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RESEARCH ON VIEW 4TH SPACE opens the doors on Concordia exploration - OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION THOUGHTFUL HEALTH LGBTQ PRIDE - Concordia ...
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RESEARCH ON VIEW
4TH SPACE opens the doors on
Concordia exploration

OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION > THOUGHTFUL HEALTH > LGBTQ PRIDE
RESEARCH ON VIEW 4TH SPACE opens the doors on Concordia exploration - OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION THOUGHTFUL HEALTH LGBTQ PRIDE - Concordia ...
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RESEARCH ON VIEW 4TH SPACE opens the doors on Concordia exploration - OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION THOUGHTFUL HEALTH LGBTQ PRIDE - Concordia ...
BREAKING DOWN
WALLS TO KNOWLEDGE
Concordia’s 4TH SPACE provides                                                     THE PSYCHOLOGY
   an insider’s look at some of                                                    OF HEALTH
    the university’s innovative
    research, such as inquiries                                                    Concordia’s Department of Psychology
                                                                                   researchers tackle an array of mental

                                            20
   into the future of cities and
      progressive takes on art.
             By Toula Drimonis
                                                                      24           health-related issues, from the
                                                                                   positive effects of bilingualism to the
                                                                                   negative impact of poverty, and more.
                                                                                   By Simona Rabinovitch

                                                                                    QUEER GRADS
                                                                                    MAKE THEIR MARK
                                                                                    IN THE WORLD

                                                                 34
       THE FUTURE IS
                                                                                    Five out-and-proud LGBTQ
            THE CITY
                                                                                    alumni open up on how their

                                            30
     Concordia scholars are                                                         university experience shaped
  helping shape the way we                                                          their lives and careers.
         think of urban life.
                                                                                    By Richard Burnett

                                                  50
         By Jasmin Legatos

                                                                                       FACULTY SPOTLIGHT:
          AN OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD                                                         FACULTY OF ARTS
                    EXPERIENCE                                                         AND SCIENCE
           Space Concordia helps launch                                                News on experts-in-residence, two

                                             40
           students and alumni’s interest                                              new Canada Research Chairs and the
                          in the cosmos.                                               country’s first genome foundry.
                 By Damon van der Linde                                                By Taylor Tower

                                                      38 | IRVING LAYTON AWARD
                                                      FOR CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY
                                                      By Michael Lottner

                                                      46 | JOHN MOLSON MBA AT 50
                                                      1980s and ’90s graduates Brenda Gewurz and James
                                                      McKenna discuss the value of their MBAs.
                                                      By Jasmin Legatos

                                                      48 | PIONEERING BENG ALUMNAE
                                                      As Concordia’s BEng celebrates its 50th anniversary,
                                                      successful female grads Jose Bakker and Zey Emir look
                                                      back at their experiences.
                                                      By Jasmin Legatos

                                                      winter 2019          volume 42        number 3
                                                      concordia.ca/magazine

                                                  3   CONCORDIA NEWS
                                                 19   IN GOOD COMPANY
                                                 52   HONORARY DOCTORATES
                                                 54   ALUMNI NEWS
                                                 58   ALUMNI UPDATES
                                                 64   ENOUGH SAID
RESEARCH ON VIEW 4TH SPACE opens the doors on Concordia exploration - OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION THOUGHTFUL HEALTH LGBTQ PRIDE - Concordia ...
setting an
                                                                                 example

                                                                                 Encouraging the next
                                                                              generation of journalists

        “I
                ’ll never forget the morning of November 24, 1974. It was        Then in 2014 we met again and decided to create a living legacy.
                a Sunday. I was looking forward to watching the Grey Cup         To mark the 40th anniversary of our colleagues’ passing, we
                championship football game between Montreal and Edmonton         established a bursary in their honour to financially assist, each
        later that day with friends when the phone rang. It was a fellow         year, one Concordia student who was either registered in the
        student journalist from our college newspaper with some devastating      journalism program or a practising journalist on campus. Three
        news. As he spoke, my knees began to buckle.                             student journalists have received the award, with a fourth award
        The previous night, six people had been killed in a car                  due early in 2019.
        accident — two of them were our good friends and colleagues.             Today, with the safety of journalists at risk in various parts of the
        Michael O’Hearn and Martin O’Connor were editor-in-chief and             world and quality journalism under attack at home, there has
        news editor, respectively, of the Loyola News — a student-run paper      never been a better time to support student journalism. That’s
        based at Concordia. Michael and Martin were in their early 20s and       why I co-founded the Michael O’Hearn and Martin O’Connor
        soon to embark on what would have certainly been outstanding             Student Journalist Bursary at Concordia — and why I am offering
        careers in journalism.                                                   to match all donations to the bursary until April 1, 2019, up to a
        Just a few months earlier, Martin had recruited me to the Loyola News.   combined maximum of $2,000.”
        I knew nothing about journalism and was intimidated by the prospect
        of writing weekly news stories. When I hit a dead end on my very first
        assignment, I returned to the newsroom dejected. Martin coached me       David Moorcroft, BA 77, is president of Strategy2Communications Inc.,
        to look beyond the surface and find the story where I hadn’t seen one.   a retired senior vice-president of Corporate Communications for
        And thus my first newspaper story was published — and my 45-year         the Royal Bank of Canada, and a former editor of the Loyola News
        career in communications was launched by Michael and Martin.             (1975-1976).
        Thirty years later, in November 2004, about 20 former Loyola News        Join David in encouraging young journalists. Give to the
        staff members gathered in Montreal to mark the anniversary of            Michael O’Hearn and Martin O’Connor Student Journalist
        Michael and Martin’s tragic passing. It was a cathartic experience,      Bursary at Concordia. Visit concordia.ca/FundOne.
        with many tears and hugs.

       Find out how you can join David Moorcroft in contributing to Concordia.
       Info: concordia.ca/giving | 514-848-2424, ext. 4856 | 1-888-777-3330, ext. 4856 | giving@concordia.ca                #CUpride

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RESEARCH ON VIEW 4TH SPACE opens the doors on Concordia exploration - OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION THOUGHTFUL HEALTH LGBTQ PRIDE - Concordia ...
THE CAMPAIGN FOR CONCORDIA
CONCORDIA NEWS

R O S S Y F O U N D A T I O N F U N D S M E N T A L H E A LT H I N I T I A T I V E A T C O N C O R D I A

O     ver the past five years,
      the demand from
Canadian post-secondary
                                                                                                                                         The Rossy Foundation,
                                                                                                                                      established in 2004, has
                                                                                                                                      emerged as a leader in
students for better mental                                                                                                            funding initiatives in cancer
health assistance has shot                                                                                                            care, mental health, civic
up by 35 per cent, according                                                                                                          engagement, education and
to a survey of 15 universities                                                                                                        the arts. The organization
and colleges. In response,                                                                                                            has publicly called on
                                 Concordia University

