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Queen's University at Kingston, commonly known as Queen's University or simply Queen's, is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
in
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
, Ontario, Canada. Queen's holds more than of land throughout Ontario and owns
Herstmonceux Castle Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built castle, dating from the 15th century, near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England. It is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England. The castle was renowned for being one of the fi ...
in
East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...
, England. Queen's is organized into eight faculties and schools. The
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
established Queen's College in October 1841 via a royal charter from
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
. The first classes, intended to prepare students for the ministry, were held 7 March 1842, with 15 students and two professors. In 1869, Queen's was the first Canadian university west of the
Maritime provinces The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...
to admit women. In 1883, a women's college for medical education affiliated with Queen's University was established after male staff and students reacted with hostility to the admission of women to the university's medical classes. In 1912, Queen's ended its affiliation with the Presbyterian Church, and adopted its present name. During the mid-20th century, the university established several faculties and schools and expanded its campus with the construction of new facilities. Queen's is a co-educational university with more than 33,842 students and over 131,000 alumni living worldwide. Notable alumni include government officials, academics, business leaders and 62
Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...
. As of 2022, five
Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
s and one
Turing Award The ACM A. M. Turing Award is an annual prize given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for contributions of lasting and major technical importance to computer science. It is generally recognized as the highest distinction in the fi ...
winner have been affiliated with the university. The university funds several magazines and journals, among which are the ''
Queen's Quarterly ''Queen's Quarterly'' is a Canadian quarterly peer-reviewed literary and academic journal of cultural studies. Established in 1893, Queen's Quarterly is Canada's oldest academic quarterly. This magazine has won numerous awards including awards and ...
'' that has been published since 1893.


History


Nineteenth century

Queen's was a result of an outgrowth of educational initiatives planned by Presbyterians in the 1830s. A draft plan for the university was presented at a
synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...
meeting in Kingston in 1839, with a modified bill introduced through the 13th Parliament of Upper Canada during a session in 1840. On 16 October 1841, a royal charter was issued through
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
establishing Queen's College at Kingston. Queen's resulted from years of effort by
Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
of
Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...
to found a college for the education of ministers in the growing colony and to instruct youth in various branches of science and literature. They modelled the university after the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
and the
University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
. Classes began on 7 March 1842, in a small woodframe house on the edge of the city with two professors and 15 students. The college moved several times during its first eleven years, before settling in its present location. Prior to
Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...
, the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, the Canadian government, and private citizens financially supported the college. In 1869, Queen's was the first Canadian university west of the
Maritime provinces The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...
to admit women. After Confederation, the college faced ruin when the federal government withdrew its funding and the Commercial Bank of the Midland District collapsed, a disaster which cost Queen's two-thirds of its endowment. The college was rescued after Principal William Snodgrass and other officials created a fundraising campaign across Canada. The risk of financial ruin worried the administration until the century's final decade. They considered leaving Kingston and merging with the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
as late as the 1880s. With the additional funds bequeathed from Queen's first major benefactor, Robert Sutherland, the college staved off financial failure and maintained its independence. Queen's was given university status on 17 May 1881. In 1880, three women were admitted to the university's medical degree courses; however, their presence was met with such hostility by male students and staff that the university decided to expel the women in 1883. A Women's Medical College was founded to enable the three students to complete their studies. Theological Hall, completed in 1880, originally served as Queen's main building throughout the late 19th century.


Twentieth century

In 1912, Queen's separated from the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and changed its name to Queen's University at Kingston. Queen's Theological College remained in the control of the
Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...
, until 1925, when it joined the
United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...
. The theological college merged with the Queen's department of religious studies, and the program closed in 2015. The university faced another financial crisis during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
from a sharp drop in enrolment due to the military enlistment of students, staff, and faculty. A $1,000,000 fundraising drive and the armistice in 1918 saved the university. Approximately 1,500 students fought in the war and 187 died. On 18 August 1938, a year prior to the start of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, US President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
came to Queen's to accept an
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
. In a broadcast heard around the world, the President voiced the American policy of mutual alliance and friendship with Canada. During World War II, 2,917 graduates from Queen's served in the armed forces, suffering 164 fatalities. The Memorial Room in Memorial Hall of the John Deutsch University Centre lists Queen's students who died during the world wars. Queen's grew quickly after the war, propelled by the expanding postwar economy and the demographic boom that peaked in the 1960s. From 1951 to 1961, enrolment increased from just over 2,000 students to more than 3,000. The university embarked on a building program, constructing five student residences in less than ten years. After the reorganization of legal education in Ontario in the mid-1950s, Queen's Faculty of Law opened in 1957 in the new John A. Macdonald Hall. Other construction projects at Queen's in the 1950s included the construction of Richardson Hall to house Queen's administrative offices and Dunning Hall. By the end of the 1960s, like many other Canadian universities, Queen's tripled its enrolment and greatly expanded its faculty, staff, and facilities, as a result of the baby boom and generous support from the public sector. By the mid-1970s, the university had 10,000 full-time students. Among the new facilities were four more high capacity residences: An Clachan, Elrond College (currently Princess Towers), a cooperative residence that the university no longer owns, John Orr Tower situated on the west campus, and Jean Royce Hall. In addition to this new facilities consisted of separate buildings for the Departments of Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Psychology, Social Sciences and the Humanities. During this period, Queen's created the Schools of Music, Public Administration (now part of Policy Studies), Rehabilitation Therapy, and Urban and Regional Planning. The establishment of the Faculty of Education in 1968 on land about a kilometre west of the university inaugurated the university's west campus. Queen's was an early pioneer of computer assisted legal research; it was the home of the QUIC/LAW Canadian legal research project from 1968 to 1973, when the project was spun off and commercialized. QUIC/LAW's software was licensed to
West Publishing West (also known by its original name, West Publishing) is a business owned by Thomson Reuters that publishes legal, business, and regulatory information in print, and on electronic services such as Westlaw. Since the late 19th century, West has ...
in 1976 as the foundation for the
Westlaw Westlaw is an Computer-assisted legal research, online legal research service and proprietary database for lawyers and legal professionals available in over 60 countries. Information resources on Westlaw include more than 40,000 databases of ca ...
database, Available via
IEEE Xplore IEEE Xplore (stylized as IEEE ''Xplore'') digital library is a research database for discovery and access to journal articles, conference proceedings, technical standards, and related materials on computer science, electrical engineering and elec ...
.
and then the entire Canadian law database, by then known as
Quicklaw LexisNexis Quicklaw is a Canadian electronic legal research database that catalogues court decisions, news reports, provincial and federal statutes, journals, and other legal commentary. The database also includes a case citator and case digests. ...
, was sold to West's archrival
LexisNexis LexisNexis is an American data analytics company headquartered in New York, New York. Its products are various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper searc ...
in 2002. The first female
chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of Queen's University, Agnes Richardson Benidickson, was installed on 23 October 1980. Queen's celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 1991, and
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...
, and his then wife, Diana, visited the campus to mark the occasion. The Prince of Wales presented a replica of the 1841 Royal Charter granted by
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
, which had established the university; the replica is displayed in the John Deutsch University Centre. In 1993, Queen's received Herstmonceux Castle as a donation from alumnus Alfred Bader. The university uses the castle to house the Bader College.


