Tag: Judith Woodsworth

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Taking a deeper look

Photo by Madelayne Hajek
Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Concordia University’s Board of Governors unanimously adopted all recommendations of an external governance review addressing the departure of personnel at the senior administrative level and strengthening transparency.

The External Process Review of Settlements with Senior Management Personnel report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP reviewed the departure of former President and Vice-Chancellor Judith Woodsworth and five top administrators from September 2009 to December 2010. The university doled out a total of $3.1 million during these months, in the form of severance packages to the six employees.

The review was ordered in March, prior to then-Education Minister Line Beauchamp’s letter to the BoG criticizing Concordia’s excessive spending. The Charest government also fined Concordia $2 million for a lack of responsibility with public funds.

The 23-page external review proposed 17 recommendations for Concordia to implement. A total of seven recommendations focus on the process for reaching a decision on the departure of top personnel, six on the procedure for negotiating a settlement and four on the control of information, confidentiality and communication.

The review emphasizes the lack of policy and formal process for removal of high-ranking administrators and officers, as well a perceived lack of transparency by Board of Governors members that contributed to a “climate of distrust.”

A main recommendation is for the creation of a formal, confidential annual evaluation process for the president of the university.

The report revealed that a formal process for reaching a decision for the removal of a senior officer was not followed in two of three cases involving either former Chief Financial Officer Larry English, former Vice-President of Advancement and Alumni Affairs Kathy Assayag, or Woodsworth.

The review advised that the decision for the removal of a president should follow a formal process set out in the by-laws including a closed session discussion at the BoG level, followed by a vote. The current by-laws are unclear on the process of negotiation with the BoG regarding the option to remove a president.

Furthermore, it was suggested that the dismissal of senior administrators that report to the president such as vice-president and deans should rest on the president. The president must consult with the HR committee before reaching a decision. The report recommended that vice-presidents should form a decision regarding the removal of other top employees such as associate vice-presidents and senior directors.

The report also recommended that teaching rights should also be postponed until a severance is fully paid or for a specific period of time following the settlement. The recommendation is likely a reference to Woodsworth returning to the classroom in January after her ambiguous resignation urged by the BoG in December 2010. Concordia released a statement explaining that this suggestion has been in place for all new contracts since winter 2012.

In addition, the external review called for comprehensive public communication since the compensation for senior employees is of a public nature. The recommendations instructed that the university should report the factual reasons for removal or dismissal to the public.

The review also reported a breach of confidentiality within the BoG, on page seven, claiming there was a leak of information. It was suggested that BoG members adhere to good practices in confidentiality in the future.

“The report does state that there were concerns over the breach of confidentiality of information at the BoG level and stated that leaks were reported,” said Christine Mota, spokesperson for the university. “The report however doesn’t give any specifics about the alleged breaches or leaks.”

According to BoG Chair Norman Hébert, the board has already implemented some of the suggestions made by the report. Hébert told The Concordian the measures will be fulfilled in the following months. The BoG adopted the recommendations Friday, months after PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was supposed to deliver the report.  The delay was due to a lack of information “regarding the benchmarking of other universities” and holiday schedules.

Hébert believes the proposal will help Concordia fill in the gaps.

“We talked about transparency and engagement and we’re all volunteers, and we’re doing this because we love Concordia,” said Hébert. “Transparency and engagement at the board is leading by example and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The review did not examine Woodsworth’s predecessor Claude Lajeunesse, who left in 2007 two years into his five-year contract. The external review examined the turnover and severance packages of the following Concordia administrators, in order of departure:

– Ted Nowak, former internal audit director (Sept. 2009)
– Saad Zubair, former assistant internal audit director (Sept. 2009)
– Larry English, former chief financial officer (Dec. 2009)
– Jean Brisebois, former security director (Dec. 2009)
– Kathy Assayag, former vice-president of advancement and alumni affairs (Sept. 2010)
– Judith Woodsworth, former president and vice-Chancellor (Dec. 2010)

Click here to learn more about these six former administrators

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Walking the plank

Concordia University’s internal relations with its senior employees is complex, confusing and sometimes expensive.