institutions such as                                                                                                                  Canada’s universities and
Concordia are re-examining                                                                                                            others in the philanthropic
how they support their                                                                                                                sector to partner to improve
students’ mental well-being.                                                                                                          mental health services
Now, thanks to a major                                  A MAJOR DONATION FROM THE ROSSY FOUNDATION WILL ESTABLISH THE EMBEDDED        for students.
                                                        WELLNESS ADVISOR PROGRAM ON CONCORDIA’S TWO CAMPUSES.
donation from the Rossy                                                                                                                  “We are pleased to
Foundation, members of                                                                                                                support Concordia’s
the university community at                             a comprehensive review                   “It’s not uncommon for               ongoing efforts to develop
both the Sir George Williams                            of student health and                 students to delay turning to            and innovate programming
and Loyola campuses will                                well-being services at                health and counselling ser-             that thoughtfully responds
have access to more support                             Concordia. The Embedded               vices until their distress has          to students’ mental health
where and when they need it.                            Wellness Advisor Program              become particularly acute,”             needs,” says Stephanie
   The Embedded Wellness                                builds on successful pilot            says Gaya Arasaratnam, di-              Rossy, vice-chair of the
Advisor Program innovates                               projects within Concordia’s           rector of Concordia’s Campus            Rossy Foundation. “We
on the drop-in centre                                   student residences as well            Wellness and Support                    believe the Embedded
concept by offering a                                   as the Aboriginal Student             Services. “Thanks to this               Wellness Advisor Program
wide range of providers                                 Resource Centre. These                support from the Rossy                  reflects an approach that goes
and mental health allies                                projects demonstrated that            Foundation, we hope to reach            the extra mile in providing
across the two locations.                               approachability makes a               students in need earlier to             more preventive and patient-
It will address some of the                             crucial difference to those           provide the right care at the           centred services.”
challenges uncovered by                                 who need care.                        right time and at the right place.”                  —Luke Quin, BA 07

                                                                                                                   Saturday, February 16, 2019
                                                                                                                               10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

                                                                                                                      SIR GEORGE WILLIAMS CAMPUS
                                                                                                                       1515 Ste-Catherine St. W., Montreal
                                                                                                                                      Métro Guy-Concordia

                                                                                                                                     LOYOLA CAMPUS
                                                                                                                         7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal
                                                                                                                                Métro Vendôme – 105 Bus

                                                                                                                                     Register at
                                                                                                                       concordia.ca/openhouse

              Learn more about programs, admissions, research, facilities and student life.

                                                                                                                             concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 3
RESEARCH ON VIEW 4TH SPACE opens the doors on Concordia exploration - OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION THOUGHTFUL HEALTH LGBTQ PRIDE - Concordia ...
D O G G O N E F O U N DAT I O N H E L P S F I N E A R T S
                       S T U D E N T S C O N N EC T TO T H E I R C O M M U N I T Y

                       T     he late Elspeth
                             McConnell was a strong
                       believer in community
                                                                                                                                                                 organization of their choice.
                                                                                                                                                                 The goal of these awards
                                                                                                                                                                 is to allow students to gain
                       involvement. “Her feeling                                                                                                                 on-the-job experience.
                       was that you should look first                                                                                                               “Awards like these are
                       at what can be done in your                                                                                                               vital to our future careers,”
                       own backyard. She wanted                                                                                                                  says Valérie Saulnier, a
                       Montreal to be a leader,”                                                                                                                 master’s in music therapy
                       says Paul Marchand, presi-                                                                                                                student and one of the
                       dent of the Doggone Foun-                                                                                                                 award’s first recipients. “The
                       dation, which McConnell                                                                                                                   foundation’s encouragement
                                                              Concordia University

                       established in 2012.                                                                                                                      makes me want to work hard
                          The next generation of                                                                                                                 so I can give back and make
                       Concordia fine arts stu-                                                                                                                  a better society.”
                       dents will get a chance to                                                                                                                   The Doggone Foundation
                       do just that thanks to a                                      DOGGONE FOUNDATION SECRETARY AND CONCORDIA ALUMNA SUSAN AVON SPOKE AT       recently made landmark
                                                                                     THE DOGGONE FOUNDATION GIFT ANNOUNCEMENT AT CONCORDIA ON OCTOBER 8, 2018.
                       $200,000 gift from the                                                                                                                    gifts to the Museum of
                       Doggone Foundation to the                                                                                                                 Anthropology at the
                       Campaign for Concordia:                                       festivals, exhibition                  Foundation,” says Rebecca            University of British
                       Next-Gen. Now. The Elspeth                                    spaces, community theatres,            Duclos, dean of the Faculty          Columbia and the McGill
                       McConnell Fine Arts Award                                     performing arts groups,                of Fine Arts. “We share a            University Health Centre.
                       will give 18 Faculty of Fine                                  artist-run centres, co-ops,            vision that students should          By giving to Concordia,
                       Arts students across all nine                                 libraries, schools, art                be active in our community           the Doggone Foundation
                       departments $5,000 a year                                     therapy sites or other                 — making things happen               is widening its scope
                       to undertake internships in                                   non-profit arts organiza-              that matter — and we are             in Montreal.
                       Montreal-based non-prof-                                      tions and projects.                    thankful the foundation                 “We started the discussion
                       its. Internships can take                                        “We are proud to                    will fund student internships        with the university and then
                       place at museums, cultural                                    partner with the Doggone               that are crucial to allowing         crafted the program togeth-
                                                                                                                            our scholars to work with            er,” says Susan Avon, BFA
                                                                                                                            non-profit organizations             88, MA 94, secretary of the
                                                                                                                            across Montreal.”                    Doggone Foundation. “We’ve
                                                                                                                               Students who apply will be        heard it’s already wildly
                                                                                                                            encouraged to come up with           successful and we’re looking
                                                                                                                            an internship project and            forward to what’s next.”
                                                                                                                            approach a non-profit art                 — Marta Samuel, GrDip 10

                                                                                                                                You’re among our
                                                                                                                                25,000 #CUalumni
                                                                                                                               Connect with your community
Concordia University

                                                                                                                              Join@ConcordiaAlumni
                                                                                                                              on Instagram!
                       VALÉRIE SAULNIER, A MASTER’S IN MUSIC THERAPY STUDENT, IS AMONG THE FIRST
                       RECIPIENTS OF THE ELSPETH MCCONNELL FINE ARTS AWARDS.

                       4   | winter 2019 concordia university magazine

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FOUR
                               WAYSTO SUPPORT YOUR
                                   COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN
                                  • Donate online with your credit card: engage.concordia.ca/donate.
                                  • Call us at 54-848-2424, ext. 3884 or -888-777-3330.
                                  • Write us at giving@concordia.ca.
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A N I M M I G R A N T TA K E S P R I D E A N D G I V E S B A C K

Alumnus Dominic D’Alessandro gives over $1 million
toward fellowships to support young researchers