Twenty-first century

In 2001, the Senate Educational Equity Committee (SEEC) studied the experiences of
visible minority In Canada, a visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada ...
and Aboriginal faculty members at Queen's after a black female professor left, alleging she had experienced racism. Following this survey the SEEC commissioned a study which found many perceived a 'culture of Whiteness' at the university. The report concluded "white privilege and power continues to be reflected in the
Eurocentric Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism) refers to viewing the West as the center of world events or superior to other cultures. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western world to just the continent of Euro ...
curricula, traditional pedagogical approaches, hiring, promotion and
tenure Tenure is a type of academic appointment that protects its holder from being fired or laid off except for cause, or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. Academic tenure originated in the United ...
practices, and opportunities for research" at Queen's. The university's response to the report is the subject of continuing debate. The administration implemented measures to promote diversity beginning in 2006, such as the position of diversity advisor and the hiring of "dialogue monitors" to facilitate discussions on
social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
. In May 2010, Queen's University joined the
Matariki Network of Universities The Matariki Network of Universities (MNU) is an international group of universities that focuses on strong links between research and undergraduate teaching. Each member is leading international best practice in research and education based on lo ...
, an international group of universities created in 2010, which focuses on strong links between research and undergraduate teaching. In response to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Canada w ...
, the university received $440,000 from the
Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
to increase uptake of
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...
s among health care providers, community organizations and vulnerable individuals who are vaccine hesitant. In July 2021, former senator
Murray Sinclair Calvin Murray Sinclair (Ojibway name Mizanay (Mizhana) Gheezhik; January 24, 1951 – November 4, 2024) was a Canadian politician who was a member of the Senate, and a First Nations lawyer who served as chairman of the Indian Residential Scho ...
began his term as the 15th chancellor of Queen's. He was succeeded by broadcast journalist Shelagh Rogers in July 2024. In 2023, the university disclosed a projected deficit of $48 million for the 2024 year. Stringent measures were unveiled by Provost Matthew Evans in response to the deficit, which included a cap on class size and a hiring freeze. The measures caused a backlash among faculty and students, with the latter organizing protests. Evans faced significant criticism for his handling of the crisis, which was widely covered in both local and national publications in Canada.


Campus

The university grounds lies within the neighbourhood of Queen's in the city of Kingston, Ontario. The university's main campus is bordered to the south by
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
and
Kingston General Hospital The Kingston General Hospital (KGH) site is an acute-care teaching hospital affiliated with Queen's University located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) site, these hospitals form Kingston Health Sciences ...
, city parks to the east, and by residential neighbourhoods, known as the University District, Kingston, in all other directions. The campus grew to its present size of through gradual acquisitions of adjacent private lands and remains the university's largest landholding. In addition to its main campus in Kingston, Queen's owns several other properties around Kingston, as well as in Central Frontenac Township, Ontario; Rideau Lakes, Ontario; and East Sussex, England. Queen's University is situated on traditional
Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...
and
Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
territory. The buildings at Queen's vary in age from Summerhill, which opened in 1839, to Mitchell Hall, which opened in 2018. Grant Hall, completed in 1905, is considered the university's most recognizable landmark. It is named after Reverend George Munro Grant, who served as Queen's seventh principal. The building is used to host concerts, lectures, meetings, exams, and convocations. Two buildings owned and managed by the university have been listed as
National Historic Sites of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
. The Kingston General Hospital is the oldest operating public hospital in Canada. The Roselawn House, which is east of the west campus, is the core component of the university's Donald Gordon Centre.


Libraries, museums, and galleries

Queen's University Libraries include six campus libraries and archives in six facilities housing 2.2 million physical items and 400,000 electronic resources, including e-books, serial titles and databases. The library's budget in 2007–2008 was $18.1 million, with $9.8 million dedicated to acquisitions. The libraries are Bracken Health Sciences Library, Education Library, Lederman Law Library, Stauffer Humanities and Social Sciences Library, and Engineering & Science Library. The W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections Library notably harbors early dated books from 1475 to 1700. The Engineering & Science Library and the W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections Library share facilities, known as Douglas Library. Since 1981, the Queen's University archives has been housed in Kathleen Ryan Hall. The archive manages, preserves, conserves, and makes accessible the information assets and historical record of the university. In addition to the university's archive, Kathleen Ryan Hall also houses the City of Kingston's archives. Queen's operates the Miller Museum of Geology, an earth-science teaching museum which features an Earth Science and Geological Collections of 10,000 minerals and 865 fossils, as well as an exhibit of the geology of the Kingston area. The museum is largely used as an earth-science teaching museum for local schools and natural-science interest groups in eastern Ontario. The permanent exhibits feature dinosaurs, dinosaur eggs, fossils of early multi-celled animals, and land tracks fossilized from 500 million years ago. Queen's art collections are housed at the
Agnes Etherington Art Centre The Agnes Etherington Art Centre is located in Kingston, Ontario, on the campus of Queen's University. The gallery has received a number of awards for its exhibitions from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Association of Art Galleries ...
. The art centre owes its namesake to Agnes Etherington, whose house was donated to the university and is used as an art museum, attached to the main art centre. Opened in 1957, it contains over 14,000 works of art, including works by
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
and Inuit art. The university's student body and faculty run the Union Gallery, an art gallery opened in 1994. The gallery is dedicated to the promotion of student and
contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
.


