Ceremony highlights installation events

By Laurie Zack

The installation of Claude Lajeunesse as Concordia’s new president, set for Friday, Oct. 21, promises to be a formal ceremony whose ritual and music reflect the significance of the event, according to the organizers.

University Archivist Nancy Marrelli is co-chairing the installation ceremony committee with Registrar Linda Healey.

Marrelli said, “We are looking at a formal ceremony that underlines both continuity and change, the linking of Concordia’s past to its future.”

The new president will swear an oath of allegiance to the university and will receive a symbol of his new office, Former president Frederick Lowy’s installation 10 years ago was part of fall convocation.
The installation will take place at 3 o’clock in the auditorium of the Grey Nuns building at René-Lévesque Blvd. and Guy St (1190 Guy). The room seats about 500 people, and will be full.

Representatives from more than 15 institutions have already responded and will be joined by representatives of the municipal, provincial and federal governments and many colleagues and friends of the new president from funding, research and academic organizations.

The morning of Oct. 21 will be taken up with a conference in the same venue on the major challenges facing education around the world, including adaptation to technological change, ethnic and social diversity, and greatly increased mobility across the world. The title is Universities: Moving Ahead in the 21st Century.

The keynote speaker will be Margaret MacMillan, award-winning historian and Provost of Trinity College, University of Toronto. Her speech will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Provost Martin Singer.

The panelists will be Deans David Graham of Arts and Science and Nabil Esmail of Engineering and Computer Science, and guest panelist Eva Egron-Polak, Secretary-General of the International Association of Universities and Executive Director of the International Universities Bureau. Before taking up her present post, Mme Egron-Polack spent more than 15 years in various positions at the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

Faculty members, students and staff are invited to attend the conference by visiting instal@alcor.concordia.ca or calling ext. 4803.

Other social events will provide various sectors of the community the opportunity to meet the new president. There will be a breakfast with students and a dinner reception with guest speaker Donald Johnston, Secretary-General, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. A reception for all the installation ceremony guests will close the series of events to officially recognize Claude Lajeunesse as Concordia’s new president.

Chair of the Installation Committee and former chair of Concordia’s Board of Governors, Lillian Vineberg, concluded, “We have tried to build a series of installation events that involves the entire Concordia community. I am very gratified by the response of the community and Concordia’s friends outside the university. I think this will be an event that will propel Concordia into a very exciting future.”