New announcements by the provost spark questions from senators regarding enrolment and equity.
On Jan. 29, Senate met for its first meeting of the Winter semester. The Senate was held in a hybrid format, with in-person attendance in Robert Sutherland Hall. The meeting started at 2:30 p.m. and ended around 3:45 p.m. The Senate heard reports, passed several motions, and held a brief question period, during which members inquired about student enrolment and questions surrounding the Queen’s National Scholars Program (QNS).
The meeting was kicked off by Queen’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane. He began with a land acknowledgement and reminder to members that nominations for honorary degrees are now open, noting the deadline for nominations is Feb. 27.
Reports
Following the opening remarks, Deane presented the Principal Report. He focused his remarks on current federal and provincial updates, encouraging Senate to prioritize research aligned with the federal government’s goal of Canadian sovereignty.
Following this message, he discussed the new NATO Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, a new institution established to finance defence, security, and technology projects within NATO. He noted that if the bank is to be operated in Canada, Queen’s has the “talent and analytical capacity” NATO Bank will require.
Deane also noted that the Ontario government announced a new $242 million investment in post-secondary infrastructure, with Queen’s receiving $1 million. In addition, he noted that the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) is calling for the next Provincial Budget to increase the base operating fund for universities by $1.2 billion, starting in 2026-27.
“The COU is calling on the province to increase base operating funding to the universities by $1.2 billion starting in 2026-27, with that amount going to $1.6 billion in 2028-29, […] it still doesn’t markedly elevate Ontario’s standing in the ranks of provincial investments in higher education, but it [university financial struggles] remains the case.”
READ MORE: Ontario invests $242 million in post-secondary infrastructure, funds new simulation lab at Queen’s
Evans then shared his report and addressed ongoing enrolment shifts, confirming an over-enrolment of about 7.5 per cent in undergraduate admissions. He explained that a higher number of students accepted their offers to Queen’s than expected. He also noted that international applications have increased by 10 per cent.
Additionally, Evans announced that he’ll host town halls with every faculty in the coming months to better understand the challenges they face.
Evans and Deane both celebrated the new Bicentennial Vision; Evans called it a guiding force and “north star” for the University’s decision-making in the coming years. While Deane noted the long and “comprehensive” consultation process that went into its creation.
Question Period
After reports were concluded, question period followed, and Senators raised concerns about the impact of over-enrolment on teaching quality and strained resources. Evans didn’t provide a clear answer about whether there’ll be additional teaching supports.
The QNS, is a program that appoints leading scholars to Queen’s, offering faculty positions and support to advance research, teaching, and equity. During the meeting, equity-related questions focused on the QNS, with some Senators expressing concern that its original mandate to recruit scholars from equity-deserving groups had shifted away from its original purpose. Evans responded that equity remains part of the process but is now embedded broadly.
“It’s more of a switch from having dedicated programs to recruit people in [equity-deserving groups] and saying across the board recruitment should be equitable,” Evans said.
Senator Samantha King questioned the process and protocols for snow days and school closures, citing the recent snow day and the allegedly inconsistent timing of notifications to Queen’s community members. Evans emphasized that the messages were standard but acknowledged the issues and thanked King for the information.
Additional concerns included the availability of work-study jobs, classroom shortages and repairs, and the clarity of recruitment data on equity representation in hiring. Evans and Senator Corinna Fitzgerald indicated follow-ups are underway in several of these areas.
Motions
The Senate carried several major academic and governance motions unanimously during the meeting, focusing on program updates, institutional policy, and research development.
Two graduate program modifications from the Smith School of Business passed unanimously: updates to the Master of Management in Innovation and Entrepreneurship including updated course content, integration with the Digital Product Management program, and increased experiential learning, effective May 1, 2026.
Alongside the Master of Management in Analytics, adding internships and projects, revising admissions criteria, and extending the program length to 16 months for some streams, effective September 2026.
The Senate also approved the creation of the AGE-WISE Institute, a Tier 2 research centre focused on aging and geroscience. Alongside the approval and creation of the Assessment and Evaluation Centre in Education, the centre is meant to advance educational assessment research.
All motions were passed without question, the Senate concluded after all motions were voted on. The next Senate meeting will be held on Nov. 27 in the same hybrid format.
Tags
Council of Ontario Universities, Principal Report, QNS, Queen's National Scholars Program, Senate
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