Keynote Interactive forum

SALTISE Town Hall with Celine Cooper

June 02, 2026 | 10:30 - 12:00 PM Auditorium A-1600

As higher education navigates profound social, technological, and institutional change, the question is no longer whether transformation is needed but how we do it, and with whom. In this town hall, Celine Cooper will engage the SALTISE community in reflecting on how collaboration across stakeholders—students, educators, institutions, industry, community, and government—can support more responsive and sustainable futures for education.

Framed by the conference theme of co-creating change, the session invites participants to consider:

  • What kinds of collaboration are needed today, and what stands in the way?
  • Where must we exercise courage to rethink established practices and systems?
  • How can care shape the way we design learning environments and work together?

This interactive forum will create space for dialogue and shared inquiry, recognizing that meaningful change emerges through collective engagement as much as through expertise. Shaped by questions and perspectives emerging from the audience, with a strong emphasis on including students’ questions, the keynote will unfold as a dynamic exchange, with Celine Cooper engaging participants to identify guiding principles and practical insights for collaborative action.

Presenter(s)

Celine Cooper 

Celine Cooper 

Director of the Consortium of English-language CEGEPs, Colleges and Universities of Quebec, Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, QC

Celine Cooper is the Managing Director of the Consortium of English-language CEGEPs, Colleges and Universities of Quebec, and serves as the Director of the Bishop’s Forum at Bishop’s University. She leads collaborative initiatives advancing higher education and professional opportunity, democratic resilience, civic engagement, and youth leadership. She has served on several executive boards, including as President of the Association for Canadian Studies and President of the Fraser-Hickson Institute (minibiblioPLUS), and currently serves as a board member for the Montreal Institute for Global Security (MIGS). A former columnist with the Montreal Gazette and editor at The Canadian Encyclopedia, she has taught at Concordia University’s School of Community and Public Affairs and held policy roles with Canada’s federal government. Earlier in her career, she worked as an emergencies officer with UNICEF in Georgia supporting the expansion of education, health, and child protection programs into conflict affected areas in the Southern Caucasus. Celine holds degrees from Queen’s and York universities and pursued doctoral studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.

//

Celine Cooper est la directrice générale du Consortium des cégeps, collèges et universités d’expression anglaise du Québec, ainsi que directrice du Bishop’s Forum à l’Université Bishop’s. Elle dirige des initiatives collaboratives visant à promouvoir l’enseignement supérieur et les possibilités professionnelles, la résilience démocratique, l’engagement civique et le leadership des jeunes. Elle a siégé à plusieurs conseils d’administration, notamment à titre de présidente de l’Association d’études canadiennes et présidente de l’Institut Fraser-Hickson (minibiblioPLUS), et siège actuellement au conseil d’administration du Centre Montréalais pour la sécurité globale (MIGS). Ancienne chroniqueuse au Montreal Gazette et rédactrice à L’Encyclopédie canadienne, elle a enseigné à l’École des affaires publiques et communautaires de l’Université Concordia et a occupé des fonctions en politiques publiques au sein du gouvernement fédéral du Canada. Au début de sa carrière, elle a travaillé comme agente des situations d’urgence pour l’UNICEF en Géorgie, contribuant à l’expansion de programmes d’éducation, de santé et de protection de l’enfance dans des régions touchées par des conflits dans le Caucase du Sud. Celine est titulaire de diplômes des universités Queen’s et York et a entrepris des études doctorales à l’Institut d’études pédagogiques de l’Ontario de l’Université de Toronto.

Additional Information

Organizer
SALTISE
Moderators

Elizabeth S. Charles, Emeritus SALTISE Co-Director, Concordia University, Montreal, Dawson College, Montreal