Senate saw continued concerns regarding the University’s budget deficit and the upcoming Strategic Research Plan (SRP) for 2024-29.
This month’s Senate took place on Nov. 28 over Zoom and marked the final Senate for three prominent Queen’s faculty, a fact highlighted by Principal Patrick Deane. The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Director of the School of Medicine, Jane Philpott is taking on a new role in the Ontario Government leading a primary care action team, while Dean of Smith School of Business Wanda Costen is moving to Dalhousie University to take on the positions of Provost and Vice-President Academic.
READ MORE: Dr. Jane Philpott set to lead Ontario’s expansion of primary care providers
“I thank both Dean Costen and Dean Philpott for their service to the Senate, and more broadly to Queen’s University. I know that they know that we all wish them well while they move onto the next stage of their careers,” Deane said.
READ MORE: Wanda Costen steps down as Dean of the Smith School of Business
Provost Report
In his report, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Matthew Evans highlighted the financial situation of the University, stating they’re still working on balancing the $35.7 million budget deficit.
“I’m afraid on budgeting and rebalancing the finances of the University, we continue to be in a challenging situation with respect to the budget, and I understand that it’s a difficult time for everyone, and many people feel uncertain about the future,” Evans said.
READ MORE: Skepticism over fiscal practices amid $35.7 million deficit projection
Evans stressed these challenges aren’t unique to Queen’s, and budget issues exist across universities province-wide. With these challenges increasing in recent years, institutions are actively seeking ways to find savings and mitigate the significant financial pressures they face.
Moving forward, Evans expressed some of the efforts he’s been making and will continue to make to try and address these issues.
“I meet frequently with the deans and the Senior Leadership Team to discuss these issues, and we’re trying to find a path forward that will ensure the University’s long-term sustainability in a way that meets the Board [of Trustees] requirements, again referred to by the Principal, to balance the University’s budget in the next few years,” Evans said.
President of the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS), Emils Matiss, asked about the upcoming changes to the Queen’s Graduate Award (QGA), an automatic financial bursary for Master’s students.
Matiss posed a three-part question to Evans, inquiring what the timeline for the QGA review would be, whether directly affected stakeholders—such as students, faculty, and program chairs—would be consulted, and if the review could conclude that no changes were necessary.
In response, Evans explained that the senior administration’s priority is ensuring students receive the support they need. Evans noted that last year, $1.5 million was distributed to 270 students across Master’s programs through a needs-based application.
Evans spoke to the importance of a review of this application to ensure students in need of funding are the ones receiving support. He added a committee consisting of both faculty and SGPS representatives will be their first step in this process.
Strategic Research Plan
Seconded by Evans, Mark Chen, Gordon and Patricia Gray Animal Welfare Foundation chair and professor in the Department of Physics moved the SRP 2024-29 to be approved. During last month’s Senate, the plan was introduced but delayed after requests for an extended deadline to provide feedback.
READ MORE: Senate touches on QGA funding, research plans, and protest guidelines
Despite revisions to the SRP by the Senate Advisory Research Committee (SARC) on Nov. 14 following community feedback for changes to language and increased focus on Indigenization – Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Accessibility (I-EDIAA) content, the revised plan was met with further concerns about limited inclusion of Indigenous perspectives and a lack of consultation with Indigenous groups.
Department Head of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Keith Pilkey, speaking on behalf of Professor of Civil Engineering Mark Green, stated Green “reached out to the Senators in engineering asking that we don’t approve the Strategic Research Plan, because, in his own words, he said it wouldn’t be supportive of the local Indigenous community nor Indigenous researchers at Queen’s.”
In response, Vice-Principal (Research) Nancy Ross cited the work done by the Senate Advisory Research Committee in developing projects with Indigenous partners and in being open to feedback from all community members while revising the SRP 2024-29.
“This was a wide-open consultation since September, and we did take into consideration including Mark’s comments, but many others weighed in as well. So, I think we’ve been very responsive in that regard,” Ross said.
Deliberation followed a suggestion made by Principal Deane for the current draft to be accepted with the expectation of further consultation. A motion was then moved by Director of the Indigenous Studies Program Thanyehténhas (Nathan Brinklow) to postpone the question to the January Senate, with expectations of consultation with the Indigenous scholarly community being reflected in the January draft.
The motion passed with 33 in favour and one abstention.
Tags
budget deficit, QGA, Senate, Stratigic Research Plan
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