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Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability (formerly known as Loyola International College until 2012) opened in 2002. It was founded by an inter-disciplinary group of professors drawn from science, social science and humanities departments in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. From the outset the College’s main purpose was to provide a coherent program of interdisciplinary courses on the Loyola campus on a central issue of our time, specifically the challenges and opportunities of diversity.

The Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture (CISSC) was established in 2007. It houses the Humanities Interdisciplinary PhD program (HUMA), which was inaugurated in 1973 at Sir George Williams University.

CISSC aims to bring Concordia's scholars, artists and students together to exchange ideas and develop interdisciplinary projects in the humanities, social sciences and fine arts.

The Oscar Peterson Concert Hall was built in 1990 as part of the revitalization of the Loyola campus. Since opening, the hall has hosted many internationally renowned artists, comedians and musicians, including Wynton Marsalis, Arlo Guthrie, Roger McGuinn, Kitty Wells, Stompin Tom Connors, Tommy Hunter, Richie Havens, Theo Bikell, Max Amini, Maz Jobrani, Orny Adams, Ranee Lee and Oliver Jones. The Oscar Peterson Concert Hall is also used for recordings.

Originally named the Concordia Concert Hall the venue was renamed for acclaimed Montreal pianist Oscar Peterson in 1999.

The Oscar Peterson Concert Hall was built in 1990 as part of the revitalization of the Loyola campus. Since opening, the hall has hosted many internationally renowned artists, comedians and musicians, including Wynton Marsalis, Arlo Guthrie, Roger McGuinn, Kitty Wells, Stompin Tom Connors, Tommy Hunter, Richie Havens, Theo Bikell, Max Amini, Maz Jobrani, Orny Adams, Ranee Lee and Oliver Jones. The Oscar Peterson Concert Hall is also used for recordings.

Originally named the Concordia Concert Hall the venue was renamed for acclaimed Montreal pianist Oscar Peterson in 1999.

Samuel Abraham Rochlin was born in Cape Town July 9, 1904 to Isaac Gershon Rochlin and Dora Rochlin (nee Daniller). His parents moved from Rostov on Don in South Russia to Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1896. They later moved to Cape Town where Samuel and his brothers Harry and Israel were born.

Rochlin, a historian, archivist, and researcher, witnessed the development of socialist and labour movements and the formation of the Communist Party of South Africa. Rochlin was a member of the Young Communist League in South Africa in the 1920s. Later he was involved in the Zionist movement, working for the Zionist Federation in Johannesburg and on the Zionist Record in the 1930s. He was also the first archivist of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), where he worked from 1947 to 1961. Rochlin is renowned for his research into South Africa’s Jewish settlers and was the chief research specialist of the South African Jewish Historical Society. Rochlin died November 14, 1961. In 1986 the SAJBD archives was renamed the S.A. Rochlin Archives in his honour.

Rose Sheinin (née Shuber) was born on May 18, 1930 in Toronto. She married Joseph Sheinin, a professional engineer, in 1951 and they had three children, David, Lisa and Rachel. She died in Toronto on March 20, 2009. She was educated at Harbord Collegiate Institute. She attended the University of Toronto, where she received an Honours BA in Science in 1951, an MA in Biochemistry in 1953 and a PhD in Biochemistry in 1956.

She was a respected scientist (teaching and research), feminist and university administrator. She taught at the University of Toronto for 25 years in the Departments of Microbiology, Medical Biophysics, and in Microbiology and Parasitology. She was the Chair of Microbiology and Parasitology 1975-1981 and became Vice-Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, 1984-1989. In 1989, she moved to Montreal when she was appointed Professor in the Department of Biology and Vice-Rector, Academic at Concordia University.

A distinguished teacher in physiology and biochemistry, she was also an internationally respected researcher, a specialist in cancer research and DNA replication. For more than 30 years the Medical Research Council of Canada and the national Cancer Institute of Canada funded her research. She had more than one hundred scholarly publications in refereed journals. In addition to her other research work, Rose Sheinin was interested in the history of women in medicine and Canadian women scientists and in the development of science policy in Canada in relation to women. In addition to her many research awards and prizes, Dr. Sheinin received honorary degrees from Mount Saint Vincent University in 1985 and Acadia University in 1987. She was also the recipient of the Government of Canada’s Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal in 1978 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1981.

During her tenure as Vice-Rector Academic at Concordia, Rose Sheinin played a major role in the establishment of comprehensive academic planning. She championed and oversaw the establishment of the School of Graduate Studies in June 1992, improved research infrastructure to provide better support for researchers and promoted the active participation and advancement of women and other minorities in all aspects of the Concordia community.

Her term was also marked with a period of serious financial compression as well as the trauma of the Fabrikant Affair in which four Concordia faculty members were murdered in August 1992 by engineering professor Valery Fabrikant.

Dr. Sheinin left her administrative position in June 1994 and continued teaching biology at Concordia until she retired in 2000. She eventually returned to Toronto, where she remained active in women’s equality issues and Yiddish culture.

