Queen's University
Encyclopedia
Queen's University, is a public
research university
located in Kingston
, Ontario
, Canada
. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than 1400 hectares (3,459.5 acre) of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle
in East Sussex
, England
. Queen's is organized into ten undergraduate, graduate and professional faculties and schools.
The Church of Scotland
established Queen's College in 1841 with a royal charter from Queen Victoria. The first classes, intended to prepare students for the ministry, were held March 7, 1842 with 13 students and 2 professors. Queen's was the first university west of the maritime provinces to admit women, and to form a student government. In 1883, a women's college for medical education was established affiliated with Queen's University. In 1888, Queen's University began offering extension courses, becoming the first Canadian university to do so. In 1912, Queen's was transformed into a secular school. It was also then that the college changed its name to its present legal name, Queen's University at Kingston.
Queen's is a coeducational university, with more than 23,000 students. Alumni and former students of the university can be found all across Canada and in 156 countries around the world. Queen's varsity teams, known as the Gaels compete in the Ontario University Athletics
conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
.
to found a college for the education of ministers in the growing colony and to instruct the youth in various branches of sciences and literature. With the college modelled after the University of Edinburgh
and the University of Glasgow
, classes began on 7 March 1842, in a small wood-frame house on the edge of the city with two professors and 13 students. The college had moved around Kingston several times during its first eleven years, before settling in its present location. Prior to Canadian Confederation
, the college was financially supported by the Presbyterian Church in Scotland
, the Canadian government, and private citizens. After Confederation however, the college faced ruin when the federal government withdrew its funding and the Commercial Bank of the Midland District collapsed, a disaster which cost Queen's two-thirds of its endowment. With the risk of financial ruin, the college was rescued after Principal William Snodgrass
and other officials had managed a fundraising campaign across Canada.
Risk of financial ruin continued to worry college's administration until the last decade of the century, with talk of leaving Kingston and merging with the University of Toronto
as the only means of avoiding financial failure emerging as late as the 1880s. With the additional funds bequeathed from Queen's first major benefactor, Robert Sutherland
, the college had managed to stave off financial failure and maintain its institutional independence. Queen's College in Kingston was given university status on May 17, 1881. In 1883, Women's Medical College was founded at Queen's with a class of 3.
In 1912, Queen's separated from the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and changed its name to Queen's University at Kingston. Queen's Theological College
remained in the control of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
, until 1925, when it joined the United Church of Canada
, where it remains today. The university had faced another financial crisis during World War I
, with a sharp drop in enrolment due to the enlistment of students, staff, and faculty. A C$1,000,000 fundraising drive and the armistice in 1918 had managed to save the university from risk of financial failure. Approximately 1,500 students participated in the World War I and 187 died. Months before Canada joined the World War II
, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
, came to Queen's to accept an honorary degree
and, in a broadcast heard around the world, voiced the American policy of mutual alliance and friendship with Canada. 2,917 Queen's graduates had served during World War II and 164 dead. The Memorial Room in Memorial Hall of the John Deutsch University Centre lists those Queen's students who fell during both world wars.
Queen's grew quickly after the war, propelled by the expanding postwar economy and the first stirrings of the demographic boom that peaked in the 1960s. From 1951 to 1961, enrolment increased from just over 2000 students to more than 3000. The university embarked on an ambitious building program, constructing five student residences in less than ten years. Following the reorganization of legal education in Ontario in the mid-1950s, Queen's Faculty of Law opened in 1957 in the newly-built John A. Macdonald Hall. Other major additions to Queen's in the 1950s were the construction of Richardson Hall to house Queen's administrative offices, and Dunning Hall. By the end of the 1960s', like many other universities in Canada, Queen's tripled its enrolment and greatly expanded its faculty, staff, and facilities, as a result of the aging baby boomers and generous support from the public sector. By the mid-1970s, the number of full-time students had reached 10,000. Among the new facilities were three more residences and separate buildings for the Departments of Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Psychology, and for the Social Sciences and the Humanities. The period also saw the establishment at Queen's of Schools of Music, Public Administration (now part of Policy Studies), Rehabilitation Therapy, and Urban and Regional Planning. The establishment of the Faculty of Education in 1968 on land about a kilometre west of the university had also marked the beginning of the university's west campus.
Queen's celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 1991, and received a visit from Charles, Prince of Wales
, and his then-wife, Diana
, to mark the occasion. The Prince of Wales presented a replica of the 1841 Royal Charter granted by Queen Victoria, which had established the university; the replica is displayed in the John Deutsch University Centre.
The first woman chancellor of Queen's University, Agnes Richardson Benidickson, was installed on October 23, 1980.
In 1993, Queen's received Herstmonceux Castle as a donation from alumnus Alfred Bader
. The castle is presently used by the university as the Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle.
In 2001 the Senate Educational Equity Committee (SEEC) conducted a study of the experiences of visible minority
and Aboriginal faculty members at Queen's after a black female professor left Queen's University alleging that she had experienced racism
. Following this survey SEEC commissioned a study found that many perceived a 'Culture of Whiteness' at the university. The report concluded that “white privilege and power continues to be reflected in the Eurocentric curricula, traditional pedagogical approaches, hiring, promotion and tenure
practices, and opportunities for research” at Queen’s. The university's response to the report has been the subject of continuing debate. The administration has implemented measures to promote diversity since 2006, such as the establishment of a position of diversity advisor and the hiring of "dialogue monitors" to facilitate discussions on social justice
. While such programs are credited as having good intentions there is skepticism that they will be adequate in addressing social inequalities at Queen's.
In May 2010, Queen's University joined the Matariki Network of Universities
, an international group of universities created in 2010, which focuses on strong links between research and undergraduate teaching.
Much of the Queen's campus consists of old picturesque limestone
buildings and unique Romanesque Revival and neo-gothic architecture., Indeed, several buildings are over a century old, including Summerhill (1839), Old Medical (1858), Etherington House
(1879), Theological Hall (1880), Carruthers Hall (1890), Victoria School (1892) {now part of Goodes Hall}, Ontario Hall (1903), Kingston Hall (1903), Grant Hall
(1905), and Kathleen Ryan Hall (1907). The main campus contains most of the teaching and administrative buildings packed into a relatively small space; walking time from one end of campus to the other is approximately 15 minutes.
Queen's University includes a number of residences: Adelaide Hall; Ban Righ Hall; Chown Hall; Gordon House; Brockington House; Graduate Residence;
Harkness Hall; John Orr Tower Apartments; Leggett Hall; Leonard Hall; McNeill House; Morris Hall; Victoria Hall; Waldron Tower; and Watts Hall. Jean Royce Hall (Phase I) includes: Angus House; Boucher House; Bryce House; Curran House; Douglas House; Healey House and Laird House. Jean Royce Hall (Phase II) includes: Miller House; Roy House; Shortliffe House; Tracy House; and Trotter House.
Adjacent to the campus, and within the same walking distance, is the Kingston General Hospital
which is affiliated with Queen's, and is a designated National Historic Site of Canada as it served as the location of the first parliament of the Province of Canada in 1841. There is also a smaller expansion known as "West Campus", which is approximately 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) west of the main campus limits. The West Campus holds additional student residences, Duncan McArthur Hall (which houses the Faculty of Education), and Richardson Memorial Stadium
(home of the Queen's Gaels), along with more sports fields. Leonard Hall (1959) and Leonard Field are named in honour of Lieutenant-Colonel
Reuben Wells Leonard
on land given by him to Queen's in 1923.
On September 11, 2007, Queen's announced the purchase of the former Federal Prison for Women, a 3.3 hectares (8.2 acre) parcel of land that served as a correctional facility from 1934 to 2000, and was then sold by the Canada Lands Corporation. Although plans have not been officially announced, it is expected that the Prison for Women site will ultimately house the Queen's University Archives, currently stored on main campus in Kathleen Ryan Hall. The former prison is located adjacent to West Campus. Using funds donated by notable alumnus Dr. Alfred Bader
to build a performing arts centre, Queen's has also purchased the 1.2 hectares (3 acre)} J. K. Tett Centre, a waterfront property with historical buildings home to many artistic and community organizations.
Although the campus is relatively small and the buildings densely packed, there are many open green spaces and trees that create a park-like atmosphere. The campus is on the shore of Lake Ontario
and has easy access to two lake-front parks, favourite locations for students to relax. The campus is also located approximately 10 minutes' walk from the city's downtown.
About 50 km (31.1 mi), north of Kingston, the Queen's University Biological Station
provides research facilities for faculty, students, and visiting scholars. The 2650 hectares (6,548.3 acre) campus on Lake Opinicon
consists of 35 buildings including several laboratories, conference rooms, guest rooms, and a library.
