New year — new skills
Concordia is known for its diversity. Not only does it welcome students from all walks of life, but it is a pioneer in providing services tailored to meet their needs. One of these services is the Centre for Mature Students.
The Centre, created over 25 years ago, is dedicated to helping mature students succeed during their academic career at Concordia. A mature student is defined as a person who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, over 21, out of school for at least two years and without a CEGEP DEC or equivalent.
On Jan. 19 the Centre organized a “New Year—New Skills” workshop that provided 50 students with an opportunity to refresh their writing, reading and math skills.
“We welcome you whatever your background, your academic preparations or your socio-economic circumstances,” Provost and VP of Academic Affairs Martin Singer told the students. “The trick is to not just to welcome you and let you fail, but to welcome you and make it possible for you to succeed. You are a big part of what Concordia University is all about.”
Lisa McIsaac attended the workshop with her husband. “It's a nice place to relate with other mature students. We all have the same reservations. We are all uncertain, and [here] we get to know that it's OK.”
The Centre staff comprises three advisors, Brigeen Badour, Steve Clark and Nelly Trakas, working under Director Robert Oppenheimer, who is also a management professor. They are available to advise, on a one-on-one basis, some 3,200 mature students from all four faculties.
“The majority of our mature students are in their twenties, so the image of the mature student as an older person can be misleading,” Oppenheimer said, “but they also have more pressures than most students coming directly from CEGEP. Many have families, many of them are working, so that makes life more challenging and demanding.”
The primary role of the Centre is to identify the needs and issues that students face, and provide them with the support and advice necessary to address those needs. Forms of help can include referral to other services in the university, such as the Counselling and Development office.
“[Mature students] are the most motivated group in the university,” said Badour. “They know what it's like out there. They want to be here. They need help with basic things such as how to figure out a schedule, or what a prerequisite means.”
Each semester, close to 800 mature students register at Concordia. “People first, numbers after,” said Trakas, describing the ideology behind the Centre. She says the Centre hopes to serve as many of them as possible.
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