A proposed College of Computing has become more than a debate over AI at Queen’s.
The College was introduced at the April 16 Senate meeting as a notice of motion. If approved, the structure would create a new academic unit focused on interdisciplinary “X + AI” programming, pairing the School of Computing with other fields like politics, health, law, philosophy, or science.
READ MORE: Proposed College of Computer Science draws pushback at April Senate
For some faculty members, the proposed college has raised broader questions about consultation, academic governance, and how quickly the University should move when creating a new academic structure.
Queen’s proposal
In an interview with The Journal, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Matthew Evans said the proposal is intended to prepare students for a workforce increasingly shaped by AI.
“It’s not just about coping,” he said. “It’s about thriving and doing really well in that environment.”
Evans said the college model is meant to make interdisciplinary programming easier at Queen’s.
“If we’re honest, Queen’s doesn’t do interdisciplinary programming very well,” Evans said. “We have some. But it can be a bit clunky and a bit difficult.”
The idea began around January 2025 after faculty from the School of Computing raised concerns about how Queen’s should respond to changes in computing and AI.
Evans said he formed a small working group including faculty from Computing, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the deans of Smith Engineering and Arts and Science, and external advisors.
Evans said urgency around the proposal comes from how quickly AI is changing. If Queen’s misses approval timelines this fall, the college could be delayed from 2028 to 2029.
Budget concerns
The proposed college is also tied to financial questions within the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS).
With one of the highest tuition costs, Evans said the School of Computing currently brings in about $20 million in annual revenue and costs the University about $10 million to operate, leaving about $10 million supporting the rest of FAS.
According to Evans, moving Computing out of FAS would be “maximally bad,” for the faculty because it would remove that revenue. The College is designed to stay within FAS and reduce that impact while creating opportunities for departments to collaborate with Computing.
Governance concerns
In an interview with The Journal, Daryn Lehoux, professor of classics and philosophy, said the proposal has raised concerns because a “college” isn’t an existing structure in Queen’s governance documents.
“It’s not the AI thing that’s got us upset. It’s the governance issue,” he said. “It’s the fact that they’re going around governance.”
He argued the proposed college creates a new kind of academic unit without the same established process. Additionally, many faculty members first heard about the proposal within the week that it appeared in Senate materials.
Evans rejected the idea that the University is bypassing governance processes. He said because Queen’s doesn’t currently have colleges, the Board of Trustees would create the first one, then give Senate authority over future colleges under defined principles.
“Any new program, including every single X + AI program, would have to go through a completely normal program approval process,” he said.
A faculty member who specializes in AI in the School of Computing, granted anonymity over concerns about professional repercussions, said in an interview with The Journal that the College idea grew out of long-standing concerns within Computing about Queen’s budget model.
According to the faculty member, the School of Computing had discussed structural changes internally for several years, including becoming a separate faculty or joining Smith Engineering.
“One thing that didn’t really seem to be explored was talking to other departments within Arts and Science who had the same issues and trying to come up with a joint solution,” the faculty member said.
They said Computing is “pretty clearly understaffed,” with course sizes growing and instructors struggling to keep up with enrolment growth.
READ MORE: Students say Queen’s School of Computing in “critical need” of funding
“The quality of education is going down,” they said. Queens already has faculty in humanities and social sciences working on AI.
“Computing is where we’re weak in AI. The humanities are where we’re strong in AI right now,” they said.
What happens next
The proposal is expected to return for further discussion at Senate in the fall. If approved, the proposal would then move to the Board of Trustees.
Evans said any future programs created through the college would still need to pass through standard Senate approval processes.
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AI, College of Computing, Senate
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