Bram Freedman – The Concordian

Alan Shepard
University President and Vice-Chancellor

The university president is responsible for the day to day administration of the institution. The president makes recommendations to the Board of Governors for their consideration and works with his vice-presidents, staff and faculty to raise the profile of the university through publicity, promotions and elevated enrollment.

Shepard was appointed by the Board of Governors late last year to replace interim President Frederick Lowy. He grew up in the United States but immigrated to Canada in 2002 and is a citizen. He comes to us fresh out of Ryerson University, where he occupied the position of Provost and Vice-President academic since 2007. Shepard has an undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College and a PhD in English from the University of Virginia.

Bram Freedman
VP, Institutional Relations and Secretary-General

The Vice-President, Institutional Relations and Secretary–General is responsible for managing government and external relations, university governance, human resources and legal affairs. Among other things, his portfolio also encompasses “the promotion of the values of civility, equity and respect within the University” as well as “transparent and accountable university governance.”

Freedman is an attorney who was appointed in Feb. 2008. His title was modified from the original VP External Relations and Secretary–General in May 2011 because of the addition of the Human Resources to his description. In Oct. 2010, Freedman was appointed President of the Concordia University Foundation, an organization which manages funds donated to the university.

Lisa Ostiguy
Interim Provost

While the search for a new Provost is set to begin shortly in the new academic year, an interim replacement has been chosen. Lisa Ostiguy, who served as interim Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning starting in Jan. 2012, is an associate professor and the chair of the department of applied human sciences. She has been a full-time faculty member since 1992.

Before coming to Concordia, she earned her PhD in Higher Education Planning, Policy and Leadership, at the University of Iowa. She has also taught at the University of Iowa and University of Regina.

Patrick Kelley
Chief Financial Officer

The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for all things money related at Concordia. He oversees the allocation of funds, plans payment strategies, projects revenues and expenses for the university and is responsible for managing the institution’s budget.

Patrick Kelley has been Concordia’s Chief Financial Officer since July 2010 when he was officially appointed after a period of time spent as interim CFO. He has a degree in Mathematics from St. Bonaventure and continues to teach at the John Molson School of Business. He also served as ConU’s Executive Director, Strategic Plans, and as Special Advisor to the VP Services on IT.

Roger Côté
VP Services

The Vice-President of Services is responsible for overseeing admission services, student services, health services, residence life, counselling and development, dean of students office, advocacy and support services as well as recreation and athletics. Côté was appointed VP Services June 9, 2011 after he became the associate vice-president in 2006.

Côté has a bachelor’s degree from the Universite de Montreal and an MEd from McGill University. He has filled several positions at Concordia since arriving in 1981, first of all as director of the Loyola Campus Centre, then as Acting Dean of Students, director of Financial Aid and Awards Office from 1984 to 2004, and finally as Executive Director of Enrolment and Student Services.

David Graham
Senior advisor to the president

Graham has been at Concordia for a number of years and has filled several positions during that time. He came to ConU in 2005 when he was hired as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science and was promoted in 2008 to become the Provost and VP academic affairs. This summer, it was announced that Graham would not be seeking another mandate as Provost and has been appointed Senior Advisor to the President on internal strategy. He is set to take on his new position Sept. 1 of this year.

Graham is a specialist in early modern French literature with a PhD from University of Western Ontario. Before arriving at Concordia, he taught at schools across the country including Memorial University, the Royal Military College of Canada and Mount Allison University.

Andrew Woodall
Dean of Students

The dean of students is responsible for directing and planning activities through his office, co-ordinating outreach programs, and overseeing the Loyola Multi-Faith Chapel. He is there to encourage and support students at Concordia and is readily available to address concerns in his offices on both SGW and Loyola campuses. He also advises student leaders and administrators alike on issues pertaining to student life.

Woodall was appointed June 20, 2011 after his time spent as the director for the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation. He has a master’s degree in management, specifically in Voluntary Sector Leadership, from McGill University.

Normand Hébert Jr.
Chair of Concordia’s Board of Governors

The role of the Board of Governors chair is to conduct the meetings and ensure that the items on the agenda are addressed. In addition, the chair must provide leadership for the other board members and keep discussion orderly and polite.

After serving as the vice-chair of Concordia’s Board of Governors, Hébert has stepped up to replace former chair Peter Kruyt as of July 1, 2012. Hebert has a degree in commerce from Concordia and a law degree from the University of Ottawa. He has been president and chief executive officer of an automobile dealership for most of his career and sits as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Société des Alcools du Québec.

[singlepic id=195 w=320 h=240 float=right]To the students of Concordia University,

So, the team here at The Concordian was hoping you could buy us a new means of transportation for the office. We’re not asking for much. A top of the line car maybe? It seems unfair now, but later when we’re cruising from Loyola to SGW while you wait for the shuttle bus in the rain, it will seem even more unfair. Let us explain.

Earlier this week, the Journal de Montreal reported that Concordia University is footing the bill for senior Vice-President Bram Freedman’s rental of a Lexus RX 350. As the VP Institutional Relations and Secretary General, Freedman is entitled to his new ride as per his contract.

The article stated that the six senior VPs at the university have access to $900 a month for rental and maintenance of a vehicle of their choice.

University’s spokesperson, Cléa Desjardins, confirmed that the majority of vice-presidents choose to receive this monthly allowance and while some “arrange their lease or car ownership themselves, some choose to have the university lease a vehicle directly.”

So why all the fuss? Well according to Le Journal, the rental contract between the university and the Montreal Lexus dealer rings in at $37,155.22. Once again, the problem lies in the continuing trend of institutional disregard for money management.

Concordia was fined by former Education Minister Line Beauchamp just this spring to the tune of two million dollars for handing out hefty severance packages like they were monogrammed pens. All the while, students protesting against tuition fee increases say they can’t afford to pay a dollar more, let alone another couple hundred dollars.

When is Concordia going to learn its lesson?

This is not a personal criticism of VP Freedman. He is simply taking advantage of the subsidies program available to him. Granted, he took it as far as he could carry it: a Lexus RX 350 rings in at a starting price of $44,950.

Freedman’s expense reports for 2011 also indicate that he charged the university $1,500 for maintenance on his car and another $788.10 in June of that year for insurance on said vehicle.

Why shouldn’t senior administrators be given perks for executing the difficult job of shaking hands and sitting on committees? All teasing aside, there’s nothing wrong with receiving some benefits, but not when they’re used to explain away unnecessarily costly purchases coming from students’ pockets.

Approximately 94 million dollars of Concordia’s overall operating budget in 2011 comes from student tuition fees, with another 272 million from federal and provincial subsidies. Nearly 80 per cent of the university’s revenue comes from public sources, giving them a responsibility to the students and taxpayers who finance them to spend that money prudently. This is a university, not a privately funded for-profit company and that is a fact the Concordia administration needs to wake up to.

As far as we are concerned, any student who pays fees at this educational institution owns a piece of that car, and that is why people should be outraged. If Bram Freedman isn’t giving us a ride to school each morning, why then should we have to pay for his?