The Centre for Building Studies (CBS) was established in January 1977 to serve the building industry through teaching, research, and development program. Then located at the corner of Guy and Ste-Catherine, it was officially opened by the Quebec Minister of Education Jacques-Yvan Morin on February 17, 1978. Dr. Paul Fazio, who created the CBS, was its director until 1997. In May 1997, the CBS and the Department of Civil Engineering were united in one academic and administrative unit called School of Building which was renamed the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering in November 1998. The Centre for Building Studies remains an active research centre within the Department.
Established in September 1987 and located on MacKay Street, the Concordia Women’s Centre offered a centralized resource and referral service to all members of the Concordia community and a drop-in centre for women students, faculty and staff. It also offered programmes, workshops, films and discussion groups. The Centre was first initiated by the Concordia University Students Association (CUSA). From 1993 until 1999 it was run under the direction of the Concordia Advocacy and Support Services. In May of 1999, Advocacy and Support Services announced its intention to cease funding to the Women’s Centre. It was closed for a period of four months, at which point a referendum was held by the Concordia Student Union (CSU) at the end of October 1999 to determine, among other things, the fate of the centre. A majority of the voting students voted in favour of paying a per-credit fee to support the Concordia Women’s Centre and its reopening under CSU. It changed its name to the Dragonroot Centre for Gender Advocacy in 2002.
Florence Steinberg entered Sir George Williams University in 1949 and graduated in 1953 (BSc). Within a year she married with a SGWU graduate, Shulom Friedman (BA Nov. 1952, BSc 1953), in June 1954 at Hillel House. Friedman became later Dr. Friedman, ophthalmologist.
Professor Muriel Armstrong, after pursuing undergraduate degrees in Arts (1943) and in Education (1947) from the University of Alberta, obtained an M. Sc. degree in Economics from McGill University in 1954. Professor Muriel Armstrong joined Sir George Williams University in 1957 as a part-time lecturer in Economics. She was then hired full-time as an Assistant Professor in 1961. She became Associate Professor and then Professor in 1965 and 1969 respectively. At the beginning of 1969, she was part of an ad hoc discussion group of students and faculty on the events that were happening at Sir George Williams University which led to the Computer Centre Incident. Along with their discussions, the group published five issues of a small newspaper called “Statement”. Apart from teaching, Professor Armstrong was also active in numerous administrative capacities, such as Chair of the Department of Economics several times and Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts, from 1972 to 1976. Professor Armstrong’s academic research focus was the Canadian economy, she published a book in 1970 entitled “The Canadian Economy and its Problems” (Toronto: Prentice Hall) which was re-edited various times. Professor Armstrong retired from Concordia University in 1991.
Mari-Lin Smith Miller, born Mari-Lin Lorrayne Smith, attended Sir George Williams University in the 1950s and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in November 1964. She died on April 30, 2010, in Montreal.
Harry M. (Harry) Hyland was born January 2, 1889 in Montreal (Griffintown) and died August 8, 1969. Harry Hyland was a professional forward hockey player who was a long-time supporter of athletic teams at Loyola College. He was credited with the birth of the college’s long tradition in hockey for he coached early Loyola teams between 1912 and 1916. Two of his teams won the Canadian Junior Championship during this period. Harry was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962 and to the Loyola Sports Hall of Fame on May 21, 1969.