The most recent departure from the university’s administration is one of many over the past decade
Concordia’s former chief financial officer received a $235,000 severance package after only working at the university for three months. The university announced the departure of Sonia Trudel in mid-November last year, but an article from La Presse published on Feb. 10 revealed the cost of Trudel’s payout.
This isn’t the first time a Concordia employee was given a severance of at least six-figures: the university was fined $2 million in 2012 by the Quebec education ministry for excessive severance packages and mismanaging funds.
The Concordian has compiled a timeline from our archives of severance deals given to former Concordia employees based on previously published stories:
2007:
Claude Lajeunesse ($1.4 million)
Claude Lajeunesse resigned two years into his five-year contract as Concordia’s president. He had previously served as president at Ryerson University for 10 years. At the time, university spokesperson Chris Mota told The Concordian: “I think the Board wanted change faster on some level,” said Mota. “I have heard discussions on both sides, governors who argue that the strategic plan that we’re working on has not moved fast enough. Other members think it’s right on track.”
2009:
Ted Nowak ($605,000) and Saad Zubair ($639,000)
Ted Nowak and Saad Zubair, both former auditors at Concordia, were dismissed in September 2009 after allegedly not disclosing meal expenditures.
Larry English ($332,000)
Larry English announced his resignation in September 2009 after 13 years as the university’s chief financial officer. He received $332,000.
Jean Brisebois ($129,000)
The university’s former security director received $129,000 for his retirement in 2009. Brisebois had been working with the university since 2001 when the announcement was made.
2010:
Kathy Assayag ($700,000)
The former vice-president of advancement and alumni affairs left her position for personal reasons in September 2010. Assayag walked away with a severance package of $700,000.
2011:
Judith Woodsworth ($703,500)
In 2011, Judith Woodsworth resigned as president of Concordia less than halfway through her five-year term, walking away with $703,500. A member of the Board of Governors at the time told The Concordian in 2011 prior to her resignation she “choose to resign as she could have stood up to the board and stayed if she wanted to.” Woodsworth was the second Concordia president to resign in five years. She later returned to Concordia as a professor in the French department.