, the University of Alberta
, and the University of British Columbia
).
Libraries on the Queen's campus include:
Additional library locations:
Queen's has also reached an agreement to lease approximately 7900 square metres (85,034.9 sq ft) of the Novelis R&D facilities to accommodate both faculty-led research projects that have industrial partners and small and medium-size companies with a research focus and a desire to interact with Queen's researchers. The remainder of the government funds will go toward further development of the technology park to transform the property into a welcoming and dynamic site for business expansion and relocation.
The Bader International Study Centre (BISC) is housed in Herstmonceux Castle
, which was donated to Queen's in 1993 by alumnus Alfred Bader
. Herstmonceux Castle is in southern England
and provides a base for field studies by its students generally in southern England. The courses available range from English Literature
to Geography
to Mathematics
, with many of the courses specially designed to take advantage of the location of the BISC. Instructors and students are not exclusively from Queen's, but attend from across Canada, the United States
, Mexico
, Europe
, Japan
, China
, Scandinavia
and elsewhere.
Students attend classes Monday through Thursday and are encouraged to use their three day weekend to experience Europe. Field trips are required for all courses, although some are more field trip heavy than others (e.g. history and art history). There are also Mid-Term Trips that are included in the programme fees. In the past, the Fall semester trip has been to Scotland
and Northern England
, while the Winter semester trip has been to Paris
, Brussels
and Bruges
. These include some course-specific field trips and other general cultural trips for the entire student body. Spring term has seen Mid-Term Trips to Dieppe, while the Summer term Mid-Term Trip in the past has been to London, owing to the short nature of the term.
Herstmonceux Castle is famous for its gardens and grounds, as well as its proximity to the old Royal Observatory
but students at the BISC can also enjoy a small gymnasium and a student pub within the Castle called the Headless Drummer.
s. It is expected to take more than ten years from design to completion. The plans include the building of a six-lane track, an Olympic-sized arena, 25-metre pool, eight basketball courts, substantially more gathering and meeting space than is currently available, fitness, aerobic, locker and food space, and a new home for the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies (formerly School of Physical and Health Education). The project will be completed in three phases, the earliest of which was completed in December 2009. This first phase includes the new Varsity Gymnasium, public food court, club areas, aquatic centre, fitness and weight centre and School of Kinesiology and Health Studies.
The development of the Queen's Centre marks the largest construction project in the university's history, however it remains controversial with both current students and alumni. Much of the controversy surrounding the project relates to debates over financial priorities and a perceived lack of foresight by former Principal Karen Hitchcock, whose administration initiated the project.
In an effort to cope with the large costs involved in the groundbreaking project, the university
has developed an intensive fundraising campaign, led by David J. Mitchell
, former vice-principal
of advancement, which will aim to attract "million-dollar-plus" donations from alumni and large corporations. The campaign target is set at $132 million, making it one of the most ambitious fundraising campaigns in the history of Canadian universities. The Queen's university's student government has already made an historic contribution to the campaign, pledging "$25.5 million in fees over nine years from student surcharges", the largest sum ever donated to a university by its students.
During the summer of 2009, it was announced by the university that Phase One of the Queen's Centre would officially open on August 31, 2009. However, a massive flood, caused by a major thunderstorm in August, damaged the new gymnasium floor and knocked out the building's electrical system, leading to further delays; the storm also caused flooding elsewhere in Kingston. Phase One eventually opened on December 1, 2009, and the projected cost of Phase One is now $169 million (Canadian). Varsity competition in the new facility began January, 2010.
The highest officer of Queen's University is the Chancellor, though the position is largely ceremonial. The day-to-day running of Queen's is done by the Principal, who is normally (though need not be) the Vice-Chancellor. The Principal is himself assisted by the newly-created position of Provost along with a number of Vice Principals and Deans. The third officer of the university is the Rector, a unique position among Canadian universities. The Rector is directly elected by all the matriculated students of Queen's. While it was not always the case, in recent years it has become customary to elect a student to the position.
Queen's University has a tricameral governance structure, which is responsible for setting the policy of the university. The three bodies that govern the university are the University Council, the Board of Trustees and the Senate. The University Council regularly meets once per year at the beginning of May, and is composed of all the members of the Senate and the Board of Trustees, along with an equal number of elected Queen's graduates. The University Council is responsible for electing the Chancellor, setting the bylaws for the election of the Rector and the Trustees, and for bringing any matter to the attention of the Senate or the Board of Trustees. The University Council serves in a largely advisory role and has no power over the actual operations of the university.
The Board of Trustees is the second governing body of Queen's, and meets four times each year. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the finances and the non-academic operations of the university. The membership of the Board is largely external to the University. Trustees are elected from the University Council (6 members), graduates (6 members), benefactors (7 members), faculty (2 members), students (2 members, 1 graduate and 1 undergraduate), staff (2 members), and the Theological College (1 member). The Board of Trustees also chooses 15 members itself. The Chancellor, Principal and Rector also serve as ex-offio members of the Board of Trustees. In addition to managing the finances of Queen's University, the Board of Trustees is also responsible for appointing the Principal.
The Senate is the third governing body of the university, and meets each month between September and May. The Senate is responsible for awarding degrees (including honorary degrees) and generally has power over all the academic functions of Queen's University. Whereas the Board of Trustees is dominated by external members, the Senate is composed entirely from the Queen's community and one of its primary principles is that the faculty hold a majority of the membership. Most of the Senate is elected by the faculty (36 members), students (16 members) and the staff (3 members). The faculty and student membership is further divided roughly proportionately to the various faculties of Queen's based on each faculty's enrolment. The Senate also has 16 ex-officio members. These are mainly the senior administrators of the university but also include representatives from the two student societies and faculty union.
Queen's today has 18 faculties and schools, listed below:
Queen's features three schools that are, in effect, full faculties through their relative autonomy:
requests. Additionally, Queen's was ranked 144th internationally by the 2011 QS World University Rankings
. In 2007, Queen's University was ranked 88th in the world and 4th in Canada. In 2010, Queen's formally protested the Times Higher Education methodology, refusing to participate or contribute data to the organization. The Academic Ranking of World Universities
(ARWU) in 2010 had ranked Queen's University 201-300 in the world and 9-18 nationally.
The Queen's School of Business
full-time MBA program was ranked as the second in the world outside of the United States by BusinessWeek
magazine's biannual ranking of MBA programmes in November 2010. Queen's School of Business was previously ranked first in the rankings for three consecutive rankings in a row prior to the release of the 2010 rankings.
. The graduation rate at Queen's is 89.8%, compared with a graduation rate average across all universities in Ontario of 78.3%.
department is one of the largest groups involved in the international Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Institute. The Institute manages the world-famous SNO experiment, which demonstrated that the solution to the solar neutrino problem
was that neutrinos change flavour (type) as they propagate through the Sun
. The SNO experiment was also credited with proving that a non-zero mass neutrino exists. This was a major breakthrough in cosmology. While the actual experiment is located 2 km below the Earth's surface in an active Vale Limited (formerly INCO) mine in Greater Sudbury, Ontario
, the Queen's collaborators do much of their work in Queen's Stirling Hall (a lab noted for its circular design and the large Foucault pendulum
in its main atrium
). Queen's physicist and SNO director Arthur B. McDonald
has won both the Herzberg Prize, Canada's top science honour, and the American Physical Society
's Tom W. Bonner Prize
for nuclear physics
.
Created in 2010, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) at Queen's and Royal Military College of Canada
performs military and Veteran health research. The areas of study include: battlefield medicine
and surgery
, epidemiology
, infectious disease
, collaborative health care teams, health technologies, health surveillance, Veterans’ health, mental health
, military and veterans’ family health, occupational health, operational health, and rehabilitation.
. The university press publishes original peer-reviewed and books in all areas of the social sciences and humanities. While the press's emphasis is on providing an outlet for Canadian authors and scholarship, the press also publishes authors come from across Canada and throughout the world. The university press currently has over 2,800 books in print. Originally the McGill University Press in 1963, it amalgamated with Queen's in 1969. McGill-Queen's University Press focuses on Canadian studies and publishes the Canadian Public Administration Series.
The two main student unions on administrative and policy issues is the Alma Mater Society of Queen's University for all undergraduate students and the Society of Graduate and Professional Students for graduate students. The Alma Mater Society of Queen's University is the oldest undergraduate student government in Canada. The Alma Mater Society recognizes more than 170 student clubs and organizations. All accredited extracurricular organizations at Queen's falls under the jurisdiction of either the Alma Mater Society, or the Society of Graduate and Professional Students. The organizations and clubs accredited at Queen's cover a wide range of interests including academics, culture, religion, social issues, and recreation. The oldest accredited club at Queen's is the Queen's Debating Union, which was formed in 1843. The Dialectic Society had also served as a form of student government, until the Alma Mater Society was formed from the dialectic society in 1858. The Queen's Bands
is a student marching band founded in 1905, which claims to be the largest and oldest student marching band in Canada. Fraternities and sororities have been banned at the university, since a ruling made by the Alma Mater Society in 1933. The ruling was passed in response to the formation of two fraternities in the 1920s. No accredited sororities have ever existed at Queen's.