The Black Studies Centre is a not-for-profit community organization and registered charity in Montreal, Quebec. The Black Studies Centre was founded by Dr. Clarence Bayne, Adrien Espinet and Leighton Hutson in January 1973.

The Centre has its origins in the Research Institute of the National Black Coalition of Canada which was founded by Dr. Clarence Bayne and operated from 1971 to 1974. At the time of its foundation, the mission of the Black Studies Centre was to protect the interests of Black people in Quebec, to help improve their economic status, and to create and foster organizational structures improving their position in society. In addition, the Centre works to improve communications within the Montreal Black community by promoting Black culture through its many cultural programs and by building up research centres promoting and facilitating the study of Black history. The Black Studies Centre continues to organize workshops, conferences, exhibitions, and other events, and partners with other community organizations and educational institutions in order to offer varied programming geared towards Black youth and other community organizations. Over the years, the Black Studies Centre has partnered with and housed other community organizations, including the Black Theater Workshop, the Black Community Council of Quebec, Women on the Rise, and the Quebec Board of Black Educators. It continues to work in collaboration with the Institute for Community Entrepreneurship and Development (ICED) and the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

The Black Studies Centre is governed by a board of directors. It is member of the Black Community Council of Quebec and has a seat on the Board of Directors at the Black Community Resource Centre. During the course of its operations, the Black Studies Centre has gathered extensive documentation on the histories, contributions, and experiences of Black communities in Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. It conducts “extensive research on the social, political and economic status of Black populations in Montreal and Canada; and [has] presented several briefs on the issues to all levels of Government and to the general public and commissions.” The Black Studies Centre receives funding from the Government of Canada and Government of Quebec.

Between 1972 and 2014 the Black Studies Centre was located at 1968 De Maisonneuve boulevard in Montreal. The building, which was belonging to the Black Studies Centre, was sold in 2014 and proceeds from the sale were used to set up the SC Charitable Activity Funding Program. Money from the trust is used to finance the new home at 3333 Cavendish boulevard, Montreal, where the centre is currently located.

William Buxton was a professor at the department of Communication studies. He first graduated from the University of Alberta in 1969, before completing his MA in Philosophy at Oxford University and a MSc in Politics at London University. Buxton then obtained his doctorate from the Die Freie Universitat Berlin in 1980 and his post-doctorate from Harvard University the following year. Buxton joined Concordia’s Communication Studies department in 1990 and was promoted to full professor on June 1, 1992. He became a Fellow of the School of Community and Public Affairs and Lonergan University College shortly after. Buxton retired from Concordia University in 2017. He’s the author of more than 50 books, articles and papers.

• While studying at the University of Alberta, Buxton Obtained the MacEachran Gold Medal in Psychology.
• Buxton organized the Harold Innis and Intellectual Practice for the New Century: Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies conference held at Concordia in October 1994.
• Buxton was scholar-in-residence at the Rockefeller Archive Centre, a division of Rockefeller University in the summer of 2004 to work on his research on the educational radio projects of the Rockefeller Foundation/General Education Board.
• In 2008, Buxton was awarded a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant for his work ‘Civilizing Canada, Enacting Space, Binding Time: The Possibilist Practice of Harold Adams Innis 1920-1952’.
• William Buxton was elected Secretary of the Rhodes Scholarship Committee for Quebec in 2008.

Frank Guadagni was an associate professor of mathematics, physics and engineering. He taught at Loyola College from 1942 to 1964. Guadagni graduated from McGill university in 1937 in metallurgical engineering with highest honours and was awarded the Governor-General’s medal. After five years working in the industry, Guadagni joined Loyola’s faculty in 1942 and contributed to the establishment of the Engineering faculty. Until 1959, he was the sole Engineering professor taught all the Chemistry classes from 1942 to 1953. Frank Guadagni passed away in 1964.

• In March of 1962, Guadagni attended the Canadian Conference on Education as a delegate from the National Conference of Universities and Colleges, along with the Legal Advisor (Slattery), the Rector and the Dean of that time.
• The Guadagni Lounge was given its name in honour of professor Guadagni shortly after his passing.

Mel Hoppenheim was the founder, President and CEO of the Cité du Cinéma Mel. Hoppenheim attended the evening courses at Sir George Williams University. In 1996, he headed the Cinema Advisory Board, a group that aimed to address the long-term issues the cinema department was facing at the time. During the launch of the Campaign for a New Millennium on October 29, 1997, Hoppenheim pledged $1 million on his and his wife’s behalf to create the School of Cinema. Following the gift, the Department of cinema was re-named the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in December 1997. The Faculty of Fine Arts awarded Hoppenheim an honorary doctorate at its Spring 2009 Convocation ceremony. He passed away on July 27, 2022.

