Tag Archive for: campus life
The DVC (Campus Life Office) regularly issues calls for projects called “ALIVE” to improve student life on the University of Montpellier campuses. These projects, developed in collaboration with students from each campus, give rise to original initiatives that are funded by the CVEC. In 2020, the Faculty responded to the call, leading to the creation of a secure bike shelter on the Arnaud de Villeneuve campus.
What are we talking about?
Alive consists of calls for proposals issued each year by the DVC (Campus Life Office) with clearly defined requirements:
“As part of the rollout of the CVEC*, the University of Montpellier has decided to launch the ALIVE call for projects—“Improving Student Living Spaces”—aimed at academic departments, schools, and institutes. The call for projects is aimed at creating or renovating spaces dedicated to student life on UM campuses, outside of academic facilities.”
The objectives of these calls for proposals are therefore to:
- Promote a welcoming environment and enhance student life
- Promote a better sense of community among students.
The 2020–2021 Project: A Secure Bike Shelter for the ADV Campus
In 2020, the School of Medicine, in collaboration with the then-Vice Dean for Student Affairs, Florian Mary, decided to consult with fellow students and respond to the ALIVE call for proposals. This consultation revealed a need for a secure bike shelter. Construction began in January 2022 and was completed at the start of this academic year.
The bike shelter is now operational, with card-based access for 150 students on the ADV Campus. These students voluntarily registered in September in response to an email announcement from the faculty administration. In January 2023, the number of access permits will be increased if it is determined that the shelter is underutilized.
This bike shelter is a real benefit for our students, who can combine efficiency with environmental friendliness by choosing to bike to school. The shelter’s security features help significantly reduce theft!
* Law No. 2018-166 on Student Guidance and Success, dated March 8, 2018—known as the ORE Law—established a student life and campus contribution (CVEC), which, according to Article L. 841-5.-I of the Education Code, to “promote the reception and social, health, cultural, and athletic support of students and to strengthen preventive and health education initiatives carried out for their benefit.”
Every five years, a new dean’s office team—composed of associate deans and program coordinators—is appointed by the dean to represent him or her in carrying out specific tasks. This year, Prof. Gérald Chanques was appointed Associate Dean for General Affairs, Heritage, and Campus Life. Read his interview here: learn about his background and the projects he hopes to implement as part of his role!
You were appointed by the Dean, Ms. Isabelle Laffont. Could you tell us about your background and your area of expertise?
I earned my high school diploma and completed my undergraduate studies in Montpellier, so you could say I’m one-quarter Parisian and three-quarters Montpellier native. I loved my studies so much that it was difficult for me to choose a “specialty.” I chose anesthesiology and critical care for several reasons: first, because of the interdisciplinary nature of medical knowledge, but also because of the human and material resources available within our teams to provide safe care, including pain management and the treatment of the most critical situations.
How do you plan to balance your duties as associate dean with your other professional responsibilities?
This is a project that took shape within my hospital department, in collaboration with my colleagues and my department head, who has always supported and encouraged me throughout my professional career. My involvement at the faculty has grown gradually since my appointment 8 years ago. I continue to maintain a clinical practice that constantly enriches my teaching and research. Conversely, my understanding of academic institutions shapes all my responsibilities as a University Physician-Professor (PUPH). The Faculty and its unique history, as well as the University (I serve on the Committee on Education and University Life and on the disciplinary sections of the Academic Council), prompt me to reflect on every facet of my work—from patient care to teaching and innovation. The societal shift taking place in how we relate to one another—including the fight against inequality and against sexual and gender-based violence—represents a major turning point that our institutions have long anticipated.
What will your contributions and goals be? What projects do you hope to carry out in your role?
I gradually came to realize the importance of teaching and passing on knowledge to the younger generation, as well as the importance of having a faculty that draws on multiple campuses (Nîmes and Montpellier, modernity and heritage) and embodies a true university spirit—one that is meaningful to our patients, our students, and society alike. The Faculty has an urban history. It serves as a bridge to the general public.
Our faculty currently faces multiple challenges in terms of the institution’s organization, its campuses, and the promotion of its heritage: the university community—students, faculty, and administrative staff—must embrace this past and future history and share it with others—our colleagues in other parts of the University, our healthcare colleagues, and the general public. Among the general public are potential patients. The image we project of the faculty through our history and heritage must align with today’s demands—innovation, excellence in care, but also addressing vulnerability and access to care. All of this together defines our faculty, and we cannot rest easy unless we strive to address all these challenges. The unity of the leadership team, united around our dean, will be the strength of the institution—involving all its faculty and administration, those from previous teams, and those preparing future generations.
What motivated you to accept this appointment?
My desire to contribute to a dean’s office initiative focused on community, kindness, and active listening, with ambitious goals for the institution. I was very grateful for this appointment because it allows me to consistently continue the work I’ve been doing for several years with Dean Mondain and Vice Dean Lavabre-Bertrand on complex projects (preparing state-region planning contracts for long-term renovations to the historic building; conducting studies for the learning center; and liaising with the general affairs departments of the Faculty and the University to develop a large number of projects involving institutions, local governments, and businesses as part of the 800th-anniversary celebrations…).