, is Queen's main student newspaper
. The Queen's Journal publish two issues a week and once a week in the last month of each semester, totalling 40 issues in an academic year. The newspaper was established in 1873, making it one of the oldest student newspapers in Canada. The other weekly student publication from Queen's is the Golden Words
, which is a weekly humour publication, that is managed by the Engineering Society.
Queen's student population also runs a radio station, CFRC. Queen's radio station is the longest running campus-based broadcaster in the world, and the second longest running radio station in the world, surpassed only by the Marconi companies. The first public broadcast of the station was on October 27, 1923 when the football game between Queen's and McGill was called play-by-play. Since 2001, the station broadcasts on a 24-hour schedule. Since 1980, the university also has a student-run television service, known as Queen's TV
. Queen's TV airs every weekday on its website, and every Wednesday on local television.
Sport teams at Queen's University are known as the Golden Gaels
. The Golden Gaels sports teams participate in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
's Ontario University Athletics
conference for most varsity sports. Varsity teams at Queen's currently include basketball, cross country, Canadian football, ice hockey, rowing, rugby, soccer and volleyball. The athletics program at Queen's University dates back to 1873. With 39 regional and national championships, Queen's football program has secured championships than any other sport team at Queen's, and more than any other football team in Canada. The Gaels are also one of the only two universities to have claimed Grey Cup
s (1922, 1923 and 1924), currently the championship trophy for the Canadian Football League
, with the other being the University of Toronto
. Queen’s also competed for the Stanley Cup
in 1894-95, 1898–99 and 1905-06.
Queen's University has a number of athletic facilities open to both their varsity teams as well as to their students. The stadium with the largest seating capacity at Queen's is Richardson Memorial Stadium
. Built in 1971, the stadium seats over 10,000 and is home to the varsity football team. The stadium has also played host for a number of international games including Canada's second round 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification games
and the inaugural match for the Colonial Cup
, an international rugby league challenge match. Other facilities at Queen's includes the Athletic and Recreation Centre, which houses a number of gymnasiums, pools and is also home to the university's basketball and volleyball programs, Tindall Field, a multi-season playing field and jogging track, Kingston Field, home to the school's rugby teams, and West Campus Fields, which is used by a number of Gaels teams and clubs as well as a number of Queen's intramural leagues.
and convocation
, and athletic games are: 'Queen's College Colours' (1897) also known as 'Our University Yell' and 'Oil Thigh
,' with words by A.E. Lavell, sung to the tune 'John Brown's Body
'.
was officially adopted in 1884, it wasn't until a century later that Queen's formalised the use of its current flags. One is for use only by the principal while one is for general "civilian" use. The principal's flag comprises a square version of the Queen's coat of arms. The civilian one is three vertical stripes of the school colours: blue, yellow, and red. In the upper left corner on the blue stripe is a crown in yellow symbolising the University's royal charter. The flag is similar in look to the flags of Romania
, Chad
, Moldova
, and Andorra
.
, the jacket colours are:
In the case of Arts (before expansion as Arts & Science), Applied Science, Medicine, and Commerce, the jacket colour is the same as the toorie on each faculty society tam
, the wearing of which was introduced in 1925. In the case of Arts, Science and Medicine, the colours were derived from the University Tricolour of Red, Gold, and Blue. Before gaining greater autonomy, Commerce was under the Faculty of Arts, and as such its colour was derived as a different shade of the Arts colour. In the relatively newer faculties, however, this colour link is not present.
Students of Applied Science (Engineering) have taken to dying their jackets purple with Gentian violet, a tradition that was originally established to honour the engineers who stayed behind and lost their lives on the Titanic, as their uniform colour was purple.
officially associated with the university includes the colours of six Queen's academic hoods: blue (Medicine), red (Arts & Science), gold (Applied Science), white (Nursing Science), green (Commerce & MBA), and Purple (Theology). This tartan is not to be confused with the Royal Stewart tartan
, worn with special permission from Queen Elizabeth II as part of the uniforms of the Queen's Bands.
and the Victoria Cross
. As of 2009, 56 Queen's students and graduates have been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship
.
A number of notable politicians have held the position as Chancellor at the university including Robert Borden
, Prime Minister of Canada
, Roland Michener
, Governor General of Canada
, and provincial premiers Peter Lougheed
and Charles Avery Dunning
. Many alumni have gained international prominence for serving in government, such as Prince Takamado, member of the Imperial House of Japan
; and Kenneth O. Hall
, formerly Governor General of Jamaica. Two Canadian premiers also graduated from Queen's, William Aberhart
, the 7th Premier of Alberta
and Frank McKenna
, the 27th Premier of New Brunswick
. Sandford Fleming
, an engineer and inventor who was known for proposing worldwide standard time zone
s had also served as the Chancellor of Queen's.
A number of prominent business leaders studied at Queen's. Examples include Derek Burney
, former chairman and CEO of Bell Canada
, Donald J. Carty
, chairman of Virgin America
and Porter Airlines
and former chairman and CEO of AMR Corporation, Earle McLaughlin
, former president and CEO of Royal Bank of Canada
, Gordon Nixon
, president and CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada
, and Elon
and Kimbal Musk
, founders of OneRiot, SpaceX
and Tesla Motors
. David A. Dodge
, the former Governor of the Bank of Canada
and the university's current chancellor is similarly a Queen's graduate.
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
research university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than 1400 hectares (3,459.5 acre) of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle
Herstmonceux Castle
Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built Tudor castle near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, United Kingdom. From 1957 to 1988 its grounds were the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Queen's is organized into ten undergraduate, graduate and professional faculties and schools.
The Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
established Queen's College in 1841 with a royal charter from Queen Victoria. The first classes, intended to prepare students for the ministry, were held March 7, 1842 with 13 students and 2 professors. Queen's was the first university west of the maritime provinces to admit women, and to form a student government. In 1883, a women's college for medical education was established affiliated with Queen's University. In 1888, Queen's University began offering extension courses, becoming the first Canadian university to do so. In 1912, Queen's was transformed into a secular school. It was also then that the college changed its name to its present legal name, Queen's University at Kingston.
Queen's is a coeducational university, with more than 23,000 students. Alumni and former students of the university can be found all across Canada and in 156 countries around the world. Queen's varsity teams, known as the Gaels compete in the Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public...
conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
.
History
The university was established as Queen's University at Kingston in 16 October 1841 by a royal charter issued through Queen Victoria. The establishment of Queen's resulted from years of effort from Presbyterians of Upper CanadaUpper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
to found a college for the education of ministers in the growing colony and to instruct the youth in various branches of sciences and literature. With the college modelled after the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, classes began on 7 March 1842, in a small wood-frame house on the edge of the city with two professors and 13 students. The college had moved around Kingston several times during its first eleven years, before settling in its present location. Prior to Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, the college was financially supported by the Presbyterian Church in Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, the Canadian government, and private citizens. After Confederation however, the college faced ruin when the federal government withdrew its funding and the Commercial Bank of the Midland District collapsed, a disaster which cost Queen's two-thirds of its endowment. With the risk of financial ruin, the college was rescued after Principal William Snodgrass
William Snodgrass
The Rev William Snodgrass was a Canadian Presbyterian minister and the sixth Principal of Queen's College, now Queen's University....
and other officials had managed a fundraising campaign across Canada.
Risk of financial ruin continued to worry college's administration until the last decade of the century, with talk of leaving Kingston and merging with the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
as the only means of avoiding financial failure emerging as late as the 1880s. With the additional funds bequeathed from Queen's first major benefactor, Robert Sutherland
Robert Sutherland
Robert Sutherland, a native of Jamaica, was the first known graduate of colour at a Canadian university, and the first Black man to study law in North America. A graduate of Queen's University. Sutherland qualified to practise law in Ontario under the then prevailing system of apprenticeship and...
, the college had managed to stave off financial failure and maintain its institutional independence. Queen's College in Kingston was given university status on May 17, 1881. In 1883, Women's Medical College was founded at Queen's with a class of 3.