• Panavision (now Panavision Canada), a company Hoppenheim founded in 1965 as a movie equipment rental service, won an Oscar in 1982, the first-ever award for technical achievement.
• Since 1985, the annual Year-End Screenings of the cinema department is awarding the Mel Hoppenheim Award to the outstanding performance in film production to a student.
• Hoppenheim was awarded an Award of Distinction from the Faculty of Fine Arts at their inaugural presentation ceremony, held on May 7, 2002.
• In 2005, Hoppenheim was the special guest of the first edition of the Art Matters festival. He lead a panel of discussion on the future of Quebec cinema. He was presented with an Achievement Award (Builders Category) at the same event.
• Mel Hoppenheim was presented the Motion Picture International Business Leader of the Year Award at the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles, in 2006.
• Hoppenheim was appointed Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.

Tom Gibson was an artist and an associate professor at the Studio Arts department of Concordia University. Born in Edinburgh, he spent the beginning of his adult life travelling before moving to Montreal in the mid-1970s. His first artistic practice was painting but by the mid-60s, he had already made photography his main media. Gibson started teaching photography at Concordia University in 1976. He created the first photography MFA program at the Faculty of Fine Arts - the first of this kind in Canada. In 1982, the Gallery II at the Sir George Williams Art Galleries presented the show ‘Tom Gibson: Selected Photographs 1965-1980’. In 1985, he was Director of Graduate Studio Arts at Concordia University. He sat on the Council of the Faculty of Fine Arts from 1985-1986 to 1988-1989. Gibson was a member of the Board of Graduate Studies in 1986-1987 as a representative of the Faculty of Fine Arts. In 1993, the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) organized a retrospective exhibition and catalogue of his work titled ‘Tom Gibson: False Evidence Appearing Real’ at the Saydie Bronfman Centre. Gibson retired from Concordia in 1996. In April 2006, the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery presented the show ‘Collection 2: Sur le vif’, featuring works by Tom Gibson and Sam Tata. The McClure Gallery in Montreal presented his last exhibition ‘Three Montreal Photographer’ in May 2021. Tom Gibson passed away on June 1, 2021. His works remain presented in many collections including those of the National Gallery of Canada, the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York, and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).

• Tom Gibson received his first Canada Council of Arts award in 1968 to photograph in Mexico.
• Gibson was also instrumental in the creation of the undergraduate program in photography, along with Gabor Szilasi, Katherine Tweedie and Tim Clark in 1982-1983.

The Canadian Corporate-Higher Education Forum (C-HEF) was established to bring the leadership of major Canadian private and public corporations into contact with the presidents, principals, and rectors of the country's universities. (C-HEF is a sister organization of the Business-Higher Education Forum of the USA.) Consultations with potential members began in 1981. The first Corporate-Higher Education Forum was held at Concordia University on May 20, 1983. The Forum was an initiative of Concordia University, which agreed to house its secretariat. In [199?] the secretariat moved to Calgary, Alberta.

The Forum aims to advance mutual understanding through an exchange of ideas; to develop policy statements on issues and questions of mutual interest and concern; to provide a vehicle for corporate and university leadership to reflect upon issues of national significance, and to support and sponsor cooperative activities. The Forum operates mainly through working groups called Task Forces composed of corporate and university leaders who administer surveys, conduct research, and produce reports and action plans in specific areas of mutual concern.

Pnina Cohen Gagnon was born in Haifa, Israël where she attended the Leo Beck School. She studied physiotherapy at Asaf Harofè Hospital near Tel-Aviv and art in Montreal, Canada at École des Beaux-arts de Montréal, where she graduated in 1966. Her first solo exhibition was in 1967 at Galerie Le Gobelet in Montreal. In 1972 Gagnon published her first artist book 'Jukim and various other insects' in conjunction with her solo exhibition at the Rothchild House in Haifa, Israel. The same year she participated in the group exhibition 'On the human body/Du corps humain' at the Sir George Williams Gallery. In 1973 she designed the stage for the play 'Trois prétendants, un mari' by Guillaume Oyono M’Bia at the Université de Montréal auditorium. Gagnon’s work has been collected by several Canadian and Israeli public institutions. As of 2022, she has produced over 30 solo exhibitions and participated in as many group exhibitions. Her mediums include painting, drawing, sculpture, video, installation, and writing on themes related to the natural world and natural phenomena.

