News

This document, in very general terms, sets out an agenda for the first 100 days of my presidency at Concordia University of Edmonton. Above all else this will be a time of listening over acting, thinking over doing, and engaging with people over planning. This period will provide me with the necessary foundation to effectively lead Concordia into the future in a deliberate and focused way. In all activities during my first 100 days (and subsequent to them) I plan to keep Concordia’s Mission and Vision at front of mind, using these as the basis for action with respect to our institutional direction. The overarching goal of the first 100 days of my presidency will be to assess the road ahead in order to advance CUE’s Mission and Vision.

To provide structure, it is necessary to identify some key points of focus. This does not preclude the addition of new areas that may arise, or changing course as I progress in favour of more fruitful pursuits, but it does help to narrow the range to a manageable size to begin with.

First and foremost I want to listen. This means that both formal and informal consultations will be held with groups and individual members of the Concordia community. I also plan to hold introductory meetings with important external stakeholders and counterparts, including politicians, other post-secondary institution presidents, and important public figures. These consultations and meetings will help me to shape my thoughts with respect to the direction my leadership will ultimately take, while at the same time allowing me to communicate Concordia’s aspirations to those in the broader community.

As I listen to and speak with people on and off campus it makes sense to put some effort into the consideration of a communications strategy for the President’s Office and beyond. We have made progress in improving institutional communications over the past year, for example through our institutional employee home page, but more can be done. I look forward to connecting with our Marketing and Communications Department in this area.

Continuing to shape the administration of the President’s Office will also be a point of focus. This will build on the recent work of Dr. Krispin, and will be done in very close collaboration with our University Secretary and our Administrative Assistant in my office. We will investigate and build additional best practices into our work together, and in doing so we will take an all-inclusive view of our administrative support team in order to work in the most efficient manner. Thankfully, we are already a good deal of the way down this road.

One of the most important features of a successful presidency is a positive relationship with the Board of Governors. While to date the Board and I have engaged in successful activities with respect to relationship building, it remains necessary to ensure that we have a mutual understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the president, and also what the president can expect from the board at this point in time. I look forward to working with our Board to ensure that we are all on the same page in this regard.

The final part of my first 100-day agenda is a concrete one. Literally. Not only does our new Centre for Science, Research, and Innovation need to be built, but we also need to fund it. With that in mind I am going to put energy into consideration of our fundraising strategies with our Development Department. With plenty at stake, it is critical at this time that we reconsider how to best move forward in the area of donor stewardship and fundraising, both for the new building and for other initiatives.

Ultimately, engaging in the sorts of exploratory activities described in this document will provide me with a basis for strong and effective leadership at this very exciting time of change and growth at Concordia. We need to remember and be proud of our past, while at the same time moving forward and imagining our future. I ask for your continued support, cooperation, and enthusiasm as we work to advance the Mission and Vision of Concordia University of Edmonton together.

Best regards,

Tim Loreman, PhD.

President and Vice-Chancellor.