Queen's Theological College
Queen's School of Religion, formerly Queen's Theological College, is affiliated with Queen's University. Graduates receive their degrees from Queen's University...
remained in the control of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
, until 1925, when it joined the United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
, where it remains today. The university had faced another financial crisis during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with a sharp drop in enrolment due to the enlistment of students, staff, and faculty. A C$1,000,000 fundraising drive and the armistice in 1918 had managed to save the university from risk of financial failure. Approximately 1,500 students participated in the World War I and 187 died. Months before Canada joined the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, came to Queen's to accept an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
and, in a broadcast heard around the world, voiced the American policy of mutual alliance and friendship with Canada. 2,917 Queen's graduates had served during World War II and 164 dead. The Memorial Room in Memorial Hall of the John Deutsch University Centre lists those Queen's students who fell during both world wars.
Queen's grew quickly after the war, propelled by the expanding postwar economy and the first stirrings of the demographic boom that peaked in the 1960s. From 1951 to 1961, enrolment increased from just over 2000 students to more than 3000. The university embarked on an ambitious building program, constructing five student residences in less than ten years. Following the reorganization of legal education in Ontario in the mid-1950s, Queen's Faculty of Law opened in 1957 in the newly-built John A. Macdonald Hall. Other major additions to Queen's in the 1950s were the construction of Richardson Hall to house Queen's administrative offices, and Dunning Hall. By the end of the 1960s', like many other universities in Canada, Queen's tripled its enrolment and greatly expanded its faculty, staff, and facilities, as a result of the aging baby boomers and generous support from the public sector. By the mid-1970s, the number of full-time students had reached 10,000. Among the new facilities were three more residences and separate buildings for the Departments of Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Psychology, and for the Social Sciences and the Humanities. The period also saw the establishment at Queen's of Schools of Music, Public Administration (now part of Policy Studies), Rehabilitation Therapy, and Urban and Regional Planning. The establishment of the Faculty of Education in 1968 on land about a kilometre west of the university had also marked the beginning of the university's west campus.
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, and his then-wife, Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, to mark the occasion. The Prince of Wales presented a replica of the 1841 Royal Charter granted by Queen Victoria, which had established the university; the replica is displayed in the John Deutsch University Centre.
The first woman chancellor of Queen's University, Agnes Richardson Benidickson, was installed on October 23, 1980.
In 1993, Queen's received Herstmonceux Castle as a donation from alumnus Alfred Bader
Alfred Bader
Alfred Bader CBE is a Canadian chemist, businessman and collector of fine art.-Early years:Bader's father's family was of Czech Jewish descent; his mother was a Catholic Hungarian aristocrat. He fled from Austria to England in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution...
. The castle is presently used by the university as the Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle.
In 2001 the Senate Educational Equity Committee (SEEC) conducted a study of the experiences of visible minority
Visible minority
A visible minority is a person who is visibly not one of the majority race in a given population.The term is used as a demographic category by Statistics Canada in connection with that country's Employment Equity policies. The qualifier "visible" is important in the Canadian context where...
and Aboriginal faculty members at Queen's after a black female professor left Queen's University alleging that she had experienced racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. Following this survey SEEC commissioned a study found that many perceived a 'Culture of Whiteness' at the university. The report concluded that “white privilege and power continues to be reflected in the Eurocentric curricula, traditional pedagogical approaches, hiring, promotion and tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
practices, and opportunities for research” at Queen’s. The university's response to the report has been the subject of continuing debate. The administration has implemented measures to promote diversity since 2006, such as the establishment of a position of diversity advisor and the hiring of "dialogue monitors" to facilitate discussions on social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
. While such programs are credited as having good intentions there is skepticism that they will be adequate in addressing social inequalities at Queen's.
In May 2010, Queen's University joined the Matariki Network of Universities
Matariki Network of Universities
The Matariki Network of Universities is an international group of universities created in 2010, which focuses on strong links between research and undergraduate teaching. It claims that each member is leading international best practice in research and education based on long academic traditions...
, an international group of universities created in 2010, which focuses on strong links between research and undergraduate teaching.
Campus
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
buildings and unique Romanesque Revival and neo-gothic architecture., Indeed, several buildings are over a century old, including Summerhill (1839), Old Medical (1858), Etherington House
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
The Agnes Etherington Art Centre is in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is operated by Queen's University. The centre holds 12-15 exhibitions annually, as well as artists' talks and performances, public lectures, symposia, workshops, and school and family programs...
(1879), Theological Hall (1880), Carruthers Hall (1890), Victoria School (1892) {now part of Goodes Hall}, Ontario Hall (1903), Kingston Hall (1903), Grant Hall
Grant Hall
Grant Hall is a landmark on the campus of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is located on University Avenue, just north of Bader Lane....
(1905), and Kathleen Ryan Hall (1907). The main campus contains most of the teaching and administrative buildings packed into a relatively small space; walking time from one end of campus to the other is approximately 15 minutes.
Queen's University includes a number of residences: Adelaide Hall; Ban Righ Hall; Chown Hall; Gordon House; Brockington House; Graduate Residence;
Harkness Hall; John Orr Tower Apartments; Leggett Hall; Leonard Hall; McNeill House; Morris Hall; Victoria Hall; Waldron Tower; and Watts Hall. Jean Royce Hall (Phase I) includes: Angus House; Boucher House; Bryce House; Curran House; Douglas House; Healey House and Laird House. Jean Royce Hall (Phase II) includes: Miller House; Roy House; Shortliffe House; Tracy House; and Trotter House.
Adjacent to the campus, and within the same walking distance, is the Kingston General Hospital
Kingston General Hospital
The Kingston General Hospital is a teaching hospital affiliated with Queen's University located in Kingston, Ontario. The hospital is a partner within Kingston's university hospitals, delivering health care, conducting research and training health care professionals.As the oldest public hospital...
which is affiliated with Queen's, and is a designated National Historic Site of Canada as it served as the location of the first parliament of the Province of Canada in 1841. There is also a smaller expansion known as "West Campus", which is approximately 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) west of the main campus limits. The West Campus holds additional student residences, Duncan McArthur Hall (which houses the Faculty of Education), and Richardson Memorial Stadium
Richardson Memorial Stadium
George Taylor Richardson Memorial Stadium is a 10,258 seat Canadian football stadium located on the campus of the Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. It was built in 1971 and is the home of the Golden Gaels football team. It is named in memory of George Taylor Richardson, a Queen's graduate...
(home of the Queen's Gaels), along with more sports fields. Leonard Hall (1959) and Leonard Field are named in honour of Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Reuben Wells Leonard
Reuben Wells Leonard
Lieutenant-Colonel Reuben Wells Leonard was a soldier, civil engineer, railroad and mining executive, and philanthropist.-Education:Following a short stint as a teacher in Brant County, he studied civil engineering at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, student # 87...
on land given by him to Queen's in 1923.
On September 11, 2007, Queen's announced the purchase of the former Federal Prison for Women, a 3.3 hectares (8.2 acre) parcel of land that served as a correctional facility from 1934 to 2000, and was then sold by the Canada Lands Corporation. Although plans have not been officially announced, it is expected that the Prison for Women site will ultimately house the Queen's University Archives, currently stored on main campus in Kathleen Ryan Hall. The former prison is located adjacent to West Campus. Using funds donated by notable alumnus Dr. Alfred Bader
Alfred Bader
Alfred Bader CBE is a Canadian chemist, businessman and collector of fine art.-Early years:Bader's father's family was of Czech Jewish descent; his mother was a Catholic Hungarian aristocrat. He fled from Austria to England in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution...
to build a performing arts centre, Queen's has also purchased the 1.2 hectares (3 acre)} J. K. Tett Centre, a waterfront property with historical buildings home to many artistic and community organizations.
Although the campus is relatively small and the buildings densely packed, there are many open green spaces and trees that create a park-like atmosphere. The campus is on the shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
and has easy access to two lake-front parks, favourite locations for students to relax. The campus is also located approximately 10 minutes' walk from the city's downtown.
About 50 km (31.1 mi), north of Kingston, the Queen's University Biological Station
Queen's University Biological Station
Queen's University Biological Station is the largest inland field station in North America. For over 50 years, researchers and students have gathered at the Queen's University Biological Station to conduct research and participate in courses spanning ecology, evolution, conservation and...
provides research facilities for faculty, students, and visiting scholars. The 2650 hectares (6,548.3 acre) campus on Lake Opinicon
Opinicon Lake
Opinicon Lake is a lake located on the Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada.This shallow lake was formed when Colonel John By built the Rideau Canal. It is a popular fishing spot and location for cottagers. Chaffey's Lock and Davis Lock are the two locks on this passage. Davis Lock separates Lake...
consists of 35 buildings including several laboratories, conference rooms, guest rooms, and a library.
Queen's University Library
At present, the Queen's library collections contain over 2.6 million individual items. Maclean's magazine reports that Queen's ranks first among Canadian universities, in the Medical / Doctoral category, in per capita library volumes per student (with 352), and fourth in overall holdings (behind the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, and the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
).
