How can the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), a French-speaking institution with a reputation for being committed, help restore the Latin Quarter to its former glory? The issue, highly publicized, raises concerns and was propelled into the race for the rectorship of the establishment, which has, since its founding in 1969, a storefront in the neighborhood.
“What seems to me the most mobilizing in this race is to set up a strong project, a crossroads of knowledge”, launches François Audet. The tenured professor in the Department of Management at the School of Management Sciences (ESG), who has worked for several years in humanitarian action, has made this a central issue.
Students from UQAM, but also those from Cégep du Vieux Montréal, as well as many workers and passers-by, deserted the neighborhood during the pandemic. Its plot has been disrupted and dynamics, already present, have been exacerbated: businesses, sometimes iconic, have closed their doors, and homelessness and drug sellers are more visible.
With this “crossroads of knowledge”, the aspirant to be rector aims for UQAM to be a stakeholder in the revitalization of the sector, without limiting itself to an observation role. But he is not thinking here of infrastructure projects.
“We could, for example, mobilize the School of Social Work so that all of our experts can support the homeless population,” he says. The School of Design or the Heritage Institute could also help rethink these spaces and work with other players, such as the City of Montreal or the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership. He also dreams of laboratories and “active social intervention clinics”, as well as permanent and free colloquium spaces that would serve to popularize fundamental research.
Over the years, we have lost this anchor in the community and the Francophonie.
After the failure last fall to appoint a successor to Rector Magda Fusaro, the process was relaunched in January. Three applications were accepted by the selection committee. The consultation with professors, lecturers, students and executives began on Thursday, and a decision will be communicated on March 31.
Stéphane Pallage, who was dean of ESG from 2013 to 2017 and rector of the University of Luxembourg until last year, is on his second attempt. His candidacy was rejected by the selection committee last fall, without being told why. “I am, in a way, ready to go,” he says.
He too believes that the establishment must “act as a motor for the revitalization of the Latin Quarter”. “We feel that it is a little tarnished,” he said. We have to help him rediscover the aura he had in Montreal and internationally. »
In particular, he proposes the establishment of a committee of experts who would make recommendations to the City of Montreal. He also wants to draw on the expertise of neighboring UQAM, the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique. “Political decisions are often made without the expertise of scientists and researchers,” he laments.
Worrying drop in staff
Observers see in the loss of vitality of the Latin Quarter the decline of French-speaking Montreal. The drop in staff, which has been constant for several years, also raises concerns and has an impact on finances.
“We are recreating the francophone and anglophone imbalance,” says Lisa Baillargeon, full professor of accounting sciences and the only woman in the race. I feel like I’m reliving history. And UQAM must not wait “to be challenged at the table”. “You have to be the leader “, she underlines.
“We could think about a global cross-faculty center for research and intervention on homelessness, mental health and social uprooting,” she says. We could have a research institute for cultural and artistic development. Or a lab that showcases the innovative advances of our science faculty. »
She also wants UQAM to be a central player in “bringing French back”. “Another idea to explore would be the creation of a Quebec center for francization. So to be a hub for francization, the promotion of the Francophone language and heritage,” she underlines. She also claims special status for UQAM in order to obtain additional funding.
For his part, François Audet considers “crucial” the challenge imposed by the drop in registrations. “Over the years, we have lost this anchor in the community and the Francophonie. We must be recognized in all CEGEPs and secondary schools in Quebec. In the same breath, he proposes the creation of a vice-rectorate for international relations, which would ensure better anchoring in the international Francophonie.
The decline in enrollment is mainly reflected on the side of Quebec and undergraduate students, notes Stéphane Pallage. “We need to convince Quebec students that UQAM is a destination of choice and excellence, in an interesting and vibrant neighborhood,” he says. It is through a “great campaign of love” for the institution that he intends to tackle the problem.