President Graham Carr began his remarks at the October 30 Board of Governors meeting by highlighting some recent achievements and activities.
- Eight Concordians won seats in the October 5 Quebec provincial elections.
- On October 22, Faye Diamantoudi, provost and vice-president, academic, and Julie Foisy, senior director, student success and retention, were in Ottawa to give a presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. On the theme "Attracting and Empowering Global Talent to Power Canada's Economy", they spoke about the importance of international student recruitment and the impact of work-integrated learning to prepare students for the workforce.
- On October 27 and 28, also in Ottawa, Carr attended a meeting of Universities Canada members. Among other topics of discussion, he explained that the event was an opportunity to discuss with government officials the importance of continuing to improve visa processing for international students.
- Open House, held on October 24, attracted some 6,000 students and parents, a 3.4 per cent increase compared to fall 2025. The president thanked all the faculty, staff and students who contributed to the event's success.
Approval of financial statements
The Board of Governors approved the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ending April 30, 2026.
Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Lizé reported that Concordia ended the year with a lower than anticipated deficit of $15.9 million. This was made possible in part by a light increase in revenue from the provincial government and a further reduction of expenses.
Sustainability Action Plan 2026-2030
Michael Di Grappa, vice-president of services and sustainability, presented the Sustainability Action Plan 2026-2030 both to the Board and to Senate at its November 6 meeting. The plan builds on the achievements of the 2020-2025 plan, adding streams focused on biodiversity and procurement to the initial five covering food, waste, climate, research and curriculum.
Updates to Senate
The Senate meeting was chaired by Provost and Vice-President, Academic, Faye Diamantoudi. She explained that President Carr was attending the annual Falling Walls Science Summit in Germany. Carr was part of the Canadian delegation, along with 13 other university presidents and 25 researchers, including Concordia's Jason Lewis, professor of Computation Arts. The conference marks the 75th anniversary of Canada-Germany relations.
Diamantoudi reported on her testimony in Ottawa the previous week and on the success of Open House.
She also spoke about a few government files the university is following closely. These include the Quebec government's stance on temporary immigration and its potential impact on international student recruitment, as well as initiatives that may affect the level of funding to universities and the funding formula.
Finally, the provost announced that budget update presentations would be held across university sectors over the next couple of months, as was done last year.