“‘W
                  hy don’t you            its youngest-ever executive
                  skate, Dad?             vice-president. He later be-
                  Why don’t you           came president at Laurentian
swim?’ my children would ask              Bank, where he was brief-
me when they were young,”                 ly Canada’s highest-paid
says Dominic D’Alessandro,                banker. He went on to lead
BSc 67, LLD 98. “When I was               Manulife Financial and is
a little boy, we didn’t have              credited with transforming it
much. Life was tough, but                 into Canada’s largest public
everybody we knew was in the              life insurance company.
same situation.”                             D’Alessandro remembers
   Life changed radically for             sitting in his Royal Bank
D’Alessandro after he gradu-              office on the 41st floor of
ated from Loyola College,                 Montreal’s Place Ville Marie
one of Concordia’s founding               — with its private dining
institutions. He has given                room — looking down over           FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, DOMINIC D’ALESSANDRO ROSE TO THE
                                                                             TOP OF THE CANADIAN BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY.
back to his alma mater a to-              the city.                          HE RETIRED AS CEO OF MANULIFE FINANCIAL IN 2009.
tal of more than $1 million
toward the Campaign for
Concordia: Next-Gen. Now.                  “I’m very proud of who I am and                                           He dropped out of school for
                                                                                                                     a year at age 17, until one of
FROM A DIFFICULT START,                      where I come from. I’ve been                                            his professors, Fr. Aloysius
PROPELLED TO SUCCESS                                                                                                 McPhee, contacted him.
Growing up in Montreal’s
                                             fortunate — I’m the son of an                                           “Father McPhee made an
Little Burgundy neighbour-                 immigrant labourer and I ended                                            impression on me that he
hood in the 1950s wasn’t                                                                                             cared, and so I took his ad-
easy. His father died when                   up on a first-name basis with                                           vice to return to my studies.
he was seven, four years                   prime ministers and presidents.”                                          Who knows what I’d be doing
after the family immigrated                                                                                          now if it weren’t for him.”
to Canada from Italy. His                                                                                               D’Alessandro is grateful
14-year-old brother went                     “I could see Notre-Dame           D’Alessandro achieved                 to his alma mater for setting
to work delivering bread                  and Des Seigneurs streets,         everything he wanted in his             the course for his success.
to support the family.                    where I grew up. As a child,       professional life, yet he nev-          His degree opened doors.
His mother raised four                    I would accompany my moth-         er lost sight of his roots.             It was also during his Loyola
children alone.                           er to the bank. She couldn’t                                               years that he met his wife of
   D’Alessandro beat the                  speak English and was a little     FORMATIVE YEARS AT                      51 years, Pearl.
odds and went on to become                awed by the teller behind the      LOYOLA COLLEGE
one of Canada’s most promi-               grill. I’d come a long way since   The young D’Alessandro                  GIVING BACK
nent business leaders.                    then — I’m glad my mother          was a bright student with a             Through his giving to
   He built an impressive                 lived long enough to see my        natural ability in school. And          Concordia, he created the
business career, working in-              success. She was very proud.”      he loved to read. He skipped            Dominic D’Alessandro
ternationally, then returning                The recipient of numer-         two grades and at age 14,               Fellowship Fund to support
home to join the Royal Bank               ous awards, he was named           enrolled at Loyola College,             master’s and doctoral
of Canada as assistant con-               an officer of the Order            studying math and physics.              students in research-
troller. Five years later, at             of Canada in 2003 and                “It was a memorable time,             oriented programs.
age 37, he became the bank’s              Canada’s Outstanding CEO           even though it was difficult at           “I want to make it easier
chief financial officer and               of the Year in 2002.               home,” D’Alessandro says.               for deserving students who

6   | winter 2019 concordia university magazine
RESEARCH ON VIEW 4TH SPACE opens the doors on Concordia exploration - OTHERWORLDLY EDUCATION THOUGHTFUL HEALTH LGBTQ PRIDE - Concordia ...
THE CAMPAIGN FOR CONCORDIA

have an appetite to learn.          “We are grateful to
I believe in education — it      Dominic for his gifts and his
makes better citizens and        leadership on our campaign                                                       TOP LEFT: DOMINIC
better human beings of us        cabinet and in community                                                         D’ALESSANDRO’S 1967
                                                                                                                  LOYOLA COLLEGE
all by helping us to under-      organizations,” says Paul                                                        YEARBOOK PHOTO. LEFT:
                                                                                                                  DOMINIC D’ALESSANDRO
stand the world around us.       Chesser, Concordia’s vice-                                                       AND HIS WIFE, PEARL,
Frankly, I think education       president of advancement.                                                        AT HIS CONCORDIA
                                                                                                                  HONORARY DEGREE
is the best investment,” says    “It is thanks to such dedi-                                                      CEREMONY IN 1998.

D’Alessandro.                    cated volunteers that we are
   “It’s wonderful to see the    making sustained progress           you can help somebody,             golf and spending time with
presence and the impact          toward our $250-million             why wouldn’t you?”                 his family. Reading remains
Concordia is having on the       campaign goal — and advanc-           D’Alessandro directs his         a great passion.
city. I think universities are   ing our position as Canada’s        philanthropic support to-              Below D’Alessandro’s
tremendous assets for soci-      next-generation university.”        ward numerous causes               yearbook photo are these
ety and for a community.”           In recognition of                related to education and           words: “There is the feeling
   D’Alessandro’s commit-        D’Alessandro’s achieve-             health. Over the years, he         among us all that he will make
ment to Concordia extends        ments, he received an               has served in volunteer roles      it in life in a very big way.”
beyond his philanthropy. He      honorary doctorate from             for a variety of charities in-     Prophetic words indeed.
has served on the university’s   Concordia in 1998 and the           cluding the United Way                  – Louise Morgan, GrDip 99,
Board of Governors and now       Loyola Medal in 2004.               and Montreal Neurological                              with files from
volunteers as honorary vice-        “I’m very proud of who I         Institute and Hospital.                      Lee-Ann Mudaly, BA 14
chair for the Campaign for       am and where I come from.             Retired since 2009, he sits      Watch Dominic D’Alessandro
Concordia. Next-Gen. Now.        I’ve been fortunate — I’m           on several corporate boards        discuss his life at
   “As a proud Concordia         the son of an immigrant             and enjoys travelling, playing     bit.ly/ddalessandro.
graduate and long-time           labourer and I ended up on a
volunteer, Dominic               first-name basis with prime
D’Alessandro embod-              ministers and presidents.”
ies the Jesuit and Loyola
College ethos to be a ‘man       ‘IF YOU CAN HELP
                                                                         STAY CONNE CTED WITH
for others,’ ” says Concordia    SOMEBODY, WHY                           YOUR ALMA MATER
                                                                                   MATER!
                                                                                   MAT E R!
President Alan Shepard.          WOULDN’T YOU?’
“Dominic was an astute           “I’m especially proud that
businessman who worked           I haven’t lost my values.
hard to succeed. He is gener-    I remember what it’s like to
ously giving of his time and     be disadvantaged,” he says.
resources to support our next    “I had a hard time as a kid              Join the #CUalumni conversation on social media.
generation of students.”         and today I believe that if

                                                                                               concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 7
                                                            33988 Social Media Ads.indd 3                                           2018-08-30 2:19 PM
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C O N C O R D I A C E L E B R AT E S G I N A C O D Y