• Pnina Gagnon was awarded the Shtrook Award in 1995
• Gagnon has been a member of the Royal Canadian Society since 2003

Susan Jeanne Briscoe (November 13, 1966 - August 30, 2018) was a Canadian writer, teacher,artist, researcher, and mother who lived and worked in Montreal and Sutton, Quebec. She graduated from Dawson College in 1989, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from McGill University in 1991. She completed her Master of Arts in English Literature and Creative Writing at Concordia University in 2005. Her thesis, ​Minor Arcana​, is a poetry collection that explores real events of violence and abandonment in the family, within a framework of tarot mysticism and contemplation of the natural world. Her first book of poetry, The Crow’s Vow ​(2010)​,​ chronicles the dissolution of a marriage through observances of nature and seasonal shifts. This work was met with considerable critical acclaim and attention, including interviews and a shortlisting for the Gerald Lampert Award. Susan’s other poetry and prose have appeared in ​Maisonneuve, Event, The Antigonish Review, Matrix, ​and ​Contemporary Verse 2. ​She was the recipient of the Lina Chartrand Award in 2001, a national prize for an emerging woman poet, and was shortlisted for the CBC Literary Awards in 2005. Her work is anthologized in ​Desperately Seeking Susans ​(2012) and a collection released by the Sutton Writer’s Group, ​Sprung ​(2005). She lived in Vancouver, British Columbia from 1991-1993 where she worked at Powell Place - a women’s emergency shelter, and volunteered as a Rape Crisis telephone worker with the Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW) Crisis Centre. Her two sons were born in Montreal in 1993 and 1997. From 1995-1998 she ran a mail-order alternative childrens’ book distribution service called Green House Books out of her home in Montreal. In 1999, she moved with her sons to Sutton, Quebec and began homeschooling. Susan was an active member of the community in Sutton; writing and editing for Le Tour, ​hosting creative writing workshops in her home, acting as an organizer for Tour des Arts, and giving poetry readings at local events. In 2010, she was granted a two week residency at the Banff Centre Wired Writing Studio to develop her work under the mentorship of Pasha Malla. Susan’s artistry was expressed in many mediums including painting, drawing ,photography, and sculpture. She completed a Certificate of Fine Arts Studio at Bishop’s University in 2007. Much of Susan’s work centers around experiences from her own life - her personal and family history, divorce, parenting, abandonment, and her youngest son’s addiction and subsequent career as a circus performer. Her commitment to feminism, environmentalism, and alternative pedagogy are passions which are displayed in her writing, her teaching approaches and her research contributions. She was an advocate for the welfare of women and children, with an emphasis on vegetarianism, breastfeeding, and holistic approaches to education and birth. Her various freelance articles and book reviews appear in publications such as ​Today’s Parent, The Record, Vegetarian Times, The Danforth Review, Books in Canada - The Canadian Review of Books, Matrix, and Kinesis. ​She was also dedicated to supporting and protecting the rights of marginalized groups - specifically the homeless, battered women and Indigenous youth. At Dawson College, where she taught from 2010-2018, Susan was involved in researching, leading, fundraising, and organizing within the First Peoples Initiative program and establishing the ​Journeys ​award.​​Diagnosed with cancer in 2017, she documented her experience and insights on her blog - ​The Death Project, ​which was created to serve as an ongoing resource for living while dying​. ​Upon her passing in 2018, she dedicated funds to the Canada Council for the Arts to establish an award for women writers who are over forty years of age and whose work supports and deals with feminist perspectives, themes, and philosophy.

Pierre Monat, born in 1947, is a retired graphic designer and artistic director based in Montreal. Politically engaged, Monat was involved in the 1968 occupation of the École des beaux-arts in Montreal, where he was a student. While he attended the École des beaux-arts, he was not formally trained as in graphic design. He describes his work in this area as “counterintuitive design.”

Monat was involved with the Jazz libre du Québec during the 1970s, creating posters and other materials for the group. He also had a studio, Atelier Pathographique, on the top floor of l’Amorce, an experimental venue that served as the headquarters for the Jazz Libre du Québec in the early 1970s. Around that time, Monat met Robert Forget, one of the founders of Vidéographe, while working at the National Film Board (NFB). (Forget and Monat were both working on Médium Média, a magazine published at the NFB.) It was then that he discovered video. At Vidéographe, Monat produced two experimental documentaries: Vive les animaux (1973) and Y'a du dehors dedans (1973). Y’a du dehors dedans is an experimental documentary, produced using a Portapak, about the Jazz libre du Québec. Vive les animaux shows a meeting between Edgar Morin and a number of Quebec intellectuals.

Monat also worked as a graphic designer for a number of publications, including Quartier latin, the student newspaper published at the Université de Montréal; Québec underground; Sexus; Allez chier; Le nouvel obsédé; La claque; Inter; Propos d’art; and Médium Média; among others. Monat is an honorary member of Vidéographe.

Succeeding David P. O’Brien, Loyola College graduate L. Jacques Ménard was named Chancellor in December 2010. His installation took place at the June 20, 2011 Spring Convocation Ceremony. A Chicoutimi native and former President of BMO Financial Group, Ménard sat on the Board of Governors as of 1994 and served as Vice-Chair from 1996 to 1999. He was named Deputy Chancellor in 2009 and stepped down as Chancellor after the completion of his term in December 2014.

