We are the 27 department directors of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Concordia University, and we are alarmed by the announcement of the increase in tuition fees imposed by the CAQ government. This increase will compromise one of the fundamental missions of our universities: to promote Quebec internationally. This change in the funding structure is a direct threat to this role.
Uniting the humanities, social sciences and pure sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is the main one of the University. We aspire to offer diverse perspectives and provide spaces for common reflection. We are writing this letter together because we work together and value diversity. Our interactions make us vectors of creativity and innovation. We therefore ardently condemn the polarization caused by the increase in tuition fees proposed by the government, pitting students and universities against each other, thus suggesting that the success of one institution or person must come at the expense of another. The lifeblood of universities and learning must not be based on competition and division, but rather on collaboration.
The president of our university has already mentioned the factual errors made by the government in its proposal for a new funding structure. Rather, we want to clarify the role of universities in society and what we might achieve by viewing our institutions of higher education as places of possibility.
Concordia University was founded in 1974, in the wake of the Quiet Revolution. Resulting from the merger of Sir George Williams University and Loyola College, it received the name “Concordia” in reference to the motto of Montreal, Concordia (“salvation through harmony”), which evokes the idea of a unifying place. Service, community involvement and accessibility of education have always been an integral part of Concordia’s philosophy, which has always been anchored in society, born at a time when Quebec was eager to open up to the world , and having at heart the ethics of the Quiet Revolution.
The mission of universities is to learn together, exchange and establish connections locally and globally. International and out-of-province students come to Concordia because they have long had a deep desire to live in Quebec, to be in contact with the French language and culture. We are proud of the diversity of our classrooms — a mix of English, French and allophones from Quebec, out-of-province and international students, all present because they consider this diversity to be an opportunity to seize. We are also working to make our programs ever more accessible, particularly to French-speaking students. Rather than promoting anglicization, Concordia serves as a bridge for students to integrate into local culture, while being supported by the University and the rest of Quebec society.
We could easily establish a long list of examples of international students who have integrated into Quebec society. They built a life in Quebec; they live and work there, thus contributing to our society. At the School of Public and Community Affairs, students study Quebec history, politics and social movements in French and English. Students from outside the province and abroad remember their learning within the Quebec model. They will take this knowledge with them wherever they go.
It is through them that our unique perspective will have repercussions throughout the world. Graduates of the education department from several countries settle in Quebec; they work for local employers like Hydro-Québec, Desjardins or the SPVM. Concordia’s emphasis on experiential learning means that our students must be able to work and learn in French.
This unique ecosystem, which exists in one form or another in all Quebec universities, should be a great source of pride for everyone. French is an integral part of this ecosystem, a sign of the adoption of Quebec by the entire world as a place where people and ideas meet, all anchored in a cosmopolitanism open to the world. Montreal is the second university city in North America after Boston, providing a significant positive impact on Quebec’s industry and culture. This also makes Montreal a globally recognized intellectual hub, allowing us to produce research and train graduates ready to take on challenges and contribute to Quebec society.
All universities deserve better funding, because they all serve Quebec society. Universities such as Concordia are an integral part of the common future of all members of Quebec society; we are from here, and not from elsewhere; we are a bridge, a meeting place, a place where we can imagine and build our future together. We contribute significantly to the influence of Quebec language, culture, ideas and intellectual traditions throughout the world.
All this will be weakened if the cost of university studies in Quebec becomes prohibitive for students from outside the province and from abroad. All this will be weakened if we accept a logic of competition and division, rather than collaboration and exchange. Concordia builds links between Quebec and the whole world. We must work together to ensure the development and influence of our students and our ideas, here and abroad.
*Also co-signed this letter: Emilia Angelova, director of the Department of Philosophy; Marco Bertola, director of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Saul Carliner, director of the Department of Education; Jarrett Carty, director of the College of Humanistic Studies; Naftali Cohn, director of the Department of Religions and Cultures; Selvadurai Dayanandan, director of the Department of Biology; Emma Despland, director of the College of Sciences; André Gagné, director of the Department of Theological Studies; James Grant, Loyola College director of diversity and sustainability; Jorgen Hansen, director of the Department of Economics; Paul Joyce, director of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Marc Lafrance, director of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Kimberley Manning, director of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute; Elizabeth Miller, director of the Department of Communications; Françoise Naudillon, director of the Department of French Studies; Bradley Nelson, chair of the Department of Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics; Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, director of the School of Irish Studies; Rosemary Reilly, chair of the Department of Applied Human Sciences; Alison Rowley, head of the Department of History; Andrew Ryder, chair of the Department of Psychology; Daniel Salée, director of the Department of Political Science; Craig Townsend, director of the Department of Geography, Urban Planning and Environment; Stephen Yeager, chair of the Department of English; Valter Zazubovits, director of the Department of Physics.