Here is The Concordian’s guide to understanding who these individuals are, and the events leading up to their resignations.

Ted Nowak and Saad Zubair

Former auditors Ted Nowak and Saad Zubair were dismissed in September 2009 for allegedly expensing meals. The accusations were dropped following a grievance filed with the Quebec Labour Review Board. Nowak left the institution with a $605,000 severance package while Zubair departed with $639,000.

Larry English

After 13 years at Concordia, former Chief Financial Officer Larry English announced his resignation in September 2009. English departed with $332,000 in his pocket in December 2009.

Jean Brisebois

The former security director retired from Concordia in December 2009, taking a severance package of $129,000 with him. Brisebois began his position as director in 2001.

Kathy Assayag

The former vice-president of advancement and alumni affairs resigned from her position in September 2010 for personal reasons. Following the departure of the university’s head fundraiser, then-VP Services Michael Di Grappa left Concordia for a high-ranking position at McGill University. The suddenly high turnover rate of vice-presidents led to a questioning of governance. Assayag’s parting gift was $700,000.

Judith Woodsworth

Judith Woodsworth stepped down in December 2010 following a series of missteps. The BoG announced Woodsworth’s resignation was due to personal reasons that were later revealed to be untrue. Woodsworth was asked to leave Concordia halfway through her contract. The high-profile dismissal divided the university community, and marked a five-year crisis of senior personnel departures. Woodsworth was the second president in five years to resign, and five VPs left within the same five years. The ambiguous resignation sparked external reviews and public backlash in an effort to understand the troubled governance of Concordia. Woodsworth’s severance package was $703,500.

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‘I am fundamentally an academic’: Judith Woodsworth

Judith Woodsworth, pictured here during her time as Concordia president, has returned to teaching at the university. Photo from archives
Judith Woodsworth, pictured here during her time as Concordia president, has returned to teaching at the university. Photo from archives

MONTREAL (CUP) — After walking away in late 2010 from the top position at Concordia University with just over $700,000 in severance pay, it turns out that former president Judith Woodsworth has been quietly teaching at the university since the start of the winter semester.

