Michael Di Grappa named Vice-Rector, Services

Michael Di Grappa has been appointed Vice-Rector, Services, for a five-year term.

The appointment caps an impressive 14-year career at Concordia for the popular and highly effective university manager, who graduated from the university in 1984. He has been employed in Concordia University's Physical Resources Department since 1988, and was appointed Executive Director of Physical Resources in 1997.

His responsibilities included managing and developing the university's extensive real estate and lease portfolios and overseeing an operating budget of $11 million. He was also responsible for labour relations with the physical resource unions and the negotiation of several collective agreements.

In recent years, Di Grappa has defined and managed a successful downsizing plan while improving both services and the management strategy of the real estate portfolio. He was involved in the selection, negotiation and purchase of four properties, and lobbied successfully for changes to the provincial government's funding formula for rental properties.

He was project administrator for three major construction projects, namely the J.W. McConnell Building, the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall and the renovation and expansion of the Georges P. Vanier Library.

Di Grappa's appointment comes at a critical time for Concordia, as the university embarks on a challenging and extensive building program. In his new position, he will also oversee Student Services, the Office of the Registrar, Physical Resources, Recreation and Athletics, Environmental Health and Safety, the University Bookstore, Ancillary Services, IITS and Security.

A 1984 graduate of Concordia's School of Community and Public Affairs, Di Grappa went on to complete his Master's of Public Policy and Administration at New York's Columbia University. He was president of the Concordia University Alumni Association from 1996 to 1998. In January, he was given the Distinguished Service Award through Concordia's Alumni Recognition Awards program.

Di Grappa's term will run from March 15, 2000, until May 31, 2005. We welcome him to his new position, and wish him the greatest success.