Claude Lajeunesse (born 1941) is a Canadian engineer and corporate executive. Since 30 November 2007, he has been the president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. He is the former president and

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

in Quebec.

Career

Claude Lajeunesse was born in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, received a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in 1967 in

Nuclear Engineering Nuclear engineering is the engineering discipline concerned with designing and applying systems that utilize the energy released by nuclear processes. The most prominent application of nuclear engineering is the generation of electricity. Worldwide ...

and a PhD in 1969. He is a member of the boards of TD Meloche Monnex,

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL, Énergie atomique du Canada limitée, EACL) is a Canadian Crown corporation and the largest nuclear science and technology laboratory in Canada. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in th ...

, the

Montreal Board of Trade The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (until 2016: Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal) () is an association of businesses and businesspeople in Greater Montreal. In its own words it serves to "act as the voice of Montréal's busin ...

, and the Canadian Liver Foundation, a Fellow of the

Canadian Academy of Engineering The Canadian Academy of Engineering () is a national academy of distinguished professional engineers in fields of engineering, who are elected on the basis of "their distinguished service and contribution to society, to the country and to the profes ...

, and a member of the

Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) is the self-regulatory body that governs Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares b ...

. From 1995 until August 2005, Lajeunesse was president and vice chancellor of

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, although i ...

. Prior to this, he was CEO of the

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Universities Canada () is an organization that represents Canada's universities. It is a non-profit national organization that coordinates university policies, guidance and direction. Formed in 1911, as the Association of Universities and Colleg ...

. He was appointed to serve a five-year term as the president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University in Montreal beginning 1 August 2005, but left this post on 31 October 2007 due to conflicts with the Concordia

board of governors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

Criticism and public perception

Lajeunesse has been criticized for "

corporatization Corporatization is the process of transforming and restructuring state assets, government agencies, public organizations, or municipal organizations into corporations. It involves the adoption and application of business management practices an ...

" of the universities he has headed by emphasizing part-time labor, raising tuition fees, and

union busting Union busting is a range of activities undertaken to disrupt or weaken the power of trade unions or their attempts to grow their membership in a workplace. Union busting tactics can refer to both legal and illegal activities, and can range anywhe ...

. At both Ryerson and Concordia, Lajeunesse's first acts included giving himself a 50% pay raise, and increases of 20-50% for his immediate entourage. Lajeunesse defended these changes as bringing parity with other universities in Canada. However, unions were critical, as their membership had gone without wage increases for five years, and the university's offer of a 2.5% increase did not address parity or even the

cost of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...

increase.

References

* * * Concordia News
Claude Lajeunesse appointed President of Concordia University
(2005) * Concordia News
Claude Lajeunesse steps down as President of Concordia University
(2007) * The Eye Opener (Ryerson University)
Bye, Claude. You won't be missed
(2007) * The Eye Opener (Ryerson University)
Ex-Rye head resigns from Concordia
(2007) * The Link (Concordia University)
Concordia university president resigns
(2007) * The Link (Concordia University)
Faculties demand answers about Concordia president’s resignation
(2007) * Macleans's
Leaving Concordia
(2007)

Notes

Citations

External links

Claude Lajeunesse Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lajeunesse, Claude Living people Presidents of Toronto Metropolitan University Presidents of Concordia University 1941 births People from Quebec City Fellows of the Engineering Institute of Canada Canadian university and college chief executives