Libraries on the Queen's campus include:
- Bracken Health Sciences LibraryBracken Health Sciences LibraryThe Bracken Health Sciences Library at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, occupies two floors of Botterell Hall. It offers complete library services and its staff are committed to excellent user service...
- Douglas Library
- Engineering and Science Library
- W.D. Jordan Special Collections and Music Library
- Education Library
- Lederman Law LibraryQueen's Faculty of LawThe Queen's University Faculty of Law is a professional faculty of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions of legal education in Canada....
- Stauffer Library
- Adaptive Technology Centre
- Art Collection
- MADGIC-Maps, Data and Government Information Centre
- Map and Air Photo Collection
- Social Science Data Centre
- Wallach-Groome Sustainability Centre
Additional library locations:
- Queen's Biological Station
- International Study Centre
Sustainability
Sustainability initiatives at Queen's University have focused on waste diversion, energy conservation, hazardous waste management, green power, and green construction policies. Queen's is also home to Beamish-Munroe Hall, which is considered one of Canada's most environmentally advanced buildings. A student Sustainability Coordinator assists University administrators in implementing campus sustainability programs. Queen's Office of Sustainability was established in 2008, in order to promote sustainability initiatives on campus and create greater awareness of issues relating to environmental sustainability among members of the community. In 2009, the Sustainable Endowments Institute awarded Queen's University a "B-" for its campus sustainability initiatives.Innovation Park at Queen's University
Queen’s has completed an agreement with Novelis Inc. to acquire a 20 hectares (49.4 acre) property adjacent to the company's research and development centre in Kingston. The agreement is part of the plan to establish an innovative technology park located at the corner of Princess and Concession streets, which is to be called Innovation Park at Queen's University. The property was acquired for $5.3 million, a portion of the $21 million grant Queen's received from the Ontario government last spring to pioneer this innovative new regional R&D "co-location" model.Queen's has also reached an agreement to lease approximately 7900 square metres (85,034.9 sq ft) of the Novelis R&D facilities to accommodate both faculty-led research projects that have industrial partners and small and medium-size companies with a research focus and a desire to interact with Queen's researchers. The remainder of the government funds will go toward further development of the technology park to transform the property into a welcoming and dynamic site for business expansion and relocation.
Bader International Study Centre
Herstmonceux Castle
Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built Tudor castle near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, United Kingdom. From 1957 to 1988 its grounds were the home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory...
, which was donated to Queen's in 1993 by alumnus Alfred Bader
Alfred Bader
Alfred Bader CBE is a Canadian chemist, businessman and collector of fine art.-Early years:Bader's father's family was of Czech Jewish descent; his mother was a Catholic Hungarian aristocrat. He fled from Austria to England in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution...
. Herstmonceux Castle is in southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and provides a base for field studies by its students generally in southern England. The courses available range from English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
to Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
to Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, with many of the courses specially designed to take advantage of the location of the BISC. Instructors and students are not exclusively from Queen's, but attend from across Canada, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and elsewhere.
Students attend classes Monday through Thursday and are encouraged to use their three day weekend to experience Europe. Field trips are required for all courses, although some are more field trip heavy than others (e.g. history and art history). There are also Mid-Term Trips that are included in the programme fees. In the past, the Fall semester trip has been to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, while the Winter semester trip has been to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. These include some course-specific field trips and other general cultural trips for the entire student body. Spring term has seen Mid-Term Trips to Dieppe, while the Summer term Mid-Term Trip in the past has been to London, owing to the short nature of the term.
Herstmonceux Castle is famous for its gardens and grounds, as well as its proximity to the old Royal Observatory
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
but students at the BISC can also enjoy a small gymnasium and a student pub within the Castle called the Headless Drummer.
Queen's Centre
In October 2004, Queen's University announced a multi-million dollar plan to create a sports and recreation complex called the "Queen's Centre" over two city blockCity block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
s. It is expected to take more than ten years from design to completion. The plans include the building of a six-lane track, an Olympic-sized arena, 25-metre pool, eight basketball courts, substantially more gathering and meeting space than is currently available, fitness, aerobic, locker and food space, and a new home for the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies (formerly School of Physical and Health Education). The project will be completed in three phases, the earliest of which was completed in December 2009. This first phase includes the new Varsity Gymnasium, public food court, club areas, aquatic centre, fitness and weight centre and School of Kinesiology and Health Studies.
The development of the Queen's Centre marks the largest construction project in the university's history, however it remains controversial with both current students and alumni. Much of the controversy surrounding the project relates to debates over financial priorities and a perceived lack of foresight by former Principal Karen Hitchcock, whose administration initiated the project.
In an effort to cope with the large costs involved in the groundbreaking project, the university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
has developed an intensive fundraising campaign, led by David J. Mitchell
David J. Mitchell
David Joseph Mitchell is a Canadian writer, former politician, university administrator, businessman and political commentator. He is currently the President & CEO of the Public Policy Forum, an Ottawa-based NGO dedicated to improving the quality of government in Canada through enhanced dialogue...
, former vice-principal
Vice-principal
In larger school systems, a principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal or assistant principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making authority that the principal carries...
of advancement, which will aim to attract "million-dollar-plus" donations from alumni and large corporations. The campaign target is set at $132 million, making it one of the most ambitious fundraising campaigns in the history of Canadian universities. The Queen's university's student government has already made an historic contribution to the campaign, pledging "$25.5 million in fees over nine years from student surcharges", the largest sum ever donated to a university by its students.
During the summer of 2009, it was announced by the university that Phase One of the Queen's Centre would officially open on August 31, 2009. However, a massive flood, caused by a major thunderstorm in August, damaged the new gymnasium floor and knocked out the building's electrical system, leading to further delays; the storm also caused flooding elsewhere in Kingston. Phase One eventually opened on December 1, 2009, and the projected cost of Phase One is now $169 million (Canadian). Varsity competition in the new facility began January, 2010.
Other centres
Other Queen's-affiliated centres include:- Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
- Centre for International Relations
- High Performance Computing Consortium (HPCVL)
- Fuel Cell Research Centre
- GeoEngineering Centre
- Human Mobility Research Centre (HMRC)
- Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR)
Administration
Queen's University has a tricameral governance structure, which is responsible for setting the policy of the university. The three bodies that govern the university are the University Council, the Board of Trustees and the Senate. The University Council regularly meets once per year at the beginning of May, and is composed of all the members of the Senate and the Board of Trustees, along with an equal number of elected Queen's graduates. The University Council is responsible for electing the Chancellor, setting the bylaws for the election of the Rector and the Trustees, and for bringing any matter to the attention of the Senate or the Board of Trustees. The University Council serves in a largely advisory role and has no power over the actual operations of the university.
The Board of Trustees is the second governing body of Queen's, and meets four times each year. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the finances and the non-academic operations of the university. The membership of the Board is largely external to the University. Trustees are elected from the University Council (6 members), graduates (6 members), benefactors (7 members), faculty (2 members), students (2 members, 1 graduate and 1 undergraduate), staff (2 members), and the Theological College (1 member). The Board of Trustees also chooses 15 members itself. The Chancellor, Principal and Rector also serve as ex-offio members of the Board of Trustees. In addition to managing the finances of Queen's University, the Board of Trustees is also responsible for appointing the Principal.
The Senate is the third governing body of the university, and meets each month between September and May. The Senate is responsible for awarding degrees (including honorary degrees) and generally has power over all the academic functions of Queen's University. Whereas the Board of Trustees is dominated by external members, the Senate is composed entirely from the Queen's community and one of its primary principles is that the faculty hold a majority of the membership. Most of the Senate is elected by the faculty (36 members), students (16 members) and the staff (3 members). The faculty and student membership is further divided roughly proportionately to the various faculties of Queen's based on each faculty's enrolment. The Senate also has 16 ex-officio members. These are mainly the senior administrators of the university but also include representatives from the two student societies and faculty union.
Queen's today has 18 faculties and schools, listed below:
- The Faculty of Arts and SciencesQueen's Faculty of Arts and SciencesThe largest of all faculties at Queen's University, and one of the original three faculties that founded the school in 1841.The faculty’s student government is the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society. ASUS sends eight representatives and its executive to the university-wide undergraduate...
that, in addition to offering a wide variety of social sciences, humanities, natural and physical sciences, languages, and fine arts, hosts the following schools:- The Queen's School of MusicQueen's School of MusicThe Queen's School of Music is part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The School of Music is housed on the main campus of the University within Harrison-LeCaine Hall on Bader Lane. Founded in 1969 as the Department of Music, students at the...
