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Two unique Concordia initiatives honoured with Quality and Productivity Awards

Concordia's team who implemented the award-winning Faculty Resource Information System (FRIS). From left, Qiong Huang, Ali Jannatpour, Tuan Mai, Bradley Tucker, Andie Zeliger, Ghada Al-Araj, Serge Bergeron, Tai-Thien Luong and Yu Ding. Missing: Alex Aragona.

The Quality and Productivity Awards recognize innovative, efficient and interesting new business practices develop every day at academic institutions across Canada; creative ventures by students, faculty members and administrative staff that positively impact the way in which universities communicate internally and with the communities around them.

On June 17, the 2012 Quality and Productivity Awards were awarded by the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO), as part of CAUBO?s 2012 conference, hosted this year by Concordia University.

Two notable and groundbreaking Concordia projects were recognized at the awards ceremony for their innovative, resourceful and cost-reductive qualities.

Concordia?s Faculty Resource Information System (FRIS), a tool that has enabled the streamlining of course load assignment and faculty payroll at the university since February 2011, was awarded the 2012 Quality and Productivity Award in the Quebec region.

?The FRIS has revolutionized workload assignment and the hiring process for full-time and part-time faculty members at Concordia,? says Serge Bergeron, associate vice-president, Academic Operations.

A fruit-tree workshop as part of the City Farm initiative on the Loyola Campus. | Photo courtesy of the Concordia City Farm

Not only does the FRIS effectively coordinate faculty course assignments, research hours, payroll schedules and contracts, it does so in a manner that is clear and easily accessible to all academic units and Faculties.

?We are the first Canadian university to centralize and automate this process,? Bergeron continues. ?We now have a much better understanding of how we?re spending our resources.?

Honourable mention to Loyola City Farm
CAUBO 2012 also gave an honourable mention to Sustainable Concordia?s Loyola City Farm and edible landscaping initiatives.

These student-run, urban gardening projects are highly integrative, involving Concordia students, staff, faculty and members of the larger Montreal community. The dissemination of free seeds to a network of Montreal gardeners and the donation of a large quantity of freshly grown vegetables to the Notre-Dame-de-Gr?ce Food Depot are two ways in which the project has engaged a myriad of collaborators.

?We hope to teach people the skills to do small-scale farming themselves,? explains Jackie Martin, Concordia?s Loyola City Farm co-coordinator.

?Our aim this year will be to sell enough food to finance the program ourselves ? to use the plots of land on both campuses to generate funds that will keep the project self-sufficient.?

Conference boasts record attendance
The 2012 Quality and Productivity Awards, in addition to the larger CAUBO 2012 conference, successfully brought together business innovators from academic institutions across the country.

?The conference was a huge success. We had tremendous feedback from all parties including the CAUBO head office and, most importantly, from the delegates,? says Concordia University Treasurer Marc Gauthier, CAUBO 2012 co-organizer.

Volunteers enabled easy mobility to and from sessions for all participants, and coordinators with Hospitality Concordia organized several well-attended, optional events for delegates, including a wine tasting and golf tournament.

?CAUBO 2012 had the highest attendance in the conference?s 69-year history,? asserts Gauthier.

?Everyone did an amazing job and we are very proud of the wonderful volunteers and local organizing committee who went above and beyond their call of duty to make the conference an unforgettable experience for all involved.??

Related links:
???? "Reducing risk in Canadian universities" ? NOW, June 12, 2012
???? "Gardening in an urban setting" ? NOW, May 17, 2012
???? Quality and Productivity Awards 2012
???? Concordia City Farm
???? Sustainable Concordia
???? CAUBO 2012 conference
???? CAUBO
???? Office of the Provost
???? Hospitality Concordia
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