Claude Lajeunesse is named our next President

By Barbara Black

Claude Lajeunesse is coming home to Quebec. The seasoned academic administrator, who has just put in a decade at Toronto’s Ryerson University, another urban institution, has been appointed President and Vice-Chancellor for a five-year term, beginning Aug. 1. The appointment was ratified at the Board’s meeting on May 19.

Lajeunesse said it was an honour to be selected to lead Concordia University. “I share its fundamental values of excellence, accessibility, collegiality and equity. I also recognize the remarkable work of Dr. Frederick Lowy and his contribution to building this fine institution.

“I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students and the senior leadership team to fulfill all of Concordia’s brilliant potential—with the support of the Board, alumni and friends of the university.”

Under his leadership, Toronto’s Ryerson experienced rapid growth, increasing its undergraduate enrolment by 43 per cent and that of its continuing education arm by 50 per cent. Over the decade, Ryerson developed 13 new graduate programs and opened six new buildings worth $210 million.

He has experienced the academic world from many different perspectives: as teacher, as administrator, researcher and executive at one of Canada’s major granting agencies.

He holds degrees in nuclear engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and earned his first degree, in engineering physics, from the École Polytechnique, here in Montréal. He taught at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, becoming head of the Engineering Department.

In 1988, he was asked to lead the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), forming relationships across all sectors of public life.

He has been on the board of directors and advisory committee of the Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l’Aide à la recherche (FCAR), and was general manager of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers in Ottawa. He was Director of Targeted Research for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

The Canadian Academy of Engineering named him to its board in 1999, and he served as chair in 2002-2003. In March of 2005, he was named to the board of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL).

He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

He is also an active community volunteer, with commitments ranging from health care to cultural organizations. He and his wife, Nicole Morin Lajeunesse, have raised six high-achieving and happy children. By all reports, he is an avid tennis player and a congenial host.