Concordia University’s Graham Carr named 2025 graduate commencement speaker

The president and vice chancellor of Concordia University, who more than 40 years ago received his Ph.D. from the University of Maine, will send off the graduate class of 2025. Graham Carr (‘83) is the speaker for UMaine’s Graduate School commencement ceremony on May 10 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. 

Concordia is one of the top North American universities under 50 years old. Its two Montreal campuses are home to 50,000 students from more than 150 countries. Carr’s previous leadership positions at Concordia included provost and vice president of academic affairs; vice president of research and graduate studies; and dean of graduate studies.

“When Dr. Carr moved from his home in Canada to the University of Maine in 1979, he fully immersed himself in the cultural and historical study he was undertaking as a doctoral candidate. His dissertation shed light on how Canada’s geographical proximity to America shaped English-Canadian literary culture in the early 20th century,” said UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “His desire to understand the driving force behind cultural development has served him well in his many leadership roles at Concordia University, situated in the multicultural city of Montreal. We are honored to welcome Dr. Carr to Maine for our Graduate School commencement ceremony.”

Born in Quebec, Carr earned a Ph.D. in history from UMaine. He is a professor in Concordia’s Department of History, alongside his leadership roles, and his ongoing research focuses on Cold War cultural history. 

While at UMaine, Carr focused on both Canadian and American history, as well as Canadian-American relations and U.S. and Canadian literature. He said studying in a different country broadened his cultural and social horizons.

“I benefited from outstanding mentors and fellow students at the University of Maine, who encouraged my desire to work across disciplines and hone professional skills,” Carr said. “It’s an honor and privilege to return to the university and meet the next generation of graduates who have ambitions for success and to make a difference in the world. At a moment when the pace and impact of change has never been more accelerated or seismic, graduate education, regardless of one’s discipline or program of study, is a uniquely formative opportunity to develop advanced knowledge, skills and expertise.”  

In addition to his tenure at Concordia, Carr is a member of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal and the Montreal Climate Partnership (Partenariat

Climat Montréal) steering committee. He also chairs the Universities Canada Research Committee and Board of Directors for U SPORTS, the national brand for university sports in Canada. 

He has previously served in a leadership capacity for the Centraide (United Way) of Greater Montreal, the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure, the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program selection committee and the National Capital Commission’s advisory committee for communications, marketing and programming.

Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu