Names in the news

Are company directors paid enough? Dr. Michel Magnan, Lawrence Bloomberg Chair in Accountancy, says it is not easy to figure out what directors are worth. He is quoted in The Globe and Mail on how hard it is to put a measurement on what a director does and that a leaner pay packet might better ensure good governance. His concern is with the professional directors who make a living from being on boards and if they’re too well paid, they may get too comfortable.

Apropos of current scandals, Jean McGuire (Management) talked in The Gazette last month about the tough decisions corporations face regarding what is a legitimate business expense and what is excessive.

The latest film by alumnus Gary Burns (Cinema) is playing now in Montreal. The Gazette’s Brendan Kelly says A Problem With Fear is set in an unnamed city, but observant viewers here will note that the subway system, which figures prominently, is the Montreal métro. Kelly calls Burns “one of Canada’s best-known directors.” His previous film, waydowntown, also deals with urban paranoia. It’s a delightfully quirky film about a bunch of bored 20-somethings working and living in Calgary’s skyscrapers. They compete to see who can go longest without putting his or her nose outdoors.

A Gazette article by student Julia Gerke (Journalism) discussed the lack of outward pride of Germans on their national day, Oct. 3. Hitler’s legacy and the Holocaust cast a dark mood over the German people and how they see themselves. Gerke, born years after the Holocaust, says the German guilt hangs over them, even on their national day.

Concordia graduate and philanthropist Richard J. Renaud (BComm) was featured as the personality of the week in La Presse last month. The article profiles Renaud, whose name adorns the new Science Complex on the Loyola campus.

Guido Molinari (Fine Arts), who taught for many years at Concordia, was featured in La Presse this month after receiving an Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.

In an article discussing work conditions for teachers in Le Devoir, Maria Peluso, president of the Concordia University Part-time Faculty Association told the paper that working conditions surrounding part-time faculty are still difficult. They have no office, no telephone, no computer or even e-mail, she said.

Alumna Jodi van Rees (Exercise Science) is now living her NHL dream as assistant athletic therapist with the Canadiens. Van Rees was profiled in The Gazette this month as the first woman in NHL history with a full-time medical team position. Landing an NHL job was a dream come true for alumna Sonya Goel (BComm and DSA). She was featured in The Gazette as project coordinator for the National Hockey League. Goel credits her internship with the Diploma in Sports Administration for helping her grab her great gig.

Concordia students who won Forces avenir awards have been popping up in Montreal newspapers for their work. They were featured in the Oct. 11 issue of La Presse and in Peggy Curran’s Gazette column on Oct. 7.

Professor William Bukowski (Psychology), who has studied social development in boys and girls for more than two decades, says that expectations for women’s behavior have changed profoundly in the last 50 years. In a Gazette column on 21st century girl behavior, Bukowski says that women have become free to make choices about their sex roles and their professional development.

Researcher Adam Radomsky (Psychology) was featured in a Gazette article about obsessive-compulsive disorders. Radomsky says that family members of those suffering from the disorder are often unknowingly drawn into the problem, too.

Professor Jordan LeBel (Marketing) was interviewed on CBC’s Canada Now about Point Zero, Quebec’s first gated-community housing project in Blainville, Quebec.

Karim Boulos, the new business director of the John Molson School of Business Executive Centre, was featured in the Gazette’s business pages this week in an article about procrastinating. Boulos has developed a system of prioritizing tasks that works for him. He’s proof of his own success: CTR put him on the front page June 6, 2002 issue, when he became the first recipient of the $10,000 award given to the top Montreal MBA graduate of the year.

Les Lawton says he’d much rather coach women than men. The celebrated hockey coach, now in his 22nd year with the award-winning Stingers women, told The Gazette’s Susan Schwartz on Nov. 3, that with women hockey players, success depends on skill rather than physical intimidation. Women also put more emphasis on sportsmanship and mutual support. Shaming a player in front of the rest of team may work with the guys, he said, but not with his players.