Rector’s Report to Board of Trustees Nicholas Francis March 1st, 2013 rector@queensu.ca
The winter term has been slightly less intense than the Fall, which I might attribute to the decreased number of campaign events. They were an absolute joy to attend and further revealed the strong connection that our alumni community has with Queen’s. Each week there was a prominent Canadian (or American) on our campus and that should remind us of the unique profile that Queen’s still maintains in Canada and in the world. In this report, I want to share an update about my Office’s Queen’s History initiative, the new “Assistant to the Rector” position, and finally a reflection on tuition differentials between faculties at Queen’s. In December, I briefly mentioned the initiative that my Office is undertaking with regards to Queen’s history. The goal of this project is to bring light to the phenomenal and interesting history of this place. I recently met with both the Queen’s historian, Duncan McDowall who has been commissioned by the Principal to write the third volume of Queen’s History and the Principal to discuss their involvement in the project. It appears as though this initiative would be a great way to promote the release of the third volume of the Queen’s History books and may compliment the 175th anniversary celebrations in 2016. Students have shown interest as well, particularly by Orientation Week organizers and film students which will be great assets to this mission. As we continue to expand, it is essential that students remain aware of Queen’s history to form both a strong connection to the school and understand the context surrounding how we have changed and adapted over time. The roots of this initiative are planting themselves now and it is my fervent hope that this remains a long-term goal of the Office of the Rector, that is to share the magnificent history of Queen’s people to current and future students. As some of you may know, I had planned to create an assistant role for the Office that would greatly improve the Office of the Rector’s productivity and usefulness for students. The successful candidate for this position is Olivia Chan, a second year undergraduate Concurrent Education student, who has been doing a marvelous job since January in this brand new position. As this is a test run of the position, it is hard to say whether this will become a staple part of the Office of the Rector in the future.
In discussions with fellow students, alumni, faculty, and administrators, it has occurred to me that there may be particular fragmentation in the student community based on the faculty student’s belong to. One of the integrant parts of the current Queen’s experience is the diversity of students and the merging of worlds that occurs in all facets of university life here. The broader learning environment at Queen’s is key in unifying students across diverse backgrounds, differing faculties, and years of study. As our population grows, there have been subtle changes to this culture of interconnectedness. Enrolment growth is not the only factor in to be considered for these changes. Many have commented on the tuition divergence across faculties as impacting this subtle cultural shift. With professional students paying on average almost ten grand more than their non-professional counterparts, there is real potential for segregation between groups of students. This notion of inequality may only have a minor affect on the community now, but we must become more aware of the subtle and not so subtle effects of these changes. The School of Business is arguably at the apex of quality academic experiences for students at Queen’s and competes strongly both on a national and international level. Their facilities are unmatched and class sizes have remained small along with a comparably smaller student population. However, it is quite possible for students enrolled in the undergraduate commerce program to rarely, if ever, venture out into other parts of campus. First year commerce students no longer are able to take Arts and Science electives due to a new policy implemented by the School of Business. This may be advantageous for commerce students, or it may not. It is unclear if it is beneficial as I have heard opinions in support and against from a multitude of individuals. There are clearly benefits and losses to a less integrated university, but we know that Queen’s has long been recognized as a school that produces well-rounded global leaders. The School of Business was the example chosen to highlight this type of change, but it is certainly not unique to that faculty alone. We ought to carefully consider these changes moving forward if we continue to hold on to the value of our close-knit and well-rounded diverse community of students.
I look forward to seeing you all in March and welcome your feedback or comments on my report.
Princeps Servusque Es,
Nicholas Francis