• L. Jacques Ménard was named Commander and a Great Montrealer to the Order of Montreal in 2016.
• Ménard received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in November 2012.
• Ménard was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada in November 2013. In 1995 he was named Member and was promoted to the rank of Officer in 2000.
• In 2010 Ménard was named an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec.
• At a 2007 announcement of BMO’s $2.5 million gift to Concordia, Ménard was introduced to Gabriel Bran Lopez (Concordia graduate and creator of the Youth Fusion Project), which inspired Ménard to later become Chair of the Project.
• On June 13, 2006 Ménard received an honorary doctorate at the John Molson School of Business Spring Convocation ceremony.
• At the October 1 Rector’s Dinner during 1999 Homecoming, Ménard received the Loyola Medal from the Loyola Alumni Association Inc. from then Rector Frederick Lowy.
• Ménard generously hosted in his firm’s offices the March 10-11, 1996 Concordia Phone-a-thon fundraiser.
• Ménard was Chair of the Campaign Leadership Gifts Division of Concordia’s Campaign for a New Millennium from 1996-1999.
• From 1993-1994 Ménard chaired the Alumni Division of the Annual Giving Campaign. The following year he accepted the position of General Chair of the Campaign.
• At the 6th Annual Faculty of Commerce and Administration Awards of Distinction Reception on November 12, 1993, Ménard was honoured for 23 years of professional accomplishments and community service.
• Ménard was president of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce in 1990.
• Ménard obtained an honours degree in Economics from Loyola College in 1967.

The Black Theater Workshop (BTW), also known as the “Theatre B.T.W.," is an English-speaking theatre company located in Montreal, Quebec that “is committed to reflecting Black culture and community by developing and providing visibility for Black Canadian artists.”

Incorporated in 1972 as a non-profit organization, the BTW is the oldest Black theater company in Canada. Beginning in 1965 as the Trinidad & Tobago Association (TTA) Drama group with the goal of becoming a theatre for the whole Montreal community, the TTA drama group became the Black Theatre Workshop in 1971 with the presentation of How Now Black Man, written by Lorris Elliott and directed by Jeff Henry. To respect the rules of French language use in Quebec, the Workshop officially changed its name to “Theatre B.T.W.” in January 1984.

The mission of the BTW “is to encourage and promote the development of a Black and Canadian Theater, rooted in a literature that reflects the creative will of Black Canadian writers and artists, and the creative collaborations between Black and other artists.” The Black Theater Workshop primarily stages the work of Black Canadian playwrights and selects plays that deal with themes relevant to Black communities in Canada. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the Black Theater Workshop annually runs school tours as part of its regular season.

One of the 35 founding members of the BTW is Clarence Bayne, who also served as both president and artistic director during the first years of the theatre. Since 1991, he has been Vice-President of the organization’s Board of Directors. As Artistic Director, Clarence Bayne was followed by Errol Sitahal (1970s), Terry Donald (1970s), Dwight Bacquie (1983-1984), Lorena Gale (1984-1985), Don Jordan (1985-1988), Winston Sutton (1988-1994), Fleurette Fernando (1994-1996), Nancy Delva (1997-1999), Kate Bligh (1999-2001), Rachael Van Fossen (2001-2005), and Tyrone Benskin (2005-2011). Since 2011, Quincy Armorer has been Artistic Director at the BTW. The BTW is governed by a board of Directors, which is presently formed by Jacklin Webb (president), Dr. Clarence Bayne (vice-president), Dr. Horace Goddard (secretary), Phylicia Burke (treasurer), Yvonne Greer (member), and Allison DaCosta.

The BTW is the recipient of numerous awards, including various Montreal English Theatre Awards (META) and several Montreal’s English Critics Circle Awards (MECCA).

From 1976 to 1985, the BTW used Montreal’s Centaur Theatre performing space. In 1984, BTW opened its first administrative office, and started performing in a space rented from L’Atelier Contenu. In the 1990s, offices were located at 1827 Ste Catherine West. Since 2003, the workshop is using the spaces of the Montréal Arts Interculturels (MAI) Centre, located at 3680 rue Jeanne-Mance.

The first YMCA-the Young Men's Christian Association-was founded in London, England in 1844 by George Williams, age 23. It was a religious (Evangelical Protestant) movement for young men who had left their families and migrated from outlying areas to jobs in London. Its goal was their character development. It provided fellowship and opportunities for constructive use of leisure time.

At the world's fair that took place in London in 1851, YMCA pamphlets were distributed to visitors from all over the world, including a number of Montrealers who judged that it would fulfill a need in their city.

An inaugural meeting of the Montreal YMCA took place at St. Helen Street Baptist Church in November 1851. The Montreal YMCA can claim to be the first in North America, although YMCAs started up in Boston, New York, Toronto, and other North American cities about the same time.

The North American YMCAs formed a confederation in 1854. The World Alliance of YMCAs was formed in 1855.

In 1853, the Montreal YMCA hired its first paid employee, Samuel Massey. He worked as a missionary to young men in Montreal. As an adjunct to its religious mission, in the 1850s the Montreal YMCA created a social centre in rented quarters where young men could gather. It included a library and reading room. The Y began offering lectures, an employment service, and charitable relief to the indigent.