Housing and student facilities

The university has 18 student residences: Adelaide Hall, Ban Righ Hall, Brant House, Chown Hall, Gordon House, Brockington House, Graduate Residence, Harkness Hall, John Orr Tower Apartments, Leggett Hall, Leonard Hall, McNeill House, Morris Hall, Smith House, Victoria Hall, Waldron Tower, Watts Hall, and Jean Royce Hall. The largest is Victoria Hall, built in 1965, which houses nearly 900 students. In September 2010, 83.3% of first-year students lived on campus, part of the 26% of the overall undergraduate population who lived on campus. Residents were represented by two groups, the Main Campus Residents' Council, which represents the main campus, and the Jean Royce Hall Council, which represents the west campus (Jean Royce Hall, Harkness International Hall, and the Graduate Residence). They were responsible for representing resident concerns, providing entertainment services, organizing events, and upholding Residence Community Standards. In 2013, the Main Campus and Jean Royce Hall Residents' Councils were amalgamated into one organization, called ResSoc, standing for Residence Society. ResSoc employs 7 Executives, 17 House Presidents, and 27 Residence Facilitators. ResSoc also has over 100 volunteer positions such as floor representatives and executive interns. In 2013, The Residence Society introduced the StAR (Student Appreciation in Residence) Positive Recognition program. The program encourages positive behaviour in residence and recognizes individuals who help others in need. Recipients are given a certificate as well as remuneration for their contributions. The Student Life Centre is the centre of student governance and student-directed social, cultural, entertainment, and recreational activities. It consists of the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC), Grey House, Carruthers Hall, Queen's Journal House, MacGillivray-Brown Hall, and the non-athletic sections of Queen's Centre. Collectively, these buildings provide of space to the Queen's community. The JDUC contains the offices of a number of student organizations, including the Alma Mater Society of Queen's University (AMS) and the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS), as well as retail and food services. The university has 21 food outlets throughout the campus, as well as three major residence dining facilities.


Off-campus facilities

Queen's has off-campus facilities in the Kingston area and abroad. The university has a second campus in Kingston, known as the west campus. Acquired in 1969, the west campus is west of the main campus, and covers of land. It has two student residences, the Faculty of Education, the Coastal Engineering Lab, and several athletic facilities, including the Richardson Memorial Stadium. In May 2007, the university approved the designs for the Isabel Bader Centre for Performing Arts, also in Kingston. The centre, home of the Department of Film and Media, opened in September 2014. The university owns a research facility in Rideau Lakes, Ontario, known as the Queen's University Biological Station. Opened during the 1950s, the field station encompasses approximately of property, a range of habitat types typical of Eastern Ontario, and many species of conservation concern in Canada. Queen's has an agreement with Novelis Inc. to acquire a property next to the company's research and development centre in Kingston. The agreement is part of the plan to establish Innovation Park at Queen's University, an innovative technology park at the corner of Princess and Concession Streets. The property was acquired for $5.3 million, a portion of the $21 million grant Queen's received from the Ontario government in 2007 to pioneer this innovative new regional R&D "co-location" model. Queen's leases approximately of the Novelis R&D facilities to accommodate faculty-led research projects that have industrial partners and small and medium-size companies with a research focus and a desire to interact with Queen's researchers. The remainder of the government funds support further development of the technology park to transform the property into a welcoming and dynamic site for business expansion and relocation. Bader College is housed in
Herstmonceux Castle Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built castle, dating from the 15th century, near Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England. It is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England. The castle was renowned for being one of the fi ...
, East Sussex, England, which was donated to Queen's in 1993 by alumnus Alfred Bader. Bader College is academically fully integrated with Queen's, although financially self-sufficient. Its mission is to provide academic programs for undergraduate students whose academic interests are oriented toward the United Kingdom, Europe, and the European Union; continuing-education programs for executives and other professional or "special interest" groups; a venue for conferences and meetings; a base for international graduate students and other scholars undertaking research in the United Kingdom and Europe; and an enhanced educational, social, and cultural environment for the local community, using the unique heritage of the castle. The opportunity to study at Bader College is not limited to Queen's students. Queen's has academic exchange agreements with Canadian and foreign universities.


