Names in the News

The Globe and Mail published an article about Liberal leadership candidate Sheila Copps’ red book, or platform, and added, “She has had some very sophisticated help in the person of Brooke Jeffrey, an unapologetic Trudeauphile, who was once the director of research for the Liberal caucus, is the author of several books and now heads the graduate studies program in public administration [in the Political Science Department] at Concordia University.”

The work of Michel Dugas (Psychology) and Laval colleague Robert Ladouceur was reported in Chatelaine magazine’s June issue. They helped patients with generalized anxiety disorder with cognitive behaviour therapy by teaching them to differentiate between real-life problems and hypothetical worries. After four months of weekly treatments, 77 per cent of their patients stopped excessively worrying.

Peter Rist (Cinema) was interviewed by Lori Feng for Sino Montreal on Channel 14 concerning the Chinese presence in the FanTasia Film Festival, and the 10-minute segment was broadcast twice in August.

Kudos to alumna Jana Sterbak (BFA 77), who represented Canada this summer at the Venice Biennale, the world’s best-known art show. From Here to There was described thus by the Globe’s Sarah Milroy: “a notorious video work shot from a camera strapped to the body of her Jack Russell terrier pup. Watching the imagery of snowbound rural Quebec, I found myself seduced by [its] eccentricity and overcome with nostalgia for the rawness of the New World.”

In Les Affaires, Michel Laroche (Marketing) discussed the buying power of “tweens.” In another issue, Michel Magnan (Finance) was quoted about errors made by the SAQ. If we can't trust the information in financial statements to be true, he asked, what can we trust?

Clarence Bayne, director of several diploma programs in management, was interviewed by Stephanie Whittaker for her column in the Saturday Gazette on July 26. The subject was an initiative in the School of Business called the Black Community Entrepreneurship Program.

Stephen Gallagher (Political Science) appeared on the CBS News program 60 Minutes on Sept. 7. He was interviewed by co-editor Steven Kroft. The segment, entitled “North of the Border,” reviewed Canada's refugee policy and its implications for U.S. security.

Marisa Pruska-Carroll (Political Science) has published a second, expanded edition of her book Russia Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (Véhicule Press). She discussed the book on CBC Radio on Sept. 8, and a review appeared in the Globe and Mail in July.

Professor Emeritus Maïr Verthuy was included in Henry Aubin’s series of profiles of “Montrealers who made a difference” in The Gazette recently. She was hailed for being one of the founders of Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia’s women’s studies centre, in 1978.

Alumna Cristina Bortolotti is the new co-host of Ciao Montreal, a Italian-language program on CH television (channel 62, cable 14).

Lea Prevel-Katsanis (Marketing) discussed the closing of Shire Biochem Research Lab on the CBC news, and acted as a commentator for the Visions of Greece fundraiser on Mountain Lake PBS in August.

Jordan LeBel (Marketing) was interviewed on CBF radio’s Matin Exprès about the local “war” involving Tim Hortons, Second Cup, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. Since then, Couche-Tard has signed a whopping $1.2-billion deal to buy 1,663 convenience stores in the United States.

Steven Appelbaum, Concordia Research Chair in Organizational Development, was quoted in Les Affaires on Sept. 6 under the headline Une perte de temps, ces réunions? He said that it’s best to try to avoid attending meetings altogether, if possible, as people generally don’t express what they really think in front of others.

Isabelle Dostaler (Management) was interviewed on Canada Now (local CBC TV) about Bombardier's contract to build 30 jets for Skywest Airline with an option for 80 more.

Sandra Weber (Education) was quoted in the National Post about what teachers wear in the classroom. She wrote a book about it, called That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Like a Teacher, and says that teachers’ choice of clothing, particularly among children, not only fixes their identity, but can be used to establish a working atmosphere and exert control.

In the Globe and Mail, under the headline “Firms break pay disclosure rules,” Michel Magnan (Accountancy) said he has examined the compensation statements written by Nortel Networlds Corp. and found that the company has often changed its compensation criteria. Magnan said directors should buy shares with their own money, because they are supposed to represent the interests of stockholders, not option-holders.

Triant Flouris (International Aviation MBA) was quoted in The Gazette several times in late September about the Air Canada job cuts, and the bidding war that is taking place for Air Canada's tangible and intangible assets. A few days later, he talked about Jetz, Air Canada's luxury charter business that caters to sports teams and corporations.