The first Montreal YMCA building was erected in 1873 on Victoria Square.

That year, the first evening educational courses were held, in French and shorthand. Services were added for younger boys and immigrants. Sports were added in the late 1880s. War work-services to military personnel-was first undertaken during the Boer War. Foreign service-outreach to other countries-became important early in the twentieth century.

Expansion was rapid, and in 1892 the Montreal YMCA created new quarters on Dominion Square, where the Sun Life building now stands. In the Dominion Square Y building there were meeting rooms, a reading room and a library, club and class rooms, an auditorium, a gymnasium, locker and shower rooms, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, and a dining room.

In 1894, a boys' summer camp was opened in the Laurentians north of Montreal. Outdoor programs have been part of the Association's programming ever since.

In 1912, the Central/Downtown Branch of the Montreal Association moved to new quarters on Drummond Street. That year, the Association opened the Westmount Branch and the North Branch (now YMCA du Parc). Other branches and various satellite units have existed at various times throughout the Metropolitan Montreal region.

In 1931 the Downtown Branch was remodeled and a 500-room residential annex was added to provide low-cost accommodation and meals for men. The residence would later serve as accommodation for refugees. (In 2001 as part of a major renovation of the YMCA Centre-ville, the downtown residence was demolished. The Y opened refugee accommodation in the former Reddy Memorial Hospital on Tupper Street.)

The Montreal YMCA has offered many programs, including physical and aquatics programs and social programs. The educational programs grew to become one of Concordia University founding institutions, Sir George Williams College/University. In the 1970s a shift in government policy in Quebec meant increased emphasis on community recreational programs, and the YMCA provided input and management services for these programs. Community development programs, including immigrant, crime prevention, and offender rehabilitation programs, were added.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Metropolitan Montreal Association included the YMCA Centre-ville, the du Parc YMCA, the Guy-Favreau YMCA, the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve YMCA, the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce YMCA, the Pointe Saint-Charles YMCA, the Saint-Laurent YMCA, the West Island YMCA, the Westmount YMCA, Kamp Kanawana, the YMCA residence for refugee claimants, and the YMCA International Language school and the YMCA Foundation and Metropolitan services offices which were located in the same building as the YMCA Centre-ville.

Russell Whitton Breen was born April 20, 1925 and died June 26, 2005 in Montreal. He attended Loyola High School and graduated with a B. A. in Arts from Loyola College in Montreal in 1946, where he was interested in skiing, boxing, and hockey. He went on to study theology at the Université de Montréal and the Grand Seminary. He was ordained into the priesthood by Paul-Émile Léger on June 3, 1950. He was a chaplain at McGill University for 14 years (1951-1965), and was involved in Newman Clubs. He got a Master’s degree in Philosophy of Education at Fordham University in New York (1958) and he spent four years in France, completing a Doctorate in Religious Sciences at the Université de Strasbourg. In 1968 he returned to Loyola to teach. In 1970 he became Loyola Dean of Arts, and in 1973 Dean of Arts and Science. He was involved in the merger negotiations with Sir George Williams University as a strong advocate for Loyola College. After the merger and the creation of Concordia University, he became Loyola Dean of Arts and Science, and from 1977 to 1985 he was Concordia’s Vice-Rector Academic, Arts and Science. Dr. Breen retired from Concordia University in April 1985. He was appointed Monsignor by the pope in 1981 and in 1986 he became Pastor of downtown Montreal’s St. Patrick’s Basilica, where he undertook a major renovation and revitalization of the church.

Victor Teboul, écrivain, journaliste et enseignant, est né le 9 mai 1945 à Alexandrie, en Égypte. En 1956, avec ses parents et sa sœur Flora, il quitte ce pays pour la France à la suite de la guerre de Suez lorsque de nombreuses familles juives sont expulsées d’Égypte. Sa famille,
comme quelques centaines de réfugiés juifs, est hébergée au couvent de Notre-Dame-de-l'Osier dans l'Isère, avant de gagner la région parisienne où Victor Teboul fréquente de 1958 à 1962 l’école privée The English School of Paris située à Andrésy en Seine-et-Oise. Il poursuit ensuite à Paris ses études à l’École supérieure de journalisme (1962-1963).

La famille Teboul immigre au Québec en 1963. Victor s’inscrit à l’école de journalisme, Studio 5316, à Montréal. En 1965, il poursuit ses études d’abord au Sir George Williams High School, puis en 1966 à l’Université Sir George Williams (aujourd'hui Université Concordia) où il obtient un B.A. en 1969. Il s’inscrit la même année à l’Université McGill où il obtient en 1971 un diplôme de maîtrise en lettres françaises et québécoises et où il est chargé de cours de 1971 à 1973. Il est ensuite professeur invité au Collège universitaire de Hearst, affilié à l'Université Laurentienne, aux sessions d'été de 1974, 1975 et 1976 ; il y enseigne la littérature québécoise et les communications. Durant les 30 années suivantes, soit de 1977 à 2007, il enseigne la littérature au Cégep Lionel-Groulx de Sainte-Thérèse. Tout en menant sa carrière d’enseignant, il poursuit sa spécialisation en littérature québécoise à l’Université de Montréal où il complète en 1982 une thèse de doctorat sur l’hebdomadaire libéral Le Jour, fondé en 1937 par Jean-Charles Harvey. Il est également chargé de cours en histoire à l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) entre 1989 et 1997.