- The Queen's School of Kinesiology and Health StudiesQueen's School of Kinesiology and Health StudiesThe Queen's School of Kinesiology and Health Studies is a school within the Faculty of Arts and Science of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It was formerly known as the School of Physical and Health Education....
- The Queen's School of ComputingQueen's School of ComputingThe Queen's School of Computing is a unit of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Queen's University responsible for research, as well as undergraduate and graduate education in computing and technology....
- The Queen's School of Environmental StudiesQueen's School of Environmental StudiesThe Queen's School of Environmental Studies is a unit of the faculty of Arts and Science at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The school offers an interdisciplinary approach to undergraduate and graduate studies dealing with the environment....
- The Queen's School of EnglishQueen's School of EnglishThe Queen's School of English, located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, is a unit of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Queen's University. Kingston is a small historic city about two to three hours by car or train to Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal...
- The Queen's School of Music
- The Faculty of Engineering & Applied ScienceQueen's Faculty of Engineering & Applied ScienceThe Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science is the faculty responsible for all students pursuing degrees in the various engineering disciplines at Queen's University. Undergraduate students are represented by the Engineering Society...
. Students can choose to specialize in the following disciplines: Chemical EngineeringChemical engineeringChemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, Engineering Chemistry, Civil EngineeringCivil engineeringCivil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
, Computer EngineeringComputer engineeringComputer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
, dual degrees, Electrical EngineeringElectrical engineeringElectrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, Engineering PhysicsEngineering physicsEngineering physics is the study of the combined disciplines of physics, engineering and mathematics in order to develop an understanding of the interrelationships of these three disciplines. Fundamental physics is combined with problem solving and engineering skills, which then has broad...
, Geological Engineering, Mathematics and Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringMechanical engineeringMechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and Mining EngineeringMining engineeringMining engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology, and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. Mining engineering also includes processing minerals for additional value.Mineral...
. - The Faculty of Health SciencesQueen's Faculty of Health SciencesThe Queen's Faculty of Health Sciences is a faculty of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It contains three schools: the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the School of Rehabilitation Therapy....
which is divided into:- The Queen's School of MedicineQueen's School of MedicineThe Queen's School of Medicine is a unit of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen's University responsible for research, as well as undergraduate and graduate education in Medicine....
- The Queen's School of Nursing
- The Queen's School of Rehabilitation Therapy
- The Queen's School of Medicine
- The Faculty of LawQueen's Faculty of LawThe Queen's University Faculty of Law is a professional faculty of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is regarded as one of the most prestigious institutions of legal education in Canada....
- The Faculty of EducationQueen's Faculty of EducationThe Faculty of Education of Queen's University in Canada was founded in 1907 and later opened again in 1965. Over 23,000 teachers and education professionals have graduated from the faculty since 1907....
Queen's features three schools that are, in effect, full faculties through their relative autonomy:
- Queen's School of BusinessQueen's School of BusinessThe Queen's School of Business is located in Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Since 2006, the Queen's School of Business MBA program has been ranked by Business Week number one internationally, outside the United States. The school of business became its own faculty in 1963 with its...
- Queen's School of Graduate Studies and Research, which includes the School of Policy Studies and the School of Urban and Regional PlanningQueen's School of Urban and Regional PlanningThe Queen's School of Urban and Regional Planning is a unit of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at Queen's University.Besides offering a two-year Master of Planning program to students at a low student-to-faculty ratio, SURP also maintains extensive formal connections with all levels of...
- Queen's Theological CollegeQueen's Theological CollegeQueen's School of Religion, formerly Queen's Theological College, is affiliated with Queen's University. Graduates receive their degrees from Queen's University...
(affiliate)
Academic profile
Queen's was ranked fourth in Canada in the Medical-Doctoral category of the Maclean's University Rankings (2011 edition) despite refusing to participate in the latest survey along with twenty-three other universities, over concerns with the data collection and analysis. Maclean's completed the survey using Access to InformationAccess to Information Act
Access to Information Act or Information Act is a Canadian act providing the right of access to information under the control of a government institution...
requests. Additionally, Queen's was ranked 144th internationally by the 2011 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
. In 2007, Queen's University was ranked 88th in the world and 4th in Canada. In 2010, Queen's formally protested the Times Higher Education methodology, refusing to participate or contribute data to the organization. The Academic Ranking of World Universities
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
(ARWU) in 2010 had ranked Queen's University 201-300 in the world and 9-18 nationally.
The Queen's School of Business
Queen's School of Business
The Queen's School of Business is located in Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Since 2006, the Queen's School of Business MBA program has been ranked by Business Week number one internationally, outside the United States. The school of business became its own faculty in 1963 with its...
full-time MBA program was ranked as the second in the world outside of the United States by BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
magazine's biannual ranking of MBA programmes in November 2010. Queen's School of Business was previously ranked first in the rankings for three consecutive rankings in a row prior to the release of the 2010 rankings.
Admissions
Queen's University has an acceptance rate of 43% (percentage of students accepted versus those who applied), making it the most selective public-research institution in Canada. The school emphasizes the PSE (Personal Statement of Experience) that is a mandatory part of the admissions process. The PSE focuses on the applicants qualifications and involvements outside of academic grades that plays an important factor in determining whether a student is admitted. The average entrance grade for 2008 was 87.4% (A), the second highest in Canada after McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. The graduation rate at Queen's is 89.8%, compared with a graduation rate average across all universities in Ontario of 78.3%.
Research
The Queen's physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
department is one of the largest groups involved in the international Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory is a neutrino observatory located 6,800 feet underground in Vale Inco's Creighton Mine in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The detector was designed to detect solar neutrinos through their interactions with a large tank of heavy water. The detector turned on in May 1999,...
Institute. The Institute manages the world-famous SNO experiment, which demonstrated that the solution to the solar neutrino problem
Solar neutrino problem
The solar neutrino problem was a major discrepancy between measurements of the numbers of neutrinos flowing through the Earth and theoretical models of the solar interior, lasting from the mid-1960s to about 2002...
was that neutrinos change flavour (type) as they propagate through the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. The SNO experiment was also credited with proving that a non-zero mass neutrino exists. This was a major breakthrough in cosmology. While the actual experiment is located 2 km below the Earth's surface in an active Vale Limited (formerly INCO) mine in Greater Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the Queen's collaborators do much of their work in Queen's Stirling Hall (a lab noted for its circular design and the large Foucault pendulum
Foucault pendulum
The Foucault pendulum , or Foucault's pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, is a simple device conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. While it had long been known that the Earth rotated, the introduction of the Foucault pendulum in 1851 was the...
in its main atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
). Queen's physicist and SNO director Arthur B. McDonald
Arthur B. McDonald
Arthur B. McDonald is a Canadian physicist and the Director of Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Institute. He also holds Gordon and Patricia Gray Chair in Particle Astrophysics at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.- Early life :...
has won both the Herzberg Prize, Canada's top science honour, and the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
's Tom W. Bonner Prize
Tom W. Bonner Prize
The Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics is an annual prize awarded by the American Physical Society's Division of Nuclear Physics. Established in 1964, and currently consisting of $7,500 and a certificate, the Bonner Prize was founded in memory of physicist Tom W. Bonner...
for nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
.
Created in 2010, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) at Queen's and Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
performs military and Veteran health research. The areas of study include: battlefield medicine
Battlefield medicine
Battlefield medicine, also called field surgery and later combat casualty care, is the treatment of wounded soldiers in or near an area of combat. Civilian medicine has been greatly advanced by procedures that were first developed to treat the wounds inflicted during combat...
and surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
, epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
, infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
, collaborative health care teams, health technologies, health surveillance, Veterans’ health, mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
, military and veterans’ family health, occupational health, operational health, and rehabilitation.
Book publishing
Queen's University currently has a joint venture with McGill University, operating an academic publishing house known as the McGill-Queen's University PressMcGill-Queen's University Press
The McGill-Queen's University Press is a joint venture between McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario....
. The university press publishes original peer-reviewed and books in all areas of the social sciences and humanities. While the press's emphasis is on providing an outlet for Canadian authors and scholarship, the press also publishes authors come from across Canada and throughout the world. The university press currently has over 2,800 books in print. Originally the McGill University Press in 1963, it amalgamated with Queen's in 1969. McGill-Queen's University Press focuses on Canadian studies and publishes the Canadian Public Administration Series.
Student life
Queen's Bands
The Queen's Bands, established in 1905, is the largest and oldest current university marching band in Canada. They make their home in Grant Hall on the campus of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada...
is a student marching band founded in 1905, which claims to be the largest and oldest student marching band in Canada. Fraternities and sororities have been banned at the university, since a ruling made by the Alma Mater Society in 1933. The ruling was passed in response to the formation of two fraternities in the 1920s. No accredited sororities have ever existed at Queen's.