I n front of a crowd of more
  than 400 people at the
university’s D.B. Clarke
                                                Gina Cody and her
                                              husband Thomas Cody,
                                              MBA 83 — who met at
                                                                                Concordia’s fall
                                                                             convocation saw the first
                                                                             cohort of alumni graduate
                                                                                                              This year’s success was in
                                                                                                              part thanks to the Gina
                                                                                                              Cody team, who gathered
Theatre on September 24,                      Concordia — joined her         from the Gina Cody School of     sporting T-shirts with the
2018, Gina Parvaneh Cody,                     two daughters, Roya and        Engineering and Computer         now iconic artwork. 6
MEng 81, PhD 89, announced                    Tina Cody and niece            Science. Gina Cody (centre),        Students from the newly
her historic $15-million gift                 Christine Anahita Bigtashi     poses with Amir Asif, dean       renamed Gina Cody School
to Concordia and the Faculty                  (far right), Concordia         of the Gina Cody School,         gathered to meet with Gina
of Engineering and Computer                   engineering graduate           Concordia President Alan         Cody on September 25.
Science. In recognition of                    student, under the faculty’s   Shepard, Meredith Monk,          Pictured are students
her tremendous professional                   newly minted sign. 2           LLD 18, Nathalie Pilon, LLD      from HackConcordia with
accomplishments and                              Montreal Mayor Valérie      18, president of ABB Canada,     Gina Cody and Amir Asif
generosity, the faculty was                   Plante invited Gina Cody       Concordia Chancellor             (far left). 7
renamed the Gina Cody School                  to sign Montreal’s official    Jonathan Wener, BComm               Fay Arjomandi, BEng
of Engineering and Computer                   guest book — the Livre         71, and Rebecca Duclos, dean     98, joined Gina Cody at
Science. It became the first                  d’or — at City Hall’s Salon    of the Faculty of Fine Arts. 4   the cocktail reception on
engineering faculty in Canada                 Maisonneuve on October            Gina Cody poses with          September 24. Arjomandi
named after a woman.                          26. It was a meeting of two    Jacques Chagnon, BA 75,          served as master of
   “My hope is that a few years               women pioneers: Plante is      former member of the Quebec      ceremonies for the gift
from now there will be so                     the first woman to become      National Assembly, and           announcement and dinner
many women like me that I                     mayor of Montreal and          Andrew Molson, Campaign          celebration later that
will be forgotten,” said Cody                 Cody was the first woman       for Concordia co-chair,          evening. Both women are
in her gift announcement                      to complete her PhD in         at the September 24 gift         Iranian emigrants and
speech. “My gift is for a better              building engineering           announcement. 5                  successful engineers and
society by supporting the next                at Concordia and the              The 29th annual               business leaders. Arjomandi
generation of engineers and                   first woman to have an         Concordia Shuffle, held          is the executive chairwoman
computer scientists who will                  engineering faculty named      September 28, raised             of H2 Wellness and founder
develop the technologies                      after her in Canada. 3         $108,000 to support student      and chief product officer
of tomorrow.” 1                                                              bursaries and scholarships.      at mimik. 8
                                                                                                                          —Joseph Leger, BA15
             Watch Gina Cody’s gift announcement at concordia.ca/campaign.

                                                                                             2

    1

8       | winter 2019 concordia university magazine
THE CAMPAIGN FOR CONCORDIA

                        4

    3

5                       6

        7                           8

                                         concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 9
Concordia University

                                              1                                              2

CHANCELLOR’S BUILDERS
CIRCLE AND FRIENDS DINNER

T   he elegant Le Salon 1861 in Montreal
    was the backdrop for the fourth
annual Chancellor’s Builders Circle and
                                                      Amanda Kline, BA 11, reporter at
                                                   CTV News Montreal, and Michel Boyer,
                                                   BA 12, national correspondent for CTV
Friends Dinner, held October 25, 2018.             News, served as masters of ceremonies.
   Concordia Chancellor Jonathan                    4 Co-chair of the Campaign for

Wener, 1 BComm 71, Board of                        Concordia Lino Saputo Jr., BA 89,
Governors Chair Norman Hébert Jr.,                 pictured with his wife, Amelia Saputo,
 2 BComm 77, and Concordia President               BA 90, also spoke to the audience. 5
Alan Shepard 3 welcomed the                           Guests enjoyed presentations on the    3
university’s major donors and thanked              innovative research being conducted by
them for their transformative support.             Shauna Janssen, BFA 94, MA 09, PhD
Wener is pictured with Mutsumi                     14, director of the Institute for Urban
Takahashi, BA 79, MBA 95, LLD 13,                  Futures, and Cheryl Gladu, 6 PhD
CTV Montreal chief news anchor, and                candidate in Concordia’s Individualized
Shepard is pictured with Stephen                   Program. Undergraduate student
Jarislowsky, LLD 03, founder                       David Marino, a finalist on the TVA
director and chairman of Jarislowsky,              talent show La Voix 5, provided jazzy
Fraser Limited.                                    musical entertainment. 7
   The event marked the one-year                      Other guests included Gina Cody,
mark of the Campaign for Concordia.                MEng 81, PhD 89, and Tom Cody; 8
Next-Gen. Now, which is more than                  Shushu Feng, MSc 16, and Chaim
halfway to its $250-million goal.                  Kuhnreich, BA 14; 9 and Miriam
                                                   Roland, LLD 18, and J. Sebastian          4
                                                   van Berkom, BComm 69, LLD 17. 10

10   | winter 2019 concordia university magazine
THE CAMPAIGN FOR CONCORDIA

5

6    7                 8

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                                 concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 11
Meet Paul Chesser:
Concordia’s new vice-
president of advancement
Former Stinger captain to lead
Advancement and External Relations team

LESLIE SCHACHTER                           Can you tell us about your

C
                                           background, including your

                                                                           Concordia University
         oncordia’s new                    education at Concordia?
         vice-president of                 Paul Chesser: “My father
         advancement, Paul                 was in the military so as
Chesser, BA 94, GrDip 97,                  a kid we moved around a
has an impressive track                    lot, but I came to Montreal                            PAUL CHESSER BEGAN AS CONCORDIA’S VICE-PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT
                                                                                                  IN DECEMBER 2018.
record both on the field                   from North Bay, Ont., in
and off. A former Stingers                 1989 to study at Concordia.                            defensive coordinator for the          Orchestrating a campaign
football team captain                      I majored in economics and                             Stingers football team, the            from advancement is essen-
inducted into the Concordia                played varsity football with                           first Concordia sports team            tial, yet everybody on our two
Sports Hall of Fame in                     the Stingers. I completed my                           ever to reach the Vanier Cup,          campuses must help pitch in.
2016, Chesser has scored                   studies in the fall of 1993 —                          the national championship              It’s the same thing in sports,
major gains for fundraising                the same year I was named                              game. The following year an            where one person gets credit
campaigns.                                 all-Canadian defensive end                             opportunity emerged to lead            for the goal or the touch-
   Prior to returning                      and received the J. P. Metras                          a group of students for the            down, but there are a lot
to Concordia, he held                      Trophy, which goes to the                              annual Concordia student               of people involved in
leadership positions in                    top lineman in Canadian                                phone-a-thon, which                    the blocking, tackling,
development at Carleton                    university football.                                   was my first foray into                planning, execution.
University and Queen’s                        I started to work right                             full-time fundraising.”                   I like to say football is a
University. He most recently               away, first in athletics at                                                                   contact sport — and so is
served as assistant vice-                  Concordia, running a sum-                              You were a star Stinger                advancement work. We have
principal of development at                mer camp for 275 kids, as                              who today leads an                     to be in contact with people
McGill University. Chesser,                well as coaching part time.                            advancement and external               and build those relationships
who returned to his alma                   I also started a graduate                              relations team. You will               so we can earn the right to
mater on December 1, 2018,                 diploma in sports admin-                               now advance the Campaign               make those requests for
shares insights into his years             istration at what is now                               for Concordia: Next-Gen.               donations for our causes.”
of fundraising and the joy of              the John Molson School of                              Now, the university’s most
coming full circle.                        Business. By 1998, I was the                           ambitious fundraising                  You began your career
                                                                                                  appeal to date. Are there              in advancement at
                                                                                                  any parallels between                  Concordia. What drew
“I like to say football is a contact                                                              sports and advancement?                you to fundraising in
                                                                                                  PC: “They both require good            the first place?
 sport — and so is advancement                                                                    planning and preparation, a            PC: “I had been in athletics
 work. We have to be in contact                                                                   disciplined approach, hard             for five years. I had an
                                                                                                  work and proper execution.             opportunity to transition
    with people and build those                                                                   It’s not just one person that          from coaching and leading
                                                                                                  can get the job done — it              student athletes to coaching
relationships so that we can earn                                                                 takes a village.                       student callers. It was really
the right to make those requests                                                                     The university community            a great learning experience.
                                                                                                  as a whole has a role to play          As an introduction to
  for donations for our causes.”                                                                  in giving students a positive          fundraising, the opportunity
                                                                                                  experience and inspiring do-           provided me with a chance
                                                                                                  nors to make significant and           to absorb all the key
                                                                                                  meaningful contributions.              components."I learned the

