball club beat Cape Breton University Capers 12–2 to win the 2009 National Baseball Crown.

Student organizations

TheConcordia Student Union(CSU) represents undergraduate students. Its membership totals more than 35,000 students. Concordia students voted in favour of accreditation of their student union in a referendum in December 2000. As a result, the CSU is now legally accountable only to its student constituents.

The Graduate Students' Association (GSA) represents the collective interests and promotes the general welfare of the graduate students of Concordia University.Its membership was more than 10,000 students for the 2022-23 academic year.

Another noteworthy aspect of Concordia University is the number of longstanding fee-levy groups which provide numerous services, funded by the student population in the form of per-credit fees. These include the People's Potato, which offers a four-course vegan meal, the anti-capitalist grocery store The Frigo Vert, and the Coop Bookstore..

Concordia University is home to local and international fraternities and sororities:

• ΔΦΕ-Delta Phi Epsilonsorority, represented by theBeta Pi chapter,was established at Concordia in 1994.
• ΖΤΩ- Zeta Tau Omega sorority was founded in 1968 by six women studying at Montreal.
• ΜΟΖ- Mu Omicron Zeta fraternity (MOZ) was founded in 1992.
• The Brotherhood of Omicronis another locally based fraternity at Concordia, formed in 1965.
• ΤΚΕ-Tau Kappa Epsilonfraternity has itsKappa Chi chapterat Concordia, which was founded in 1967 at Loyola College.
• ΑΕΠ-Alpha Epsilon Pi(ΑΕΠ) — the largest fraternity in Canada—established itsGamma Lambda chapterat Concordia in 2015.

ΣΘΠ-Sigma Thêta Pifraternity founded itsMu chapteron the Concordia campus in 2015?, but this has since gone dormant.

Student media

Concordia University has acampus radiostation,CJLO,and television station,CUTV.Concordia also has three student-run newspapers,The Link,The ConcordianandFrench-languageL'Organe.The ConcordianandL'Organeare members of Canadian University Press (CUP);The Linkleft the CUP network in 2012. The university also assists in the publishing of the only student-run, bilingual literary/arts magazine,The Void,founded in 2002, as well as arts magazineInterfold.

Student activism

Sir George Williams affair

Main article:Sir George Williams affair

The Sir George Williams affair (also referred to as "The Sir George Williams Computer Centre Incident" )was a 1969 event atSir George Williams Universitynow a part of Concordia University. It was the largest studentoccupationinCanadian history,and resulted in $2 million of property damage.Among those arrested and convicted wereRoosevelt Douglas,who later becamePrime Minister of Dominica,and who was a son of one of the richest men inDominica.Also arrested wasAnne Cools,who later became aCanadian Senator.Deeply involved also was studentCheddi "Joey" Jagan Jr.,who was ofIndo-GuyaneseandAshkenazi Jewishdescent, and the son ofCheddi Jagan,an American-educated dentist and formerPremierandChief MinisterofBritish Guianaat the time, and his American wifeJanet Jaganwho was a nurse.

Strike of 1999

As the 1990s progressed, student activism began growing, coming to a head in 1999 with the election of the first in a series of radical slates to the Concordia Student Union. Under the presidency of Rob Green, a referendum regarding a strike garnered 2,284 votes of support. This was an unusually strong show of support, as student governments at Concordia are often elected on the basis of less than 1,000 votes in their favour. The strike lasted from November 3 to 5 and targeted a range of issues, including student representation in the university senate, corporate presence and advertising on campus, and government. There were several demonstrations, where both protesters and police were reported to be injured.

Anti-Netanyahu riot

Main article:Concordia University Netanyahu riot

On September 9, 2002, ascheduled speechfrom the former (and later subsequent) Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahuwas cancelled following violent pro-Palestinianriots inside the Henry F. Hall Building.Protestors raised concerns about Israeli human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, namely in theWest Bankand theGaza Strip.Netanyahu accused protestors of being supporters ofterrorism.The event is depicted in a documentary namedConfrontation at Concordia.

