The Arts and Science Faculty Board meeting kicked off the fall term by approving curriculum changes, electing subcommittee members, and hearing reports from both students and administrators.
Faculty members met both online and in-person on Sept. 12 at 2:30 p.m., in Jeffery Hall and heard reports from the Interim Dean Bob Lemieux and the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) President Ivana Drinziu. In the meeting, the board voted to elect new members to the FAS Process Subcommittee, which is meant to “address sector-wide uncertainty, internal challenges, and the opportunity for transformation with a longer view.”.
Members attending the meeting raised questions about the Bicentennial vision—a report that covers planning for the future of Queen’s, including new programs, plans to build better facilities and prioritizing research. Julia Brook, director of the DAN School of Drama and Music, responded the Bicentennial draft vision would be released “next week or soon.”
Reports
In Lemieux’s report, he introduced Associate Dean (Academic) Dorit Naaman and Acting Vice-Dean Scott MacKenzie. He also discussed the $92,920 in Equity, diversity, and inclusion, including anti-racism, decolonization, and Indigenous resurgence (EDIIA) funding this year for mentorship awards, Indigenous STEM programs, and fellowship salaries.
New Provincial funding coming to STEM programs at Queen’s following a $15.9 million pledge was also discussed. While the distribution of funding across various faculties was initially unclear after the announcement, Lemieux explained it’s planned to be split roughly evenly between the faculty of Engineering and Science programs in the FAS.
“That’s [the allocation of roughly $8 million] good for us. I will show you in the budget projections [in Nov.] that although it’s not going to completely close the gap, it’s going to push us in the right direction.”
Drinziu also reported at the meeting, which included information on the end of O-Week.
“We capped our student registration at 2,200 students,” Drinziu said. “We had no safety concerns, which was awesome, […] and we have a mini feedback survey go out. We’re having another. One that will be shared with the greater student body in the next newsletter about how orientation went for them. And so far, we’ve received very positive feedback.”
FAS Process Subcommittee election
One of the agenda items included the election of three members to the Process Group Subcommittee. The group would present their recommendations to the Committee of Departments in December 2025 and to the Faculty Board in January 2026.
The humanities nominees highlighted research and innovation. Putting themselves forward was English professor Petra Fachinger, who drew on her various committee experiences, stressing the importance of communication and interdisciplinarity. Film and Media’s Alex Jansen, who emphasized experiential learning and bridging academia with industry, while French Studies professor Julien Lefort-Favreau called for stronger support of interdisciplinary research. Dan School professor Craig Walker argued that austerity alone can’t sustain the faculty, urging creative approaches to financial challenges.
In the social sciences, Psychology professor Meghan Norris pointed to her experience in governance roles, including coordinating Queen’s largest undergraduate course, while Geography and Planning professor Carolyn Prouse underscored equity and transparent decision-making. Prouse described the process group as an opportunity to strengthen collegial governance and foster collaboration across disciplines.
Nominees from the sciences emphasized their ideas, with Chemistry professor Diane Beauchemin proposing reimagining undergraduate degrees through new cross-disciplinary combinations. Physics professor Rob Knobel stressed that excellence in teaching and research is key to sustaining the faculty, while Mathematics professor James Mingo drew on past leadership experience to bring perspective to the committee’s work. Biology and Environmental Studies professor Diane Orihel urged optimism in the faculty’s transformation, emphasizing her skills in conflict resolution.
Voting was conducted via QR code, email, and paper ballots. Results will be circulated early next week.
The Chair, Peir Pufahl, reminded members of the upcoming FAS Town Hall on Nov. 6 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss “the future of FAS.” The next faculty board meeting will be held on Oct. 14 in Jeffery Hall.
— With files from Jonathan Reilly
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ArtSci, ArtSci Faculty Board, Faculty Board, FAS
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