12   | winter 2019 concordia university magazine
importance of relationship                                                                         What are some of the                 What is your impression
building as well as fostering                                                                      main challenges you have             of the momentum
a sense of trust with donors.                                                                      experienced, or expect, as           Concordia has developed
I found that fundraising was                                                                       an advancement leader?               over the last few years?
a fantastic profession as it                                                                       PC: “Concordia is a forward-         PC: “Concordia’s footprint
suited my experience, my                                                                           looking university born              and reputation have
skills and my interests.”                                                                          from the merger of two great         transformed greatly, yet I
                                                                                                   institutions: Loyola College         don’t think the university
What does it mean                                                                                  and Sir George Williams              necessarily gets the credit
to you to return to                                                                                University. Each year, we            it deserves as a progressive
your alma mater?                                                                                   engage and re-engage as              university. The reality is that
PC: “I’ve worked at other                                                                          many of our 215,000 alumni           when people take a closer
universities and I’ve adapted                                                                      as possible. Across the              look, they will see an agile
as a non-grad, but to do                                                                           philanthropic landscape,             institution that responds to
this work at my alma mater                                                                         there are many great causes to       change and delivers a first-
is really special for me. I                                                                        support. Our challenge is to         class student experience.
                                  Concordia University

understand the history of                                                                          make the case for Concordia          Concordia has all the
Concordia, both Loyola and                                                                         and encourage our friends,           same great attributes
Sir George Williams, and the                                                                       volunteers and grads to              that I remember fondly
1974 merger into Concordia.                                                                        donate to the university.            as a student, yet it is a
I’ve ridden the shuttle bus,                             PAUL CHESSER IS A FORMER                  Higher education is looking          21st-century university.
                                                         STINGERS FOOTBALL TEAM CAPTAIN
I’ve walked the halls and I’ve                           AND A CONCORDIA SPORTS HALL               for solutions to help solve          Concordia is on an upward
                                                         OF FAME INDUCTEE.
played sports. I think my                                                                          societal problems for which          trajectory and I am delighted
deep roots will help me make                                                                       our donors can help.                 to return to help advance it
quicker connections and                                  What is the key to a                         We need to build higher           for the next generation of
have more credibility with                               successful development                    education as an important            students.”
Concordia alumni.”                                       initiative?                               philanthropic priority across
                                                         PC: “I believe that real                  the country and around the           —Leslie Schachter, BA 03,
What is your vision                                      success comes when we can                 world. It provides an oppor-         GrDip (journ.) 13, is a Montreal
for Advancement and                                      match the priority needs                  tunity for the next generation       freelance writer.
External Relations?                                      of the university with the                of leaders to further their own
PC: “It all goes back to                                 philanthropic interests                   pursuits. Higher education
teamwork. I want folks in                                of donors. When we are                    is the platform for research
each of our four academic                                brokers in that transaction,              that makes our world a bet-
faculties, our researchers,                              we get a very happy academic              ter place. Giving to Concordia
administrators and students                              champion who feels fulfilled              is really an investment in our
to look to the advancement                               in the difference they are                collective future.”
and external relations team                              making in an area they care
as a partner to help the whole                           about. It all starts with a really
university thrive. I want the                            ambitious and compelling
Concordia community to feel                              vision that donors want to be
it can depend on us to deliver.                          associated with.
   Our academic leadership                                  Concordia leadership
establishes university prior-                            has identified some
ities and projects for which                             ambitious plans, some
we raise funds. Our job is to                            inspiring priorities and
foster a donor-centric en-                               projects that will require
vironment that connects                                  donor support but will also                                              Catch up on #CUalumni achievements
                                                                                                                                     #CUalumni
academic priorities with the                             inspire donor support.”
                                                                                                                                  Follow@ConcordiaAlumni on Twitter
interests of donors, commu-
nity partners and friends.”

                                                                                                                              concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 13

                                                                                          33988 Social Media Ads.indd 1                                           2018-08-30 2:19 PM
A L A N S H E PA R D T O B E C O M E                                                         CONCORDIA MBA EARNS TOP
PRESIDENT OF WESTERN UNIVERSITY                                                              M A R K S F O R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

C     oncordia President Alan
      Shepard has accepted
the presidency of Western
                                                            making it one of Canada’s
                                                            largest comprehensive
                                                            universities.
                                                                                             T    he John Molson School
                                                                                                  of Business (JMSB)
                                                                                             MBA, which celebrates
                                                                                                                                      and the percentage of core
                                                                                                                                      courses that integrate
                                                                                                                                      sustainable development, as
University in London, Ont.,                                    Starting in 2015, Shepard     its 50th anniversary in                  well as the gender and racial
and will be stepping down as                                led the university com-          2018-19, is lauded as one                diversity of faculty.
the university’s president and                              munity through broad             of the most sustainable                     “The promotion of
vice-chancellor in June 2019.                               consultations that resulted      in the world, according to               responsible business plays a
   Shepard joined Concordia                                 in nine Strategic Directions,    the Corporate Knights 16th               significant part in our strategic
in 2012 after serving as pro-                               the institution’s roadmap        annual Better World MBA                  plan,” says Anne-Marie
vost of Ryerson University in                               guiding its development.         ranking. The program was                 Croteau, dean of the JMSB.
Toronto. He had previously                                     From those directions         rated 32nd in the world                  “A key part of our mission is to
held leadership roles in                                    flowed many initiatives          based on five sustainability-            go beyond the commonplace
Virginia and Texas and at the                               that have distinguished          related indicators, including            for business and society.
University of Guelph.                                       Concordia as a next-gener-       the number of institutes                 These rankings show that we
                                                            ation university, including      or centres dedicated to                  are doing just that.”
                                                            the largest fundraising effort   sustainable development                                      —Yuri Mytko
                                                            in the institution’s history,
                                                            the Campaign for Concordia:
                                                            Next-Gen. Now.                   C O N C O R D I A U S E D B O O K FA I R
                                                               “Alan Shepard is a builder
                                                            and inspiring leader,” said
                                                            Norman Hébert Jr., BComm
                                     Concordia University

                                                            77, chair of Concordia’s
                                                            Board of Governors.
                                                            “He rallied the commu-
                                                            nity around the Strategic
DURING HIS SIX-PLUS-YEAR TENURE,                            Directions, strengthening
CONCORDIA PRESIDENT ALAN SHEPARD
HAS LED THE UNIVERSITY TO A RISE                            both Concordia’s research
IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
RANKINGS, INCREASED RESEARCH
                                                            and teaching in the process.
FUNDING AND STEADILY GROWING                                The success of our fundrais-
ENROLMENT.
                                                            ing campaign demonstrates
   Concordia enjoyed a pe-                                  the sense of momentum and
riod of extraordinary growth                                pride Alan has helped build.
with Shepard at the helm and                                I can truly say Alan has left
he leaves the university in a                               Concordia much stronger
very strong position. During                                than he found it, and the
his tenure, Concordia has                                   board is extremely grateful.”
steadily climbed national                                      “The Concordia commu-
and international rankings;                                 nity has been very welcoming
it is currently rated the top                               to me and my family and I        CUSTOMERS COMBED THROUGH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NOVELS, TEXTBOOKS, DVDS,
                                                                                             VINYL AND MORE AT THE 2018 CONCORDIA USED BOOK FAIR, HELD AT THE ATRIUM
university in Canada un-                                    have truly enjoyed my time       OF THE ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND VISUAL ARTS INTEGRATED COMPLEX
                                                                                             FROM OCTOBER 29 TO 30. THE EVENT RAISED $31,831 FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
der 50 years old by both                                    here,” Shepard said. “The        AND THE STUDENT EMERGENCY AND FOOD FUND, AS WELL AS THE NON-PROFIT CEED.
Quacquarelli Symonds                                        openness and dynamism of         THE ANNUAL BOOK FAIR IS A YEAR-ROUND UNDERTAKING THAT REQUIRES TIME,
(QS) and Times Higher                                       Concordians is unique — I’ll     MUSCLE AND LOTS OF PLANNING. MORE THAN 60 STUDENTS VOLUNTEERED THEIR
                                                                                             TIME TO SET UP AND WORK AT THE FAIR, WHILE SEVERAL CONCORDIA STAFF MEMBERS,
Education, and second in                                    certainly miss that. I’m ex-     RETIREES AND ALUMNI ALSO TOOK PART.

