The Concordia University Alumni Association annual
Alumni Recognition Awards
Alumni Recognition Awards celebrate outstanding Concordia alumni, students, friends, faculty and staff. The awards program was conceived by the Concordia University Alumni Association (CUAA) in 1990 to recognize Concordia ambassadors for their outstanding achievements and their exceptional service to Concordia University and to the Montreal community.
The Nov. 18 awards banquet.
The seven award recipients.
List of Recipients 2004
Humberto Santos Award of Merit
Criteria: The most prestigious award is awarded to an alumnus/a who has made a lifetime contribution of exceptional leadership and service to the University and the community.
Recipient: Donald W. McNaughton, L Atdee 1949
Donald McNaughton has been on the Loyola Alumni Association for a total of 16 years. He joined the Board of Directors for the Loyola Alumni Association in 1958. Then in 1960, he became Vice-President and held that position until 1964. He was the President from 1966-1967. After a few years absence from the association, he rejoined the Board of Directors from 1977-1980 and then again in 1997, after which he has remained a dedicated volunteer.
Moreover, throughout his involvement with the Loyola Alumni Association, he had been on the Board of Governors. He was a member of this board for 26 consecutive years until 1998. He has also been involved in various fundraising committees. Mr. McNaughton’s length of service was extensive and that the impact of his service has been profound. Mr. McNaughton’s strong leadership has been noted, as is his outstanding record of service to the alumni association, the university and the community. As a result, he was awarded the Loyola Medal in 1991.
Alumnus of the Year Award (new award)
Criteria: Awarded to an alumnus/a who has demonstrated professional excellence and community leadership.
Recipient: René Balcer, BA 1978
René Balcer received his BA in Communication Studies in 1978 and has come to Concordia and to LCC (his high school alma mater) to speak to students and share with them some tips about making it in Hollywood and in their careers.
René Balcer began his career as a combat cameraman during the 1973 Yom Kippur war. A graduate of Concordia University and McGill, Balcer was a journalist for numerous Canadian newspapers and magazines before becoming a documentary filmmaker at Canada’s National Film Board.
In 1990, he joined the staff of Law & Order during its first season, becoming showrunner, executive producer and head writer in 1996. During his four years as showrunner, he led Law & Order into the Top Ten and to its first Emmy win for Best Drama Series. Over the course of ten years with the show, he wrote over 70 episodes and won a number of top industry awards, including the Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Teleplay (plus two nominations), three Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America (plus twelve nominations), the Peabody Award, two Silver Gavel Awards from the American Bar Association, and the Golden Laurel Award from the Producers Guild of America.
The series Law & Order: Criminal Intent was developed by René Balcer, who is also executive producer and head writer. His other television credits include Out On The Edge (MOW, Hearst), which won him the Award for Excellence from the American Psychological Association, Stranger In The Family (MOW, Hearst), Nasty Boys (Series, Universal/NBC), and Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount). He also created the series Mission: Protection Rapprochee for TF1-France/Transfilm.
Benoit Pelland Distinguished Service Award
Criteria: Awarded to an alumnus/a who has demonstrated a long-term commitment of outstanding service to the alumni association and university.
Recipient: Martin Ginsherman, BA 1976, Member/Commissaire Refugee Protection Division/Section de la protection des réfugiés IRB/CISR
Martin Ginsherman has proven strong dedication to the university and to the Alumni Association with 20 years of service. In the early 1980’s Mr. Ginsherman was a member of the Board of Directors of the Sir George Williams Alumni Association and then on the initial Concordia Alumni Board in Montreal. He served on the Board in Montreal until 1987 until moving to Toronto.
Martin was recruited to the Toronto Chapter Board of the Concordia University Alumni, where he actively promoted alumni activities and events from 1988 to 1999. He was a member at-large, as well as holding the executive positions of Treasurer, Secretary and President each for various durations of years. He participated in many of the Toronto Chapter’s events.
4 members of the Toronto chapter submitted a very strong application for this award in favour or Marty Ginsherman. In this letter it was also indicated that Martin also volunteered with other associations, i.e. Ontario Lupus association, his synagogue’s publications manager and with the North York Board of Trade.
Honorary Life Membership Award
Criteria: Awarded to a non-graduate who has demonstrated a long-term commitment of outstanding service to the alumni association and/or university.
Recipient: Miriam J. Roland, President, Tall-J Investments Limited
Miriam Roland has been involved with various aspects of the university for 15 years. Her dedication has been consistent the entire time. She has volunteered in areas of education, public policy, poverty, drug dependence and peace. Her involvement has been broad, showing a keen interest in the assisting students, benefiting different and diverse groups in the university community. She has established 5 endowments, among them an endowment for emergency bursaries and one for special projects.
She has been involved in fundraising campaigns for over 14 years. She has participated in the Alumni Canvass since 1990 and most recently a member of the planned giving committee. She has also been on the Board of Governors for 9 years starting in 1995.
She also very much involved with the Jewish community in and around Montreal. She has shown leadership with her community involvements. For example, she is director for the Jewish Community Foundation and the Institute of Jewish Policy Studies in Massachusetts. She is also a member of the advisory board for Concordia University Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies.
Outstanding Student Award
Criteria: Awarded to a Concordia student who has demonstrated qualities as an outstanding student leader and contributor to student life
Recipient: Declan O’Driscoll
Declan O’Driscoll is credited to have been part of the first group to establish the Art Matters festival, the largest student run festival of its kind. He revived FASA (Fine Arts Student Alliance), formed an executive committee and helped bring the two campuses of Fine Arts together. He was elected president of FASA and co-wrote the constitution. Declan has shown exceptional leadership skills while contributing to the enhancement of student life.
Excellence in Teaching Award
Criteria: Awarded to a member of Concordia’s teaching staff who has shown superior knowledge, teaching ability and accessibility to students.
Recipient: Dr. Danielle Morin, Vice-Provost, Academic Programs, Office of the Vice-Provost and Vice-President, Associate Professor of Decision Sciences and M.I.S., John Molson School of Business
Danielle Morin is a highly qualified teacher, accessible to students, and has made an impact on her students. She is very popular among students, so much so that they named an award in her honour, “The Danielle Morin Award”. She has shown dedication to students. She is responsible for initiating a two-week intensive English program for newly admitted Francophone students to help ease the transition to an English environment. Furthermore, she revised the entire undergraduate curriculum.
She is involved in a diverse range of activities. She is on the JMSB Advisory board, executive committee, the faculty council and other academic groups. However, she is also devoted to community development, where she was Chair of the Centraide campaign at Concordia University and volunteers at her church. She has also organized numerous conferences and symposiums centered on women in business. Her diverse range of activities and her dedication to the education of students made her nomination stand out among the others.
Outstanding Faculty/Staff Award (new award)
Criteria: Awarded to a Concordia University faculty or staff member who has made an exceptional contribution to the association or to the university community.
Recipient: Irvin Dudeck, Director, Budget Planning and Control, Financial Services
Irvin Dudeck showed strong dedication and commitment to the university with all his years of service and in his variety of committees. He has worked on various fundraising committees for over 12 years. He was chair of the shuffle committee for 7 years and has continued to be chair of Staff Appeal since 1994. Throughout that time he has shown leadership and dedication not only by encouraging his committee but also by recruiting more volunteers and implementing creative and successful campaigns.
He is also on numerous and diverse University committees such as the Board of Governors Budget Committee, Steering Committee Member for Continuous Quality Improvement and a member of the Concert Hall Advisory Board. His proven loyalty and dedication has benefited the university community. Furthermore, he received two nominations that were accompanied by two letters commending him both professionally and personally.
