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An illustrated agenda will become the first tangible salute to Concordia's 25th anniversary this week.
The spiral-bound date-book was prepared by University Archives Director Nancy Marrelli. Complimentary copies are being sent to all employees in the coming weeks, and they are for sale in the Concordia Bookstores for $10 each.
The agenda runs from August 16, 1999, the exact anniversary of the signing of the merger agreement, to December 31, 2000. It holds a wealth of information, from the serious to the trivial. It opens with a concise account of the merger, a description of the University's coat of arms, and photographs of some of the earliest buildings associated with the University.
The rest of the book is a handy calendar with plenty of space for notes. Scattered throughout are events, such as the establishment of major academic programs and the opening of new buildings.
For interest's sake, there are items with a human touch. On September 22, 1905, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the prime minister, visited his nephew at Loyola College. On October 9, 1962, René Lévesque addressed Sir George Williams students about plans for the nationalization of Quebec's hydro resources. And in October 1979, the Loyola Chapel and Concordia communities raised more than $12,000 to sponsor a refugee family of eight from Laos.
The preparation of the agenda is just one of a number of big projects Marrelli and her staff have undertaken as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations.
They are mounting attractive and intriguing displays of archival photos and other items around the campus in time for Homecoming, September 30 to October 3.
They are also preparing a substantial pamphlet about the buildings of Concordia, an exacting enterprise that has turned up a number of inaccuracies perpetuated over the years. Student guides are being trained to give tours during Homecoming based on this newly verified information, and the pamphlet will be ready for a big two-campus open house planned for January 2000.
While this academic year is shaping up as an unusually busy one for Archives, Marrelli feels that the effort will pay great dividends for the University, not only in terms of the accuracy and accessibility of our current archival collection, but in setting a new standard for keeping and recording our history to come.
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