North America by QS. It is                                  tremely proud of what we’ve      MEMBERS OF THE CONCORDIA COMMUNITY MAY DONATE THEIR BOOKS AT THE
                                                                                             LOADING DOCKS OF EITHER THE HENRY F. HALL BLDG. AT THE SIR GEORGE WILLIAMS
earning record research                                     accomplished together            CAMPUS OR RICHARD J. RENAUD SCIENCE COMPLEX AT THE LOYOLA CAMPUS.
funding. And applications                                   and look forward to see-         VISIT CONCORDIA.CA/BOOKFAIR.

and enrolment have grown                                    ing Concordia continue its
broadly: Concordia today                                    strong momentum for years
counts more than 8,500 in-                                  to come. I will always be a
ternational students among                                  huge fan of Concordia.”
a total of more than 50,000,

14   | winter 2019 concordia university magazine
CONCORDIA
                                                                                                                                                              ,
                                                                                                           President, International Women’s Madeleine Féquière
                                                                                                           Forum, Montreal Chapter          BA 85
Jean-Raphael Paquet

                      GENEVIÈVE CADIEUX HAS RECEIVED MANY ACCOLADES THROUGHOUT HER CAREER,
                      INCLUDING A GOVERNOR GENERAL’S AWARD AND, MOST RECENTLY, A PRIX DU QUÉBEC.

                                                                                                           Vice-president, Advancement
                                                                                                           Concordia University           Paul Chesse
                                                                                                                                          BA 94, GrD r
                      C O N C O R D I A’ S G E N E V I È V E C A D I E U X                                                                          ip   97
                      WINS PRIX DU QUÉBEC

                      O     ver her 40-year
                            career, photographer
                      and contemporary artist
                                                                            Department of Photography,
                                                                            with the prestigious Paul-
                                                                            Émile-Borduas prize for
                      Geneviève Cadieux has left                            2018 — one of the 15 Prix
                      an indelible mark on more                             du Québec. Each winner
                      than just the art world. Her                          receives $30,000.                                                        kker
                                                                                                           First woman engineering         Jose H. Ba
                      seminal piece, La Voie lactée,                           “A whole generation of      undergraduate                    BEng 69

                                                                                                           YOU’VE COME
                      is perched on the roof of the                         photographers have be-
                      Musée d’art contemporain                              come successful working
                      de Montréal; it also appeared                         artists thanks to Geneviève

                                                                                                           A LONG WAY
                      on a Canada Post stamp in                             Cadieux. It’s a testament to
                      2015. In November, the                                her work as a faculty mem-
                      Government of Quebec                                  ber,” says Christophe Guy,
                      rewarded Cadieux, associate                           vice-president of Research
                      professor in Concordia’s                              and Graduate Studies.
                                                                                                           since joining Concordia’s 25,000 alumni family.
                                                                               “She has pushed the
                                                                            boundaries of research-
                                                                            creation in photography at
                                                                                                            Take p ride in you r
                         Concordia University Magazine welcomes
                                                                            Concordia, urging her stu-
                                                                            dents to be ambitious and
                                                                                                            alma mater!
                         readers’ comments. Letters should include
                         the writer’s full name, address, school(s),
                         degree(s) and year(s) of graduation for
                                                                            to take the medium in new        •    Update your contact details:
                         alumni. Letters may be edited for length
                                                                            directions.”
                         and clarity. No letter will be published without                                         concordia.ca/keepintouch
                         the full name of the correspondent.
                                                                               A Montreal native,
                         Concordia University Magazine is published
                         three times a year for alumni and friends of       Cadieux’s art primarily          •    Write us about your achievements:
                         Concordia University. Opinions expressed
                                                                            explores the body as a
                         herein do not necessarily reflect the views
                         of the alumni association or of the university.                                          alumni@concordia.ca
                         Please address editorial correspondence to:
                                                                            landscape and an interface
                         The Editor, Concordia University Magazine
                         1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
                                                                            between public and               •    Join @Concordia.Alumni on social media
                         FB 520, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8
                         Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 3876
                                                                            private realms. She is also
                         Email: Ginette.Leduc@concordia.ca                  concerned with the way
                         Acting editors: Howard Bokser, Louise Morgan

                         Contributors: Jasmin Legatos, Ginette Leduc,
                                                                            art integrates into urban
                         Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins                         environments.
                         For advertising information, call
                         514-848-2424, ext. 3876.                                          —Andy Murdoch
                                                                                                                                     #CUalumni #CUpride
                         Design: University Communications Services
                         T19-50853

                                                                                                                                     concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 15
T R E A T I N G Y O U R S E L F K I N D LY
          IN OLD AGE REDUCES STRESS

          T    he golden years are supposed to be a time for reflection,
               enjoyment and rest. Instead, many seniors are adversely
          affected by stressors that are seemingly out of their control,
          such as declining health, loss of autonomy and life regrets.
             Investigators at Concordia’s Centre for Research in Human
          Development in the Department of Psychology, however, have
          found that reacting to these stressors with self-compassion —

                                                                                                      Rachel on Unsplash
          essentially, treating yourself in a way that you would treat
          a close friend or loved
          one — lowers corti-
          sol levels and thereby
          stress. Cortisol is a hor-                                                                                       INDOOR PLAY CAN HAVE A PROTECTIVE EFFECT ON CHILDREN’S WEIGHT, STUDY FINDS.

          mone that is present
          in all people, but stress                                                                                        P L AY K E E P S C H I L D O B E S I T Y A T B AY
          can trigger heightened
          levels of cortisol.
             The findings,
          collected from 233
                                                                                                                           C     hildren who have access to indoor play equipment show
                                                                                                                                 substantial health benefits, including less weight gain,
                                                                                                                           compared to children who do not, suggests a study published
          community-dwelling                                                                                               in the American Journal of Health Promotion.
          seniors, were published                                                                                             “We were interested in seeing if just playing — being mildly
                                                                               Concordia University

