In the midst of Quebec’s latest round of educational budget cuts, Concordia University’s fledgling athletic department appears to be the winners of this years golden parachute sweepstakes. The award, which has been a Concordia University mainstay in tough economic times, was historically the exclusive property of ineffective administrators looking for a quick payday; but times have changed, and Concordia’s time honoured tradition of fiscal irresponsibility has undergone a much needed facelift.
Cue Concordia Rebranded! In collusion with the oddly pseudo-autonomous recreation and athletic department headed by enlightened despot Patrick Boivin; Concordia is set to launch a series of head-scratching propaganda videos that would make even Joseph Goebbels* weep in admiration. The videos whose purpose hasn’t really been made clear to anyone outside the University’s immediate brass, looks to be a marketing stunt that falls short on substance.
Concordia wouldn’t be the first university to fund an athletic rebranding initiative. Laval and the University of Montreal have undergone similar revitalization projects in the recent past to astounding success. However, what Concordia lacks here is the major public private funding initiative that helped propel the aforementioned institutions into their athletic renaissance.
What I find most egregious is the questionable timing of this proposed rebranding effort. According to the Concordia university website, the Quebec Government is cutting $73M from its educational budget. These cuts will directly impact the money allocated to Concordia which has already conceded a $8.4M dollar deficit for the upcoming school year, or in 2012 terms, three University administrator severance packages. Begging the question, how will they finance this rebranding?
Under Armour inspired videos of athletes exercising in the dark are nice, but so are new buildings, and without the money to commit to a full scale revitalization of the schools decrepit athletic facilities, what exactly are we re-branding?
Link to video here: http://youtu.be/n_vQv05ZpZs
*This comparison was intended to be witty and not offensive. We apologize and encourage upset readers to send us their feedback at [email protected] or leave a comment below.