À la fin des années 1960 et au début des années 1970, Victor Teboul est journaliste-pigiste auprès du Nouveau Samedi, de La Patrie et de la revue L'Actualité. Il collabore aussi au magazine Perspectives et au mensuel Nouveau Monde, premier magazine juif de langue française publié au Québec, dont il devient le rédacteur en chef en 1972. Il écrit également de nombreux articles dans le journal Le Devoir et également dans le quotidien anglophone The Gazette, dans lequel il signe une chronique sur l'éducation à la fin des années 1980.

Comme écrivain, Victor Teboul publie en 1977 Mythe et images du Juif au Québec (Éditions Lagrave), un essai qui provoqua un débat public puisqu’il remettait en question la représentation des Juifs et d'Israël dans la littérature québécoise et les médias. En 1984, il publie sa thèse de doctorat sous le titre : Le Jour : Émergence du libéralisme moderne au Québec (HMH Hurtubise). Plus tard, en 1999, il publie son premier roman Que Dieu vous garde de l'homme silencieux quand il se met soudain à parler (Les Intouchables), où est décrite l’intégration d’un jeune Juif sépharade dans la société québécoise. Suivront par la suite d’autres romans et essais tels que La lente découverte de l’étrangeté (Les Intouchables, 2002), et Les Juifs du Québec : in Canada we trust : réflexion sur l’identité québécoise (L’ABC de l’édition, 2016). De 1981 à 1986, Victor Teboul dirige la revue Jonathan, publication mensuelle qu'il a fondée au sein du Comité Canada-Israël, organisme dont il est le directeur régional. Cette revue visait à faire connaître le pluralisme de la communauté juive et de la société israélienne. Dans le cadre de ses fonctions de conseiller en communications au ministère des Communautés culturelles et de l’Immigration du Québec, poste qu’il occupe de 1989 à 1991, il réalise la publication «Une femme, un vote» parue à l’occasion du 50e anniversaire de l’obtention du droit de vote par les femmes québécoises.

En 1979 et 1980, Victor Teboul participe activement à la conception et réalisation d’une série d’émissions sur la communauté juive intitulée « En tant que Juifs » diffusées dans le cadre du programme « Planète » de Radio-Québec dont il est l’animateur et le recherchiste. En décembre 1981, il réalise une entrevue diffusée en mai 1982 à la radio de Radio-Canada, avec René Lévesque, alors premier ministre du Québec, portant sur les rapports entre Juifs et Québécois. L’entrevue fait partie d’une série de 14 émissions sur la Communauté juive du Québec, dont Victor Teboul est l’auteur, qui a été diffusée sur la chaîne culturelle de la radio de Radio-Canada en 1982. L’intégralité de l’entrevue avec René Lévesque est publiée en 2001 dans René Lévesque et la communauté juive (Les Intouchables). Victor Teboul est également l'auteur d’autres séries radiophoniques diffusées sur la chaîne culturelle de Radio-Canada, notamment d’une série sur le 40e anniversaire de l’État d’Israël, diffusée en 1988, et d’une autre sur la diversité intitulée «Le Québec au Pluriel» diffusée en 1989. Il est enfin l’auteur d’une série de 8 émissions radiophoniques sur le libéralisme au Québec, diffusée à la radio de Radio-Canada en 1988, inspiré de son ouvrage Le Jour : Émergence du libéralisme moderne au Québec.

De 1983 à 1987, il est membre du Conseil supérieur de l’éducation et de 1987 à 1989 du Conseil de presse. En 2005 et 2008, il est membre du jury des Prix littéraires du Gouverneur général du Canada pour la catégorie Essai ainsi que du Jury du Conseil des arts pour l'attribution des bourses d'écrivains dans la même catégorie.

Victor Teboul est le directeur du webzine Tolerance.ca qu’il a fondé en 2002 pour promouvoir un discours critique sur la tolérance et de diversité.

Florence Yaffe was born in Montreal on June 5, 1937 and died on June 25, 2016 in Toronto. She graduated from Baron Byng High School in 1954. She then attended Sir George Williams University from 1958 to 1961 earning a B.A. in Political Science. As a student, she was involved in myriad clubs and societies as well as with The Georgian newspaper. She was namely an active member of the Sir George Williams Liberal Club which helped bring notable guests to the university, including Lester B. Pearson, then leader of the opposition, in 1958.
Yaffe then pursued a career that included work on Parliament Hill and with the CBC, and remained a lifelong volunteer with the Liberal Party of Canada.
In November 1992, Florence Yaffe received the Distinguished Service Award from the Concordia University Alumni Association for her outstanding service to the alumni association and the university. She was active in Concordia’s Campaign for the New Millenium, both as a donor and organizer.
In 2008, she became a founding member of the Concordia Heritage Society, a circle of donors who commit a planned gift to the university.