Sustainability

Queen's Sustainability Office, created in 2008, is charged with the university's green initiatives and creating awareness about environmental issues. The office is headed by a sustainability manager, who works with the university, external community groups, and the government. In 2009, with the signing of the Ontario Universities Committed to a Greener World agreement, Queen's pledged to transform its campus into a model of environmental responsibility. Queen's was the second Ontario university to sign the University and College Presidents' Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada in 2010. The university campus received a B grade from the Sustainable Endowments Institute on its College Sustainability Report Card for 2011.


Administration

The governance of the university is conducted through the Board of Trustees, the Senate, and the University Council, the first two of which of were established under the Royal Charter of 1841. The Board is responsible for the university's conduct and management and its property, revenues, business, and affairs. Ex-officio governors of the Board include the university's Chancellor, Principal, and Rector. The Board has 34 other trustees, 33 of whom are elected by the various members of the university community, including elected representatives from the student body. The representative from Queen's Theological College is now the only appointed trustee. The Senate is responsible for determining all academic matters affecting the university as a whole, including student discipline. It consists of 17 ex-officio positions granted to the principal and Vice-Chancellor, the Vice-Principals of the university, the senior dean of each faculty, dean of student affairs, the deputy provost, and the presidents of the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty associations. The Senate also consists of 55 other members, appointed or elected by various communities of the university, including elected representatives of the student body. The Royal Charter of 1841 was amended to include the University Council in 1874. The council is a composite of the Board of Trustees, senators, and an equal number of elected graduates. It serves as both an advisory and an ambassadorial body to the university as a whole and is responsible for the election of the Chancellor. Although it is not directly involved in operations, the Council may bring to the Senate or Board of Trustees any matter it believes affects Queen's well-being. The Council meets once per year, typically in May. The Chancellor is the highest officer and the ceremonial head of the university. The office was created in 1874 and first filled in 1877, although it was only enshrined in law in 1882 after its amendment into the Royal Charter of 1841. The responsibilities of the Chancellor include presiding over convocations, conferring degrees, and chairing the annual meetings of the council, and is an ex-officio officer and a voting member of the board of trustees. A person is elected to the office of Chancellor on a three-year term by the Council unless there is more than one candidate, in which case an election is conducted among Queen's graduates. The Principal, who normally is also the Vice-Chancellor, acts as the
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the university under the authority of the Board and the Senate, and supervises and directs the academic and administrative work of the university and of its teaching and non-teaching staff. Since 1974, principals have been appointed for five-year terms, renewable subject to review. The formal authority for the appointment of the Principal rests under the Royal Charter with the Board of Trustees, although recent principals have been selected by a joint committee of trustees and senators. The office of the Vice-Chancellor has typically been held by the incumbent principal. In 1961, an amendment was secured by the Board to separate the office of Principal from that of Vice-Chancellor if it wished. The first and only person to hold the office of Vice-Chancellor but not the office of Principal was
William Archibald Mackintosh William Archibald Mackintosh, (May 21, 1895 – December 29, 1970) was a Canadian economist and political scientist, and was the twelfth principal of Queen's University from 1951 until 1961. He is best known for developing the staple thesis th ...
. The current principal is Patrick Deane, serving as the twenty-first principal since 1 July 2019. The Rector is the third officer of the university, and serves as the highest-ranking representative of the student body. Though the first Rector took office in 1913, this role has been exclusively held by students since 1969, when the student body forced the resignation of then-Rector Senator Gratton O'Leary. Unlike the executives of the various student governments, the Rector represents all students – both undergraduate and graduate – and is elected to a three-year term, though it has become traditional for student Rectors to step down after only two years. Despite standing separately from any student government, the Rector works closely with the AMS and SGPS to represent the interests of their constituent students. This allows the Rector to, both formally and informally, act as an intermediary between students and the university administration on a range of topical, sensitive, or controversial issues. The Rector serves as one of three student representatives on the Board of Trustees (the other two being the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Trustees) and is a recognized observer at the Senate. Additionally, the Rector is often called upon to represent student interests on various committees of the Board and Senate. Finally, the Rector plays a ceremonial role at events such as convocation.


