After Concordia president and vice chancellor Judith Woodsworth abruptly resigned her position Dec. 22, citing personal reasons, the university is now searching for a replacement.
According to Concordia University’s bylaws the new president will be picked by the Board of Governors, responsible for managing the day to day activities such as choosing deans, hiring staff and deciding on fees and charges from students.
Christine Mota, director of media relations at Concordia, explained the vacancy procedure: “An interim president will be named very soon and after that a search process will begin to hire a new president,” she said. The CBC reported Dec. 23 that university vice-president (external relations) Bram Freedman would be acting president “over the holiday season.”
“A new presidential process was initiated at Concordia during the search for Dr. Woodsworth,” said Mota.
A three-page document named Profile for the Ideal Candidate outlines the new guidelines for employing a president. The document requires that candidates have a PhD or the highest academic credential in their field. Some characteristics for a successful candidate include experience working with the board, being bilingual, fiscal management skills and sensitivity to issues surrounding student debt and employment, according to the document.
Mota said a new president could take between six months and a year to hire.
University bylaws state that a presidential nominating committee will review recommendations from members of the community at large and hand them over to the Board.
Similar to Concordia, the general bylaws of Carleton University state that the decision for picking a president is left to the Board of Governors.
Carleton scrambled to pick a new president after David Atkinson abruptly resigned in 2006. Shelley Melanson, current Ontario chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, was a student representative on Carleton’s presidential search committee at the time. “A candidate should have a strong academic background and be able recognize the authority of elected student representatives,” she said.
“Students have specific rights different from faculty members,” Melanson added. “ Presidents should have a collaborative attitude when making decisions. They should have knowledge of good corporate governance and have significant administrative experience. A candidate should be able to balance the differing priorities.”
According to the bylaws of both Concordia and Carleton, the president and vice-chancellor is in charge of carrying out the decisions of the Board and the senate, who decide on honorary degrees and awards to faculty.
“A president should invest in what is necessary and be concerned with what is in the best interests for the institution in the long run,” Melanson said.