Coat of Arms

Coat of arms of Concordia University

Granted December 23, 1976 (by theCollege of Arms) Armiger Concordia University Crest A sun in splendour Or charged with a triangle reversed Murrey surmounted by an open book Argent edged Or bound Azure; Escutcheon Pean on a sun in splendour Or a triangle reversed Murrey surmounted by an open book Argent edged Or bound Azure; Motto CONCORDIA Badge A sun in splendour Or charged with a triangle reversed Murrey surmounted by an open book Argent edged Or bound Azure and charged with a letter C Murrey. Symbolism Gold, white and shades of red were the colours of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, which merged to form Concordia University. The sun is taken from the emblem of the Jesuits, who operated Loyola College. The triangle is a symbol of the YMCA, which established Sir George Williams University. It appeared in the arms granted to that university and represents the YMCA’s philosophy of balancing mind, body and soul. The book represents education. This Latin motto meaning “Harmony” is the name of the University. It is taken from the motto of the city of Montréal, where it is located.

Notable alumni and faculty

Main article:List of Concordia University alumni and faculty

Concordia's alumni and faculty have achieved fame for their accomplishments in many fields. Distinguished alumni include:

• Gad Saad,marketing professor, author and speaker
• Barbara Davidson,Pulitzer PrizeandEmmy Awardwinning photographer and filmmaker
• John Klironomos,plant and microbial ecologist and academic
• Mohan Munasinghe,Vice-chair of theNobel Peace Prize-winningIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• Former Governor General of CanadaGeorges Vanier
• Presidents and chief executive officers of major businessesDominic D'Alessandro,Mireille Gingras,Gerald T. McCaughey,and the lateL. Jacques Menard
• AcademicKim Sawchuk
• Actor, comedian and producerWill Arnett
• ActorsJames Tupper,Adam Kelly,Patrick Kwok-Choon,Mylène Dinh-RobicandAnnie Murphy
• AthletesCammi Granato,Jim Corsi,Garry Kallos,andAndy Borodow
• AttorneyKathleen Zellner
• AuthorsL. Ian MacDonald,E. Annie Proulx,Mordecai RichlerandNino Ricci
• Cultural anthropologistTheresa H. Arriola
• Dance artistLara Kramer
• Fashion mavenSteven Cojocaru
• FilmmakersVictor Arroyo,Moyra Davey,Jorge Thielen Armand,René Balcer,Peter Lenkov,Alex Rice,Lynne Stopkewich,B. P. Paquette,Donald Tarlton,Steven Woloshen,Louise Archambault,Maziar Bahari,Simone Rapisarda Casanova,andYung Chang
• Internet persona and animal rights activistKadie Karen Diekmeyer
• Mountaineer and speakerTheodore Fairhurst
• MusiciansEmily Haines,Régine Chassagne,Sarah Neufeld,Michael Laucke,Richard Reed Parry,Amy Millanand Matthew Otto ofMajical Cloudz
• News anchorsDareen Abu GhaidaandMutsumi Takahashi
• PainterPierre Henry
• Nakuset,aCreeIndigenous activist and survivor of theSixties Scoop

See also

• Bishop Street
• Canadian government scientific research organizations
• Canadian industrial research and development organizations
• Canadian university scientific research organizations
• Space Concordia
• Higher education in Quebec
• List of Jesuit sites
• List of universities in Quebec
• Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema

Further reading

• Austin, Kevin."[Institutions] Concordia University (Montréal)."eContact! 11.2 – Figures canadiennes (2) / Canadian Figures (2)(July 2009). Montréal:CEC.
• Bissonette, L. A. (1977).Loyola of Montreal: A Sociological Analysis of an Educational Institution in Transition between 1969 and 1974(PDF)(M.A. Thesis). Concordia University.OCLC74374291.Archived(PDF)from the original on October 9, 2022.
• Hall, Henry F.Georgian Spirit: The Story of George Williams University(Montréal) Peake 347.H.03.0

External links

• Official website
• Concordia University fonds (R9641)atLibrary and Archives Canada.Fonds consists of oral history interviews conducted by the Concordia University Oral History Program.