Finances

The university completed the 2011–12-year with revenues of $947.7 million and expenses of $872.8 million, with an excess of revenues over expenses at $74.9 million. Government grants and student fees are the two largest sources of income for the university. As of 30 April 2022, Queen's endowment was valued at C$1,400,900,000. In 2023, Queen's disclosed a projected deficit of $62.8 million for 2024, which was later reduced to $48 million. Blaming the deficit on a tuition freeze introduced in Ontario in 2019, the university announced drastic measures, which included a hiring freeze and caps on class sizes. The university has been registered as an educational charitable organization by
Canada Revenue Agency The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA; ; ) is the revenue service of the Government of Canada, Canadian federal government, and most Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects Taxation in Canada, taxes, ...
since 1 January 1967. As of 2011, the university registered primarily as a post-secondary institution, with 70% of the charity dedicated to management and maintenance. The charity has 21% dedicated to research, with the remaining 8% dedicated to awards, bursaries, and scholarships. Proceeds from the charity also go toward Queen's Theological College (as an affiliated college) and Bader College at Herstmonceaux Castle.


Academics

Queen's is a publicly funded research university and a member of the
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Universities Canada () is an organization that represents Canada's universities. It is a non-profit national organization that coordinates university policies, guidance and direction. Formed in 1911, as the Association of Universities and Colleg ...
. Full-time undergraduate programs comprise the majority of the school's enrolment, made up of 16,339 full-time undergraduate students. In 2009, the two largest programs by enrolment were the social sciences, with 3,286 full-time and part-time students, followed by engineering, with 3,097 full-time and part-time students. The university conferred 3,232 bachelor's degrees, 153 doctoral degrees, 1,142 master's degrees, and 721 first professional degrees in 2008–9. Queen's is organized into several faculties and schools. These include the Arts and Sciences,
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
, Engineering and Applied Sciences,
Health Sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple a ...
,
Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
, the School of Public Policy, and Smith School of Business. Many of these faculties and schools are further organized into smaller departments, divisions, and schools. The university operates several study abroad programs, including the "First Year Program" at Bader College, and study abroad semester programs offered by the university's international programs office. Additionally, students can apply for international
student exchange ''Student Exchange'' is a 1987 American television film, made-for-television comedy film directed by Mollie Miller and produced by Walt Disney Television. It originally aired November 29, 1987 as a presentation of ''Walt Disney anthology telev ...
, with Queen's having exchange agreements with over 85 universities outside Canada.


Rankings and reputation

Queen's University has placed in post-secondary school rankings. In the 2022
Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...
rankings, the university ranked 201–300 in the world and 9–12 in Canada. The 2025
QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
ranked the university 193rd in the world and tenth in Canada. The 2024
Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...
placed the university 251–300 in the world, and 12th in Canada. In U.S. News & World Report 2022–23 global university rankings, Queen's placed 359th, and 12th in Canada. The Canadian-based
news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio, or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories in greater depth than newspapers or new ...
''
Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...
'' ranked the university eighth in its 2022 Medical-Doctoral Canadian university rankings. Queen's also placed in several rankings that evaluated the employment prospects of graduates. In a 2011 survey conducted by
Mines ParisTech Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...
's, they found Queen's placed 38th in the world and first in Canada for number of graduates employed as the chief executive officer (or equivalent) of
Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...
companies. In an employability survey published by the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in October 2011, when CEOs and chairpersons were asked to select the top universities which they recruited from, the university placed 74th in the world and fifth in Canada.