Logos was an underground magazine covering arts, culture and politics that was published in Montreal between 1967 and 1972. Paul Kirby was the founding editor of Logos. The cover art of the early issues was by John Wagner. Other early contributors included Adriana Kelder, Robert Kelder, Alan Shapiro, and Chandra Prakash.

Mary Soderstrom, born 1942 in Walla Walla Washington, is a novelist, short story and nonfiction writer. She has been involved in a number of literary organizations since she began her writing career in the 1970s. Soderstrom was a founding member of the Quebec Writers’ Federation; she sat on the National council of the Writers’ Union of Canada; and served on the Quebec program Writers in Schools where she was a liaison with the Conseil des arts et lettres du Quebec. She was also one of the founders of Write pour écrire, a bilingual literary show that was held in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Write pour écrire is seen as a precursor to the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival.

Soderstrom has been involved in provincial politics for more than 30 years, primarily the NDP and Québec Solidaire. She was the President of the Outremont NDP riding association during Thomas Mulcaire’s tenure as party leader.

Soderstrom has been nominated for numerous prestigious awards. She was shortlisted twice for the QSPELL Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction (finding the Enemy (1997) and Endangered Species (1995)) and was a finalist for the Books in Canada First Novel Award (1977). Green City: People, Nature and Urban Places (2007) was one of the Globe and Mail’s 100 best books of 2007.

Soderstrom has written a number of fiction and non-fiction books. Non-fiction publications include Concrete: From Ancient Origins to a Problematic Future (2020); Frenemy Nations: Love and Hate Between Neighbo(u)ring States (2019); Road Through Time: The Story of Humanity on the Move (2017); Making Waves: The Continuing Portuguese Adventure (2010); The Walkable City: From Haussmann’s Boulevards to Jane Jacobs’ Streets and Beyond (2008); Green City: People, Nature and Urban Places (2006); and Recreating Eden: A Natural History of Botanical Gardens (2001). Fiction publications include River Music (2015), Desire Lines: Stories of Love and Geography (2013), The Violets of Usambara (2008), After Surfing Ocean Beach (2004), The Truth Is (2000), The Words on the Wall; Robert Nelson and the Rebellion of 1838 (1998), Finding the Enemy (1997), Endangered Species (1995), and The Descent of Andrew McPherson (1976). Soderstrom also wrote the children’s book Maybe Tomorrow I'll Have a Good Time (1981). The Descent of Andrew McPherson was shortlisted for the Books in Canada First Novel Award.

Jeanne Sauvé’s nomination as Chancellor was announced by the Board of Governors in June 1992. Her installation as Chancellor was delayed when she fell ill and she assumed her responsibilities on October 1st, 1992 for a five-year appointment. However, Sauvé passed away on January 26, 1993, before she could don the chain of office. Sauvé was former Governor-General of Canada (the first woman in the role), a seasoned journalist and accomplished politician.

• Jeanne Sauvé was the first woman appointed Chancellor of Concordia University.
• At the end of her mandate as Governor-General, Sauvé established the Jeanne Sauvé Youth Foundation to create a permanent international Canadian youth forum.
• On April 13, 1973 Jeanne Sauvé delivered a conference on science and research policy in Canada at Sir George Williams University at the invitation of the Science and Human Affairs Program and the Associated Student Society.
• In February 1993, memorials were placed on each Concordia campus in Jean Sauvé’s honour: in the Loyola Campus Administration Building and in the SGW Campus J. W. McConnell Building. The internal community was invited to sign a book of condolences which was presented to the Sauvé family.

On December 19 2005, Chairman of the Board of Governors Peter Kruyt and University President Claude Lajeunesse announced that David P. O’Brien, a Loyola College graduate, had been named Chancellor for a three-year term, effective January 1, 2006. O’Brien was installed as Concordia’s sixth Chancellor at the June 12, 2006 Spring Convocation. He was then Chairman of both the Royal Bank of Canada and EnCana Corporation. O’Brien was honoured as outgoing Chancellor at the Fall 2010 Convocation ceremonies.

• In 2008, O’Brien made a gift of $2 million towards sustainability. His donation assisted in establishing the David O’Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise (DOCSE) and the David O’Brien Distinguished Professorship. DOCSE was inaugurated on November 16, 2009 by the Chancellor himself.
• In 2009, O’Brien was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada for his contribution as a respected corporate leader and his generous support of post-secondary education in Canada.
• O’Brien was appointed to Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year Advisory Board in 2009.