          in the Journal of                                                                                                active, without necessarily getting a high increase in heart rate
          Behavioral Medicine.                                                                                             — was good enough to have some kind of protective effect on
             PhD candidate                                                                                                 children’s weight gain,” says lead author Caroline Fitzpatrick,
          Heather Herriot, MA                                                                                              MA (psych.) 07, of Concordia’s PERFORM Centre.
          (psych.) 17, profes-         SELF-COMPASSION IS THE KEY TO REDUCING                                                 Using data from a study led by her PERFORM Centre
                                       STRESS IN SENIORS, ACCORDING TO A STUDY
          sor Carsten Wrosch           BY PHD CANDIDATE HEATHER HERRIOT                                                    colleague and co-author Tracie Barnett — a researcher at
          and associate professor (PICTURED)      AND FACULTY CARSTEN WROSCH
                                       AND JEAN-PHILIPPE GOUIN OF THE DEPARTMENT                                           Sainte-Justine Hospital and Research Centre and professor
          Jean-Philippe Gouin          OF PSYCHOLOGY.                                                                      at INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier — Fitzpatrick and her
          concluded that higher                                                                                            colleagues analyzed 512 students considered at risk of obesity
          levels of self-compassion were associated with lower cortisol                                                    clustered in 296 Montreal-area elementary schools. At-risk
          levels in seniors who reported higher levels of stressors but                                                    students had either one or two parents considered obese.
          not in those who reported lower ones.                                                                               They found that children enrolled in schools with the most
             This suggests that practising self-compassion is an effective                                                 varied indoor play environment had lower overall body fat and
          tool to mitigate the effects of chronic, uncontrollable stressors.                                               smaller waists than children at schools with the least varied
             Herriot says she hopes the results of the study will help lead                                                environment. The amount of time kids spend at school means
          to interventions that foster self-compassion in older adults                                                     the environment very likely plays a role in how they develop
          who are struggling with significant stressors.                                                                   physically, including weight gain, Fitzpatrick says.
                                                    —Patrick Lejtenyi, GrDip 99                                               Even though cultural, social and other factors are cutting
                                                                                                                           into the amount of time kids spend being active, Fitzpatrick
                                                                                                                           says that providing tools for unstructured active play is rela-
                                                                                                                           tively easy. Skateboards, hula-hoops, trampolines, unicycles,
               You’re among our                                                                                            juggling pins, devil sticks and climbing walls could be highly
               25,000 #CUalumni                                                                                           cost-effective ways of offsetting long-term health problems,
                                                                                                                           she notes. “Indoor play might be linked to decreased weight,
                                                                                                                           but it might also be reducing stress levels in children,” she
                                                                                                                           says. “It might have some other positive benefits that we
                   Share your news.                                                                                        haven’t examined yet.”
                                                                                                                                                                   —Patrick Lejtenyi, GrDip 99
               Join @ConcordiaAlumni
               on Facebook.

          16   | winter 2019 concordia university magazine

33988 Social Media Ads.indd 6                                         2018-08-30 2:19 PM
DUTCH SEASCAPE RETURNED
                                                                                                  TO MAX STERN HEIRS
Concordia University

                                                                                                  A     n 18th-century painting by Dutch master Johannes
                                                                                                        Hermanus Koekkoek, Storm at Sea, is once again with its
                                                                                                  rightful owners after being recovered from the Hargesheimer
                                                                                                  Kunstauktionen Düsseldorf, where it was slated to hit the
                       ALEX MEGELAS, PROGRAMS AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR FOR CONCORDIA’S
                       OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SAYS OF BÂTIMENT 7: “WE’RE HERE FIRST TO   auction block.
                       LISTEN, TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, THEN PROPOSE SOLUTIONS.”                      Following exchanges about the painting’s tainted history
                                                                                                  between the Holocaust Claims Processing Office, the German
                       CONCORDIA GIVES BACK TO THE                                                auction house and its consignor, Storm at Sea was returned in
                       C O M M U N I T Y I N N E W W AY                                           November 2018 to representatives of the Max and Iris Stern
                                                                                                  Foundation and its three beneficiaries: Concordia University

                       C     oncordia students and faculty are learning from —
                             and with — the community, through an innovative
                       presence at Bâtiment 7, a former CN train shop in Montreal’s
                                                                                                  and McGill University in Montreal and Hebrew University
                                                                                                  in Jerusalem.
                                                                                                     The Concordia-administered Max Stern Art Restitution
                       Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood.                                        Project, which lists all the works art dealer Max Stern was
                         Concordians at Bâtiment 7 connect the university to com-                 forced to sell before he fled Nazi Germany, was a key player
                       munity mobilization efforts and grassroots urban development               in the retrieval.
                       — everything from horizontal governance models to sustain-                    “Art restitution is an integral part of Holocaust remem-
                       able uses of former industrial spaces.                                     brance, respect for human rights and international justice.
                         Open to the public since May 2018, there are more than                   I would like to congratulate the Stern Foundation and the
                       10 groups operating as part of Bâtiment 7. Aside from a brew               Düsseldorf auction house on their agreement and exempla-
                       pub and grocery store, there are co-op bicycle and car repair              ry commitment to redressing past injustices,” said Stéphane
                       facilities and a youth-run arcade, facilitated by Concordia stu-           Dion, Canada’s ambassador to Germany and special envoy
                       dent Michelle Duchesneau. There are also plans for a daycare,              to the European Union and Europe.
                       birthing centre and food production hub.                                      Storm at Sea is the 18th painting recovered on behalf of the
                         For Concordia, the work at Bâtiment 7 advances the uni-                  Stern Foundation.
                       versity’s interest in city-based learning, says Charmaine Lyn,                                                          —Fiona Downey, BA 83
                       senior director of the Office of Community Engagement (OCE),
                       which is helping to fund the project along with the Office of
                       Research and SHIFT, Concordia’s social innovation hub.
                         Alex Megelas, MA (ed. studies) 14, is OCE’s programs and
                       communications coordinator and one of the university staff
                       assigned to Bâtiment 7. Megelas feels the collaborative model
                       ensures direction comes first and foremost from the commu-
                       nity, rather than being driven by external researchers. “This is
                       exciting. We’re here first to listen, to build relationships, then
                       propose solutions,” he says.
                         “This type of engagement is critical in bringing our work
                       out of the academy to apply it to real-world problems, and to
                       inform new and socially relevant directions for Concordia
                       researchers to take,” adds Christophe Guy, vice-president of
                       Research and Graduate Studies.
                                                                    —Sylvie Babarik, MA 07        STORM AT SEA, BY JOHANNES HERMANUS KOEKKOEK (1778-1851)

                                                                                                                               concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 17
G I L L I A N L E I T H M A N T A L K S H E A LT H A N D H A P P I N E S S I N T H E W O R K P L A C E