Research

Queen's University is a member of the U15, a group that includes 15 Canadian research universities. In 2018, Queen's placed eleventh in Research Infosource ranking of Canadian research universities, with a sponsored research income (external sources of funding) of $207,034 million in 2017. In the same year, Queen's faculty averaged a sponsored research income of $266,100, while graduate students averaged a sponsored research income of $44,300. The federal government is the largest funding source, providing 49.8% of Queen's research budget, primarily through grants. Corporations contribute another 26.3% of the research budget. Queen's research performance has been noted by several bibliometric university rankings, which uses
citation analysis Citation analysis is the examination of the frequency, patterns, and graphs of citations in documents. It uses the directed graph of citationslinks from one document to another documentto reveal properties of the documents. A typical aim would b ...
to evaluates the
impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...
a university has on academic publications. In 2019, the
Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities The Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities (NTU Rankings) is a ranking of world universities compiled by National Taiwan University annually since 2012. This publication ranks world universities by a certain criteria of s ...
ranked Queen's 344thin the world and 14th in Canada. In
University Ranking by Academic Performance The University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) is a university ranking developed by the Informatics Institute of Middle East Technical University. Since 2010, it has been publishing annual national and global college and university ranking ...
's 2018–19 rankings, the university ranked 353rd in the world and 14th in Canada. The university operates six research centres and institutes, the Centre for Neuroscience Studies, GeoEngineering Centre, High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory, Centre for Health Innovation, Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Institute, and the Southern African Research Centre. The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory's director, Arthur B. McDonald, is a member of the university's physics department. The observatory managed the SNO experiment, which showed the solution to the solar neutrino problem was neutrinos change flavour (type) as they propagate through the Sun. The SNO experiment proved a non-zero mass neutrino exists. This was a major breakthrough in cosmology. In October 2015, Arthur B. McDonald and
Takaaki Kajita is a Japanese physicist, known for neutrino experiments at the Kamioka Observatory – Kamiokande and its successor, Super-Kamiokande. In 2015, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Canadian physicist Arthur B. McDonald. On 1 O ...
(
University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
) jointly received the
Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...
for illustration of neutrino change identities and identification of mass. This is the first
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
awarded to a Queen's University researcher. In 1976, urologist Alvaro Morales, along with his colleagues, developed the first clinically effective immunotherapy for cancer by adapting the Bacille Calmette-Guérin tuberculosis vaccine for treatment of early stage bladder cancer. Other research facilities include the Queen's University Biological Station, the largest inland field station in Canada. The Biological Station's mandate is to provide teaching and research opportunities in biology and other related sciences, as well as the conservation of the local environment. Researchers and students have gathered at the biological station to conduct research and participate in courses spanning ecology, evolution, conservation, and environmental biology. In 2002, it became part of the United Nations–recognized Thousand Islands – Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve. Queen's University has a joint venture with McGill University, operating an academic publishing house known as the McGill-Queen's University Press. It publishes original peer-reviewed works in all areas of the social sciences and humanities. While the press's emphasis is on providing an outlet for Canadian authors and scholarship, the press also publishes authors throughout the world. It has over 2,800 books in print. The publishing house was known as the McGill University Press prior to amalgamating with Queen's in 1969.


Admission

The requirements for admission differ among students from Ontario, students from other provinces in Canada, and international students due to the lack of uniformity in marking schemes. In 2020, 38.2% of applications to full-time first-year studies were accepted. In 2013, the secondary school average for full-time first-year students at Queen's was 89% overall, with the Commerce, Education, and Engineering faculties having the highest entrance averages, at 91.7%, 90.8%, and 90.6% respectively. The application process emphasizes the optional Personal Statement of Experience. The statement expresses how the applicant's personal experiences may contribute to the university. It focuses on qualifications and involvement outside of academics and is an important factor in determining admission. Several faculties require applicants to submit a supplementary essay. Students may apply for financial aid such as the
Ontario Student Assistance Program The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) ( (RAFEO)) is a provincial financial aid program that offers grant (money), grants and student loan, loans to help Ontario students pay for their post-secondary education. OSAP determines the amount ...
and Canada Student Loans and Grants through the federal and provincial governments. The financial aid provided may come in the form of loans, grants, bursaries, scholarships, fellowships, debt reduction, interest relief, and work programs. In the 2010–11 academic year, Queen's provided $36.5 million worth of student need–based and merit-based financial assistance.