Media
The university's student population operates a number of media outlets throughout the campus environment. The Queen's JournalThe Queen's Journal
The Queen's Journal, or simply The Journal, is the main student-run newspaper at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. It was established in 1873, making it one of the oldest student newspapers in Canada. It is as old as the Harvard Crimson, the oldest continuously published student newspaper in...
, is Queen's main student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
. The Queen's Journal publish two issues a week and once a week in the last month of each semester, totalling 40 issues in an academic year. The newspaper was established in 1873, making it one of the oldest student newspapers in Canada. The other weekly student publication from Queen's is the Golden Words
Golden Words
Golden Words is a weekly humour publication produced by students at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Currently, it is self-styled as the only humour weekly in Canada....
, which is a weekly humour publication, that is managed by the Engineering Society.
Queen's student population also runs a radio station, CFRC. Queen's radio station is the longest running campus-based broadcaster in the world, and the second longest running radio station in the world, surpassed only by the Marconi companies. The first public broadcast of the station was on October 27, 1923 when the football game between Queen's and McGill was called play-by-play. Since 2001, the station broadcasts on a 24-hour schedule. Since 1980, the university also has a student-run television service, known as Queen's TV
Queen's TV
Queen's TV is a student run television service at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Started in 1980, the service has undergone many transformations. Originally called Studio Cue, the service changed its name to Studio Q when it joined the Alma Mater Society in 1985-86. In 2007 the service...
. Queen's TV airs every weekday on its website, and every Wednesday on local television.
Sports
Sport teams at Queen's University are known as the Golden Gaels
Queen's Golden Gaels
The Queen's Gaels are the athletic teams that represent Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Team colours are blue, red, and gold. Its main home is Richardson Memorial Stadium on West Campus....
. The Golden Gaels sports teams participate in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
's Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics
Ontario University Athletics is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public...
conference for most varsity sports. Varsity teams at Queen's currently include basketball, cross country, Canadian football, ice hockey, rowing, rugby, soccer and volleyball. The athletics program at Queen's University dates back to 1873. With 39 regional and national championships, Queen's football program has secured championships than any other sport team at Queen's, and more than any other football team in Canada. The Gaels are also one of the only two universities to have claimed Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
s (1922, 1923 and 1924), currently the championship trophy for the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, with the other being the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. Queen’s also competed for the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
in 1894-95, 1898–99 and 1905-06.
Queen's University has a number of athletic facilities open to both their varsity teams as well as to their students. The stadium with the largest seating capacity at Queen's is Richardson Memorial Stadium
Richardson Memorial Stadium
George Taylor Richardson Memorial Stadium is a 10,258 seat Canadian football stadium located on the campus of the Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. It was built in 1971 and is the home of the Golden Gaels football team. It is named in memory of George Taylor Richardson, a Queen's graduate...
. Built in 1971, the stadium seats over 10,000 and is home to the varsity football team. The stadium has also played host for a number of international games including Canada's second round 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification games
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Second Round
This page provides the summaries of the CONCACAF Second Round matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. The 13 top-ranked teams from the FIFA ranking for CONCACAF in May 2007 competed, along with the 10 winning teams from the First Round and Belize, who didn't compete in the First Round...
and the inaugural match for the Colonial Cup
Colonial Cup (rugby league)
The Colonial Cup is an international rugby league football challenge match played between the USA Tomahawks and the Canada Wolverines. The inaugural match was played in September, 2010 at the Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ontario. The match was won by the USA Tomahawks 20 -16.In 2011,...
, an international rugby league challenge match. Other facilities at Queen's includes the Athletic and Recreation Centre, which houses a number of gymnasiums, pools and is also home to the university's basketball and volleyball programs, Tindall Field, a multi-season playing field and jogging track, Kingston Field, home to the school's rugby teams, and West Campus Fields, which is used by a number of Gaels teams and clubs as well as a number of Queen's intramural leagues.
Fight song
Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencementGraduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
and convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
, and athletic games are: 'Queen's College Colours' (1897) also known as 'Our University Yell' and 'Oil Thigh
Oil Thigh
The Oil Thigh is the name given to the anthem and fight song of Queen's University and its sports teams, the Queen's Gaels. Although the song's official title is Queen's College Colours, it is almost universally referred to by the first words of the Gaelic chorus.-Etymology:Oilthigh is the...
,' with words by A.E. Lavell, sung to the tune 'John Brown's Body
John Brown's Body
"John Brown's Body" is an American marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The tune arose out of the folk hymn tradition of the American camp meeting movement of the 19th century...
'.
Flags
Though the TricolourTricolour
A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...
was officially adopted in 1884, it wasn't until a century later that Queen's formalised the use of its current flags. One is for use only by the principal while one is for general "civilian" use. The principal's flag comprises a square version of the Queen's coat of arms. The civilian one is three vertical stripes of the school colours: blue, yellow, and red. In the upper left corner on the blue stripe is a crown in yellow symbolising the University's royal charter. The flag is similar in look to the flags of Romania
Flag of Romania
The national flag of Romania is a tricolour with vertical stripes: beginning from the flagpole, blue, yellow and red. It has a width-length ratio of 2:3....
, Chad
Flag of Chad
The national flag of the Republic of Chad is a vertical tricolor consisting of a blue, a yellow and a red field. Blue was substituted for green to avoid confusion with neighboring states. The basic design is the same as that of the flag of Romania, the flag of Andorra, the flag of Moldova, and...
, Moldova
Flag of Moldova
The state flag of Moldova is a vertical tricolor of blue, yellow, and red, charged with the coat of arms of Moldova on the center bar. The obverse is mirrored. The flag ratio is 1:2...
, and Andorra
Flag of Andorra
The national flag of the Principality of Andorra was adopted in 1866. The flag is a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the centre. Although the three vertical bars may at first appear to be of equal width, the centre yellow bar is slightly wider than...
.
Queen's jackets
Each faculty at Queen's sports its own distinctive jacket, the unique colour of which is determined by the programme type. The material is almost exclusively leather, though historically there were times when the jackets were made of other materials such as nylon. Students often sew distinctive bars or patches onto their Queen's jackets to make them more distinctive and individual. Patches include major of study and faculty society mottos, as well as the official school crest with university motto and other assorted symbols. However, according to tradition, additions may not be made until the completion of the first year of study., the jacket colours are:
- Arts & Science: maroon
- Applied Science (Engineering): gold (usually dyed purple to varying degrees)
- Medicine: blue
- Commerce: burgundy
- Computing: black
- Concurrent Education: midnight blue
- Consecutive Education: midnight blue
- Law: black
- Music: black
- Nursing: midnight blue
- Kinesiology and Health Studies: midnight blue
In the case of Arts (before expansion as Arts & Science), Applied Science, Medicine, and Commerce, the jacket colour is the same as the toorie on each faculty society tam
Tam o'shanter (hat)
A Tam o' Shanter is a Scottish style hat originally worn by men. The hat is named after a character in a poem written by Robert Burns in 1790...
, the wearing of which was introduced in 1925. In the case of Arts, Science and Medicine, the colours were derived from the University Tricolour of Red, Gold, and Blue. Before gaining greater autonomy, Commerce was under the Faculty of Arts, and as such its colour was derived as a different shade of the Arts colour. In the relatively newer faculties, however, this colour link is not present.
Students of Applied Science (Engineering) have taken to dying their jackets purple with Gentian violet, a tradition that was originally established to honour the engineers who stayed behind and lost their lives on the Titanic, as their uniform colour was purple.
Tartan
The Queen's University of Kingston, Ontario tartanTartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
officially associated with the university includes the colours of six Queen's academic hoods: blue (Medicine), red (Arts & Science), gold (Applied Science), white (Nursing Science), green (Commerce & MBA), and Purple (Theology). This tartan is not to be confused with the Royal Stewart tartan
Royal Stewart Tartan
The Royal Stewart Tartan is the best known tartan of the royal House of Stewart, and is also the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II. It is appropriate for all subjects of Elizabeth II to wear the Royal Stewart tartan , in much the same way that clansmen may wear the tartan of their clan chief...
, worn with special permission from Queen Elizabeth II as part of the uniforms of the Queen's Bands.
Notable people
Queen's graduates have found success in a variety of fields, serving at the heads of diverse institutions both in the public and private sector. There are currently over 131,000 alumni in 156 countries. Queen's faculty and graduates have accumulated numerous awards including Turing AwardTuring Award
The Turing Award, in full The ACM A.M. Turing Award, is an annual award given by the Association for Computing Machinery to "an individual selected for contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community. The contributions should be of lasting and major technical importance to the...
and the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. As of 2009, 56 Queen's students and graduates have been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
.