This time, she’s not returning to the executive offices on the upper floors of the administration GM building, but to an office on the sixth floor of the McConnell building where the études françaises department is located. Twice a week, Woodsworth heads to the new MB building, where she teaches two small 400-level courses on translation.
“I am fundamentally an academic,” Woodsworth said in a phone interview with Canadian University Press when asked why she would return to Concordia after her dismissal. “I felt that the academic life was something that was really very much a part of me, and I wanted to come back and continue where I left off when I left Concordia 14 years ago.”
Returning to Concordia in 2008 as president was like a “homecoming,” said Woodsworth, though she lasted only two and a half years as president. “It wasn’t all smooth when I came back, but I feel still that this is a place where I belong. Some people might find it strange, but they’re focusing on the wrong things, maybe,” she suggested.
Education Minister Line Beauchamp told a reporter on Feb. 1 that she had asked Concordia for more information, saying she’d like to know the circumstances for her return.
“Yesterday, when I saw the news, I asked for certain explanations,” Beauchamp said. “Phone calls were made.”
Concordia spokesperson Cléa Desjardins confirmed that on Jan. 31, “senior officials at Concordia were in touch with the office of Minister Beauchamp and answered their questions on the subject of Judith Woodsworth’s return to the university.” The minister’s office could not be reached for comment.
In the last year, while on unpaid leave, Woodsworth updated her book on the history of translation and travelled to Africa as a consultant to university bodies in Ghana and Kenya. She notified Concordia she was ready to return to teaching over the summer.
Woodsworth’s dismissal raised the ire of students, staff, alumni and the public when she was let go under mysterious circumstances a few days before Christmas in 2010.
Her severance package raised eyebrows about university funding, since Woodsworth had requested, with other university leaders, that the provincial government raise tuition fees. Tuition fee increases in Quebec will begin in fall 2012.“I realize that it doesn’t sit well when people think of their individual costs when tuition goes up,” said Woodsworth, who nevertheless added that it is “normal” to receive compensation when contracts are terminated, and that her predecessor, Claude Lajeunesse, left with a larger severance package in hand.
The dismissal of two presidents within a few years stirred up outrage, with media nationwide taking note. Last summer, three external investigators released the Shapiro report, the full cost of which came to about $78,000. The investigation condemned Concordia’s governance, saying the university needed to overcome a “culture of contempt.”
But is it okay for Woodsworth to be teaching students after being fired as president?
“The university obviously thinks it’s perfectly appropriate. Like all academic administrators, Dr. Woodsworth received an academic appointment when she was hired on as president,” said Desjardins, “so she just took up that opportunity after that relationship was terminated.”
The reaction on campus to the return of a former administrator has been minimal.
“The two jobs are not connected,” said Maria Peluso, president of the Part-time Faculty Association, who pointed out that academics frequently return to teaching positions after their time as administrators. “There’s nothing unusual about that.”
Lex Gill, president of the Concordia Student Union, agreed: “The reality is, being a university professor is different than being an administrator,” she said. “I just don’t understand why she would want to come back.”
Erik Chevrier, a representative of the Graduate Students’ Association on the Board of Governors, said Woodsworth’s departure raised questions about the school’s transparency.
“We tried to address this by putting in transparent measures in a series of proposals […] and all of them, last meeting, every single one of them, was shot down,” he said.
The suggested measures included filming board meetings and increasing seating space for the audience.
“That’s more of a concern for me — since her departure, since they let her go, they’re really not looking [at making governance more open],” said Chevrier.
A casual survey of students milling around the Webster Library downtown showed some students were unaware of who Woodsworth is. The ones who had heard about it were not concerned.
“If we don’t really know the whole story [about the dismissal], it’s not bad that she came back,” said history student Mara Stancana.
“It doesn’t affect my daily life at school. The goings-on of the administration doesn’t change anything for me,” said Mohamed Azab, an English student.
Woodsworth said she misses meeting a variety of people in her previous position, but that she won’t be seeking any administrative positions any time soon.
While Woodsworth has dropped hints in the past that she was forced out of her position, she indicated that she would not discuss the details of her dismissal because of a non-disclosure agreement.
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Look who decided to come back

Former Concordia president Judith Woodsworth is back at Concordia, but this time as a professor in the French department.

After a controversial departure in 2010 that saw her being sent off with a $700,000 severance package, Woodsworth has returned to her old job as translation teacher without any public announcement from the university.

Concordia spokeswoman Cléa Desjardins told The Gazette that there was no announcement because Woodsworth is still considered a faculty member, and is entitled to return to her academic position.

In an interview with The Concordian, Maria Peluso, president of the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association, said, “There is nothing abnormal about an administrator who continues to teach.” CUPFA had been quite vocal in expressing its discontent with the unanswered questions surrounding Woodsworth’s dismissal and with the severance package she subsequently received.

Woodsworth was shown the door by the BoG in December 2010, halfway through her mandate—a mandate she got after replacing Claude Lajeunesse, who left the position with a $1 million severance package two years into his five-year mandate. Her ousting was originally described in a Dec. 22, 2010 press release as a “resignation,” although rumours of her firing were confirmed several weeks later.

Woodsworth’s dismissal created a major controversy and raised serious concerns about university governance, as the administration refused to give any explanation for dismissing two university presidents in a row.

Her ousting was the main reason for the creation of the External Governance Review Committee, which released a report last June calling for sweeping changes to be made to all levels of Concordia’s governance structure.

Concordia Student Union president Lex Gill did not seem surprised by the news of Woodsworth’s return. “She’s certainly not an excellent administrator, but it’s a different job,” she said.

The Board of Governors’ presidential search committee is currently working on a shortlist of candidates for the president’s job after interim president Frederick Lowy’s term ends in August. Lowy, who served as Concordia’s rector between 1995 and 2005, was brought back to Concordia by the BoG following Woodsworth’s firing to fill the position on an interim basis.

With files from Marilla Steuter-Martin.

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