Concordia University at 50

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Monika Gagnon and Brandon Webb about their book Concordia University at 50: A Collective History, which celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the merging of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University in Montreal in August 1974. Distinct from traditional institutional histories, this volume approaches Concordia University’s history from the ground up by sharing a plurality of voices from across the university over time. Fifty contributions from faculty, staff, students, and alumni, present stories of a vibrant community and its activities in a multilayered collection of professional and personal reflections, essays, and oral histories conducted with participants and observers of key events. Providing insights into the early political pressures that inspired Concordia’s formation and the growing pains of the merger among its four faculties, as well as the development of new programs such as dance, theological studies, and études françaises, this book is a testament to an urban university formed by its many constituents and by the multilingual city and the complex province that is its home. Enriched with copious and colourful archival documents, photographs, and public artworks that grace these urban campuses, Concordia University at 50 highlights the great range of activities, causes, innovations, and debates that emerge from educational institutions but extend well beyond the classroom. Monika Kin Gagnon is professor of communication studies at Concordia University. Brandon Webb is a PhD graduate of the Department of History at Concordia University.  If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.