A number of notable politicians have held the position as Chancellor at the university including Robert Borden
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
, Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, Roland Michener
Roland Michener
Daniel Roland Michener , commonly known as Roland Michener, was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 20th since Canadian Confederation....
, Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, and provincial premiers Peter Lougheed
Peter Lougheed
Edgar Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC, is a Canadian lawyer, and a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985....
and Charles Avery Dunning
Charles Avery Dunning
Charles Avery Dunning, PC was born in Croft, Leicestershire, England. During his career, he was a successful businessman, a Canadian politician , and a university chancellor.-Early life:...
. Many alumni have gained international prominence for serving in government, such as Prince Takamado, member of the Imperial House of Japan
Imperial House of Japan
The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the Yamato Dynasty, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the emperor is the symbol of the state and unity of the people...
; and Kenneth O. Hall
Kenneth O. Hall
Sir Kenneth Octavius Hall ON, GCMG, OJ was Governor-General of Jamaica from 16 February 2006 to 26 February 2009. He was Jamaica's fifth Governor-General since independence in 1962....
, formerly Governor General of Jamaica. Two Canadian premiers also graduated from Queen's, William Aberhart
William Aberhart
William Aberhart , also known as Bible Bill for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh Premier of Alberta between 1935 and 1943. The Social Credit party believed the reason for the depression was that people did not have enough money to spend, so the government...
, the 7th Premier of Alberta
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
and Frank McKenna
Frank McKenna
Francis Joseph "Frank" McKenna, PC, OC, ONB, QC is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006...
, the 27th Premier of New Brunswick
Premier of New Brunswick
The Premier of New Brunswick is the first minister for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
. Sandford Fleming
Sandford Fleming
Sir Sandford Fleming, was a Scottish-born Canadian engineer and inventor, proposed worldwide standard time zones, designed Canada's first postage stamp, a huge body of surveying and map making, engineering much of the Intercolonial Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway, and was a founding...
, an engineer and inventor who was known for proposing worldwide standard time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
s had also served as the Chancellor of Queen's.
A number of prominent business leaders studied at Queen's. Examples include Derek Burney
Derek Burney
Derek Hudson Burney, OC is a Canadian businessman. He is also a former diplomat and political strategist for the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney.- Life and career :...
, former chairman and CEO of Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
, Donald J. Carty
Donald J. Carty
Donald J. Carty, OC is a Canadian/American businessman who serves as chairman of Virgin America and Porter Airlines. In addition to these chairmanships, Mr. Carty is also a director of Dell, Hawaiian Airlines, Sears, CHC Helicopter and Barrick Gold...
, chairman of Virgin America
Virgin America
Virgin America, Inc. is a United States-based low-cost airline that began service on August 8, 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards." San Francisco...
and Porter Airlines
Porter Airlines
Porter Airlines is a regional airline headquartered at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Porter operates regularly scheduled flights between Toronto and locations in Canada and the United States using Canadian-built Bombardier Dash-8 Q 400...
and former chairman and CEO of AMR Corporation, Earle McLaughlin
Earle McLaughlin
William Earle McLaughlin, OC was a Canadian banker.Born in Oshawa, Ontario, Earle McLaughlin graduated with the gold medal in commerce from Queen's University and joined the Royal Bank of Canada in 1936. In 1960, at an age considered very young at the time, 45-year-old McLaughlin was appointed the...
, former president and CEO of Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
, Gordon Nixon
Gordon Nixon
Gordon M. "Gord" Nixon, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian business executive and investment banker. He is the President, CEO and Director of Royal Bank of Canada.-Early life:...
, president and CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
, and Elon
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is an American engineer and entrepreneur heritage best known for co-founding PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors. He is currently the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity...
and Kimbal Musk
Kimbal Musk
Kimbal Musk is an entrepreneur who has helped found, advise and invest in several software and technology companies. He is the owner of The Kitchen restaurant in Boulder, Colorado...
, founders of OneRiot, SpaceX
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California...
and Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company that designs, manufactures and sells electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components. It was the only automaker building and selling a zero-emission sports car, the Tesla Roadster, in serial production...
. David A. Dodge
David A. Dodge
David A. Dodge, OC, FRSC is a Canadian economist. He served a seven-year term as Governor of the Bank of Canada from February 1, 2001 to January 31, 2008. He was succeeded by Mark Carney. On September 12, 2008 he joined Bennett Jones LLP, a leading Canadian law firm, as a senior advisor in their...
, the former Governor of the Bank of Canada
Governor of the Bank of Canada
The Governor of the Bank of Canada is chief executive officer and the chairman of the board of directors of the Bank of Canada; the incumbent governor is Mark Carney, who has served since 1 February 2008. The governor is appointed by the Minister of Finance, with the advice of the bank's board of...
and the university's current chancellor is similarly a Queen's graduate.
See also
- Agnes Benidickson Tricolour AwardAgnes Benidickson Tricolour AwardThe Tricolour Award and induction into the Tricolour Society is the highest tribute that can be paid to a student of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario for valuable and distinguished service to the University in non-academic and non-athletic activities...
- Agnes Etherington Art CentreAgnes Etherington Art CentreThe Agnes Etherington Art Centre is in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is operated by Queen's University. The centre holds 12-15 exhibitions annually, as well as artists' talks and performances, public lectures, symposia, workshops, and school and family programs...
- Old FourOld FourThe Old Four is a soccer conference composed of four public institutions of higher education in Central Canada. The name is also an appellation for the four universities as a group, consisted of McGill University, Queen’s University, University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario. They are...
- Queen's University Solar Vehicle TeamQueen's University Solar Vehicle TeamThe Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team was a dynamic, multidisciplinary student design project at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, whose goal was to design and build vehicles that are solely powered by the sun’s energy. One of the two original Canadian teams, the Queen’s...
- Queen's PlayersQueen's PlayersThe Queen's Players is a sketch comedy/improvisation/rock and roll troupe that performs at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario in Clark Hall pub, Alfie's pub, and Time To Laugh Comedy Club. It produces three productions every year: one in the fall, one in the winter, and one show in the spring...
See also
- Agnes Benidickson Tricolour AwardAgnes Benidickson Tricolour AwardThe Tricolour Award and induction into the Tricolour Society is the highest tribute that can be paid to a student of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario for valuable and distinguished service to the University in non-academic and non-athletic activities...
- Agnes Etherington Art CentreAgnes Etherington Art CentreThe Agnes Etherington Art Centre is in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is operated by Queen's University. The centre holds 12-15 exhibitions annually, as well as artists' talks and performances, public lectures, symposia, workshops, and school and family programs...
- Old FourOld FourThe Old Four is a soccer conference composed of four public institutions of higher education in Central Canada. The name is also an appellation for the four universities as a group, consisted of McGill University, Queen’s University, University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario. They are...
- Queen's University Solar Vehicle TeamQueen's University Solar Vehicle TeamThe Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team was a dynamic, multidisciplinary student design project at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, whose goal was to design and build vehicles that are solely powered by the sun’s energy. One of the two original Canadian teams, the Queen’s...
- Queen's PlayersQueen's PlayersThe Queen's Players is a sketch comedy/improvisation/rock and roll troupe that performs at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario in Clark Hall pub, Alfie's pub, and Time To Laugh Comedy Club. It produces three productions every year: one in the fall, one in the winter, and one show in the spring...
Further reading
- Thomas H. Carpenter ed `Queen's : the first one hundred & fifty years` [Newburgh, Ont.] : Hedgehog Productions, c1990.
- Frederick W. Gibson: 'Queen's University, Volume 2, 1917-1961: To Serve and Yet Be Free.' Kingston and Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1983.
- Roberta Hamilton: 'Setting the Agenda: Jean Royce and the Shaping of Queen's University' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, September 26, 2002)
- Hilda NeatbyHilda NeatbyHilda Marion Ada Neatby, was a Canadian historian and educator.Born in Surrey, England, the daughter of Andrew Mossforth Neatby and Ada Deborah Fisher, she received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Saskatchewan and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota...
: 'History of Queen’s University, Vol I' (Montreal:McGill-Queen’s University' Press © December 1, 1978) - Hilda NeatbyHilda NeatbyHilda Marion Ada Neatby, was a Canadian historian and educator.Born in Surrey, England, the daughter of Andrew Mossforth Neatby and Ada Deborah Fisher, she received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Saskatchewan and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota...
: 'History of Queen’s University, Vol II' (Montreal:McGill-Queen’s University' Press © 1983) - George Rawlyk and Kevin Quinn: 'The Redeemed of the Lord Say So: A History of Queen’s Theological College 1912-1972'. (Kingston: Queen’s Theological College, 1980).