In Brief
Expansion of Canadian Irish Studies
President Claude Lajeunesse shakes hands with Brian O’Neill Gallery (right), chair of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation while Michael Kenneally (left), Director of the Centre, and David Graham, Dean of Arts and Science, look on.
Photo by Kate Hutchinson
The Canadian Irish Studies Foundation has virtually doubled its financial support to Concordia.
Michael Kenneally, head of the Canadian Irish Studies Centre, says the extra courses and new professors made possible by the increase affirm Concordia as the preeminent centre in Canada for the study of modern Ireland and Irish-Canadian history.
Brian O’Neill Gallery, chair of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation, announced the increased funding in a letter to President Claude Lajeunesse in which he paid tribute to all the generous donors who made the increased contribution pos-sible.
Contributions by the foundation comprise $75,000 for programs, $12,500 for the annual O’Brien Visiting Scholar, $17,750 for 19 scholarships, $25,000 for four new courses and $100,000 for two new professors. The university also funds these academic activities, except for the scholarships.
Who deserves Loyola Medal?
Nominations are being sought for the Loyola Medal, given every two years since 1963 to someone who embodies the ideals of Loyola College, and has made a lasting contribution to Canada.
The Loyola Medal is the most significant honour after convocation awards and honorary degrees. Previous recipients include Georges P. Vanier, Thérèse Casgrain, Jean Béliveau and Oscar Peterson.
Forms are available from Ann M. Bennett, Office of the President, AD-224, Loyola Campus, and nominations should be submitted to her by Jan. 13, 2006.
Sam Shepard gets stage treatment
Motel Chronicles, by Sam Shepard, is the next production by theatre students. The production, directed by Paula de Vasconcelos, opens Dec. 8 and runs until Dec. 11 at the D.B. Clarke Theatre.
Shepard won the Pulitzer Prize in 1978 for his play Buried Child. He has written many film scripts, including The Right Stuff, and has appeared in films as an actor.
A product of the 1960s counterculture, Shepard com-bines wild humour with the sparse, haunting language evocative of Western movies. His works often concern loners and troubled families.
Motel Chronicles is the name of a book of stories, meditations and reminiscences he wrote in 1982. The director says this production is an interpretation of Shepard’s world, and “focuses on the recurring theme of individual isolation in contrast with the magnitude of the great American landscape. ”
Tickets for the production are a bargain. For specific times and prices, please consult What’s On.