G      illian Leithman, BA
       00, MSc 05, PhD 16,
is assistant professor in the
                                          as raising children or paying
                                          the mortgage? Look through
                                          a university catalogue and
                                                                                What helped me surmount
                                                                                this challenge was seeing
                                                                                first-hand how this informa-
                                                                                                                                         Tell us a little bit about
                                                                                                                                         your coaching career.
                                                                                                                                         What do you focus on?
Department of Management                  see if any of the courses catch       tion truly changes people’s                              GL: “My objective is to
at Concordia’s John Molson                your attention. This could            lives when they apply it.”                               bridge the gap between the
School of Business and a                  provide another clue to what                                                                   academic and practitioner
corporate trainer specializing            might fuel your passions.”            Can you give us three                                    spheres by creating fun
in health and wellness. She                                                     simple tips for professional                             learning experiences using
has facilitated programs for              What has been the                     development that anyone                                  the latest scientific discover-
some of Canada’s premier                  biggest challenge                     can use?                                                 ies from the fields of positive
businesses, such as Bell                  you’ve faced during                   GL: “1) Make lifelong learn-                             psychology, management,
Canada, Air Canada and                    your career, and how                  ing an objective. Don’t stop                             neuroscience and perfor-
TELUS.                                    did you overcome it?                  taking courses — of any kind                             mance optimization. I am
   Leithman will host four ses-           GL: “For 11 of the 15 years I’ve      — just because you have                                  interested in health, happi-
sions for the Alumni Career               been teaching soft skills — in-       graduated from university. 2)                            ness and success because
Workshop Series in 2019.                  terpersonal and people skills         Don’t rely on your employer                              it’s fun to teach stuff that
                                          — to students and employ-             to support your professional                             has a practical application.
What do you think is the                  ees, the discipline has not           development. If your or-                                 I maintain that change starts
secret — if there is one —                been taken seriously. That            ganization does not value                                with tiny tweaks.”
to professional success/                  has changed with behavioural          training and development,
happiness?                                science becoming more                 seek it out yourself. 3) Step                            What can people expect
Gillian Leithman: “Waking                 mainstream — but that has             out of your comfort zone. If                             in your upcoming
up most mornings excited                  not always been the case. It is       you are into social science,                             workshops with Concordia?
about the day ahead. That                 hard to stir the course when          take a course in photography.                            GL: “A fun, interactive
means living with passion                 most people believe that ‘soft        If you work in finance, enrol                            environment where you’ll
and purpose. If you are not               skills’ are just that — soft.         in a culinary class.”                                    learn some of the best-
sure where to start, here are                                                                                                            kept social science secrets
a few good questions to shake                                                                                                            that you can apply, in and
things up:                                          “I maintain that change                                                              out of the office, to achieve
ƒƒ Are you living in alignment                                                                                                           greater health, wealth
   with your values? If you’re                      starts with tiny tweaks.”                                                            and happiness.”
   unsure, ask yourself, ‘Who
   in my life do I admire and                                                                                                            How did Concordia have
   why?’ Alternatively, imag-                                                                                                            an impact on your career?
   ine someone close to you is                                                                                                           GL: “Concordia gave me
   describing you: what would                                                                                                            hands-on practical skills as
   you want them to say?                                                                                                                 well as a solid foundation
ƒƒ Make sure you are develop-                                                                                                            in research methodology.
   ing a life outside of work.                                                                                                           I also had great teachers,
   So many of us are using our                                                                                                           such as my supervisor and
   technical devices in lieu of                                                                                                          mentor, Linda Dyer, whose
   forging real relationships,                                                                                                           support was instrumental
   which has led to a loneliness                                                                                                         both academically and
   epidemic.”                                                                                                                            professionally.”
                                                                                                                                                  —Meagan Boisse, BA 17
What advice would you
give to someone who                                                                                                                      Find out more about Gillian
feels unsatisfied in his                                                                                                                 Leithman and the Alumni
                                                                                                                  Concordia University

or her job?                                                                                                                              Career Workshop Series at
GL: “Explore new adven-                                                                                                                  concordia.ca/alumni-friends/
tures! What did you love                                                                                                                 events.
pursuing when you were
young but had to put aside                MANAGEMENT PROFESSOR AND CORPORATE TRAINER GILLIAN LEITHMAN WILL HOST
due to responsibilities such              FOUR ALUMNI CAREER WORKSHOP SERIES SESSIONS IN 2019.

18   | winter 2019 concordia university magazine
IN GOOD COMPANY

ABB Canada is writing the future of industrial digitalization
In Good Company is a series on inspiring grads who work for
corporations and non-profits that hire a large number of Concordia
alumni. To be featured, please contact us at alumni@concordia.ca
or @ConcordiaAlumni on social media.

V
       isitors waiting in the          Gingu’s journey to ABB
       reception area of ABB        Canada began during his last
       Canada’s Montreal            year in electrical engineering
head office can expect a warm       at Concordia, when he land-

                                                                        Courtesy of ABB Canada
welcome from staff and a hot        ed a four-month summer
coffee from a robotic barista       internship in sales and mar-
named YuMi. Developed at            keting. That led to joining
ABB as a way to allow humans        the company as an electri-
and robots to work in close         cal engineering specialist in
proximity, the YuMi robot           2013.                                                        PICTURED AT ABB CANADA ARE CONCORDIA ALUMNI CHARLES MAZZA, VICE-PRESIDENT
                                                                                                 AND COUNTRY HEAD OF SALES, CELINE ST-GERMAIN, PROJECT MANAGER, AND MIRCEA
prepares a fresh cup of coffee         Thinking back on his days                                 GINGU, GLOBAL SALES AND MARKETING CONFIGURATOR LEADER.

for anyone who stops by.            at the university, Gingu recalls
   For more than four               how his courses helped him                                      St-Germain remembers                   After graduating from
decades, ABB has been               develop a systematic approach                                how she struggled with                 Concordia, Mazza spent
a pioneering technology             to solving problems — some-                                  group projects while at                more than 20 years in the
leader in electrification           thing that has been invaluable                               Concordia. Now, she says               pulp and paper industry,
products, robotics and              in his career, he says.                                      those same projects conjure            where he transitioned from
motion, industrial                     Gingu’s current role com-                                 up her most cherished                  the technical side to sales
automation and power                bines all of his skills. “How can                            memories at the university.            and then to management.
grids. Serving customers            we, for example, digitize our                                “It was really nice to                 “I just saw that the career
globally in utilities,              portfolio?” Gingu asks. “And                                 collaborate with such a                opportunities were strong
industry and transport and          how can we explain it to the cus-                            culturally diverse group               and that the connection
infrastructure, the company         tomer, but in a simple story?”                               of students,” she says. “I             between science and
operates in more than 100                                                                        took that experience to                business led to a unique skill
countries and with some             BRINGING IT ALL                                              heart because it’s exactly             set that could be leveraged,”
147,000 employees, 700 in           TOGETHER                                                     like that today, working at            says Mazza, who earned
its Montreal Technoparc             Now a 10-year veteran at                                     a global company like ABB              a graduate diploma in
headquarters.                       ABB Canada, Celine St-                                       — surrounded by talented               management from Athabasca
   Here are three Concordia         Germain, BComm 02, is                                        professionals, each with               University in 2000.
alumni who are making an            responsible for overseeing                                   their own experiences and                 He also takes great pride
impact at ABB Canada.               projects of customized high-                                 perspectives on the world.”            in knowing that he’s helping
                                    voltage power equipment                                                                             prepare the next generation
ENGINEERING NEW                     as a project manager. St-                                    A NON-LINEAR THINKER                   of talent in his role. “It’s a
SALES EXPERIENCES                   Germain supervises each                                      Charles Mazza, BSc 89, is              passion of mine to coach
As global sales and                 project from the moment the                                  often asked why he pursued             and to bring on the next
marketing configurator              company receives an order                                    a degree in chemistry rather           generation to help them
leader, Mircea Gingu,               until it ships out the product                               than chemical engineering.             excel within the industry,
BEng 12, works on the               to the customer for delivery.                                “If I had to do it all over            but also beyond that,” Mazza
implementation team                    “When you get to the end of                               again, I’d do the exact                says. “We want them to
responsible for a customer          a project and the customer’s                                 same thing,” says Mazza,               succeed, so providing that
management relationship             satisfied, everyone feels                                    vice-president and country             opportunity is something
software. “When you go into         fulfilled,” she says. “You’re                                head of sales at ABB Canada.           I really enjoy doing.”
Amazon, you can select your         just growing every                                           “Chemistry provided me                         —Daniel Bartlett, BA 08
shoes, your pants and so on,”       day — learning different                                     incredible breadth, open-
he says. “We’re customizing         things — and you’re ready                                    mindedness and ways of
or digitizing our inventory         to take on a bigger, more                                    seeing things in a non-
into such a platform.”              complex project.”                                            linear fashion.”

                                                                                                                              concordia university magazine winter 2019 | 19
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