| Claude Lajeunesse | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | PhD |
| Birth Date: | 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Quebec City, Quebec |
| Alma Mater: | École polytechnique de Montréal, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Order: | 7th |
| Office: | President and Vice-Chancellor of Ryerson Polytechnic University |
| Term Start: | 1995 |
| Term End: | 2005 |
| Predecessor: | Terry Grier |
| Successor: | Sheldon Levy (as President of Ryerson University) |
| Office3: | President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University |
| Term Start3: | August 1, 2005 |
| Term End3: | October 31, 2007 |
| Predecessor3: | Frederick Lowy |
| Successor3: | Michael Di Grappa (interim) |
| Spouse: | Nicole Lajeunesse |
| Children: | Marc, France, Pascale, Francois, Christine and Nathalie |
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.[1] He is the former president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University in Quebec.
Claude Lajeunesse was born in Quebec City, received a Master of Science degree in 1967 in Nuclear Engineering and a PhD in 1969. He is a member of the boards of TD Meloche Monnex, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the Montreal Board of Trade, and the Canadian Liver Foundation, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.
From 1995 until August 2005, Lajeunesse was president and vice chancellor of Ryerson University. Prior to this, he was CEO of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. 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.[2]
Lajeunesse has been criticized for "corporatization" of the universities he has headed by emphasizing part-time labor, raising tuition fees, and union busting.
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 increase.