Opinion: Concordia is making a mark at 50 — and the best is yet to come

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Montreal, you have a world-class university hiding in plain sight.

Don’t just take it from me. In 2024, the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings placed Concordia — which turns 50 this year — 80th among 673 universities under 50 years old worldwide, tops in North America and best in Canada for the seventh straight year.

Because Concordia is so deeply woven into the fabric of Montreal and Quebec, it can be easy to overlook how we’ve grown, become a magnet for talent and emerged as a global leader in research and the arts. In fact, with a modern, storefront campus downtown and a traditional, quad-centred campus in residential N.D.G., it can be hard to tell where Concordia ends, and the rest of the city begins.

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Chances are there’s a Concordian in your family, workplace or network. Of our 260,000 alumni, 180,000 call Quebec home. They’re leaders in business, creative industries and community organizations, contributing in countless ways to the shared prosperity we all enjoy.

The university does its part too, adding nearly $2 billion annually to the Quebec economy through our purchasing power and by increasing human capital, productivity and innovation.

Like Montreal, Concordia is a place of diversity, opportunity and transformation. A mix of anglophones, allophones and francophones, two-thirds of our students are from Quebec. The rest come from more than 150 countries. Many are the first in their family to pursue the dream of higher education, often surmounting social norms and economic barriers to do so. Collectively, they embody the uniqueness of Montreal — proudly rooted in Quebec, globally minded in outlook.

Our faculty and grads are ubiquitous in the cultural scene, not just here in Quebec but across Canada and around the world. They’ve won Pulitzers, Gillers, Sobeys, Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, Grammys and Governor General’s Awards. Concordians have an oversized presence in media, gaming and aerospace as well as in cybersecurity and computer science, where our research impact ranks fifth in the world, according to CSRankings.

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With 80,000 alumni living outside Canada, we’re building an incredible network of ambassadors — some of whom literally are ambassadors — and raising the profile of Montreal, Quebec and Canada.

In a city rich with great universities, part of Concordia’s success has been our ability to innovate, be different and make an impact.

We consciously push research in new directions that maximize the value for society and the economy. For example, after more than a decade heading a national network in net-zero building engineering, Concordia now leads a $200-million research and training consortium on next-gen cities and the electrification of society, called Volt-Age.

Nationally and internationally, we benefit hugely from the John Molson brand of our business school and the distinction our Gina Cody School holds as being the only engineering and computer science faculty in North America named after a woman.

We also make bold choices operationally. By the end of the year, we will have converted our foundation’s investment portfolio to 100 per cent sustainable holdings. We’ve committed to fully decarbonize the physical infrastructure of our two campuses by 2040.

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In the past, Concordia has sometimes stood out by blending in. But this is a critical juncture for higher education in North America, for anglophone universities in Quebec and for the university sector in Montreal. As we turn 50, it’s time to reflect not just on how far Concordia has come but on how far we can go.

We’re a university bursting with creative energy, social dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit. We’re eager to experiment, innovate and partner to do great things with and for the community that is such a big part of who we are.

So, merci Montréal! And thank you to all our students, staff, faculty, alumni, builders, friends and supporters. There’s no ranking in the world that can measure our pride and gratitude at being part of this remarkable city.

From lectures and football games to tours and art exhibitions, many university events are open to the public. I hope you’ll join us as we celebrate Concordia’s milestone anniversary throughout the year. You’ll discover that the best is yet to come.

Graham Carr is president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University. 

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