Student life

The student body of Queen's is represented by two primary
students' unions A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organization ...
, the Alma Mater Society (AMS) for all undergraduate students – as well as Medicine and MBA students – and the Society of Graduate and Professional Students for graduate and law students. The AMS of Queen's University is the oldest undergraduate student government in Canada. It recognizes more than 200 student clubs and organizations. All accredited extracurricular organizations at Queen's fall under the jurisdiction of either the AMS or the Society of Graduate and Professional Students. The organizations and clubs accredited at Queen's cover a wide range of interests, including academics, culture, religion, social issues, and recreation. The oldest accredited club at Queen's is the Queen's Debating Union, which was formed in 1843 as the Dialectic Society. The Dialectic Society served as a form of student government until the AMS was formed from the Dialectic Society in 1858. The Queen's Bands is a student marching band, founded in 1905, consisting of the colour guard, pipe band, brass band, drum corps, highland dancers, and cheerleaders. Fraternities and sororities have been banned at the university since a ruling by the AMS in 1933. The ruling was passed in response to the formation of two fraternities in the 1920s. No accredited sororities have ever existed at Queen's. The Engineering Society (EngSoc) is the representative body for engineering students. Formed in 1897, it has 3,000 members on campus, 15,000 active alumni, and an annual budget of $1.7 million. EngSoc oversees about 45 student-run initiatives. The AMS also manages the Student Constable peer-to-peer security service at the university. It is responsible for ensuring the safety of patrons and staff at sanctioned events and venues across the campus, enforcing the governing regulations of the AMS, and upholding regulations stipulated in the Liquor Licence Act of Ontario. Student Constables do not serve as the university's primary security service. The university administration operates its own security service, which is registered in Ontario as a private security service. As of March 2012, the Student Constables are funded through a mandatory $10 fee levied on undergraduates annually by the AMS. The Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award and induction in the Tricolour Society is the highest tribute that can be paid to a student for valuable and distinguished service to the university in non-athletic, extra-curricular activities.


Media

Queen's University's students operate a number of media outlets throughout campus. '' The Queen's Journal'' is Queen's main
student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...
. During the academic year, the journal publishes two issues a week, until the last month of the semester, when only one issue is published each week. In total the ''Queen's Journal'' publishes 28 issues a year. The newspaper was established in 1873, making it one of the oldest student newspapers in Canada. In 2013, ''The Journal'' decided to reduce its print schedule from twice a week to once a week—past volumes used to consist of 40 print issues. In supplement, for the first two months of each semester, they publish new content online throughout the week. In 2019, ''The Journal'' reduced its print schedule from once a week to once every other week. Online content continues to be published instead of a Tuesday print issue. The other weekly student publication from Queen's is '' Golden Words'', a weekly satirical humour publication managed by the Engineering Society. Queen's student population runs a radio station, CFRC. Queen's radio station is the longest-running campus-based broadcaster in the world, and the second-longest-running radio station in the world, surpassed only by the Marconi companies. The station's first public broadcast was on 27 October 1923, when the football game between Queen's and McGill was called play-by-play. Since 2001, the station has broadcast on a 24-hour schedule. In 1980, a student-run television service called Queen's TV (QTV) was established; as of 2011, episodes aired every weekday on its website and every Wednesday on local television. In 2015, QTV was amalgamated with two other student-run services, Yearbook & Design Services (YDS) and Convocation Services, to form "Studio Q".


Sport

Sport teams at Queen's University are known as the Golden Gaels. The Golden Gaels sports teams participate in the
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...
'
Ontario University Athletics Ontario University Athletics (OUA; ) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, ...
conference for most varsity sports. Varsity teams at Queen's include basketball, cross country, Canadian football, ice hockey, rowing, rugby, soccer, and volleyball. The men's rugby team won the OUA Championship consecutively from 2012 to 2016. The athletics program at Queen's University dates back to 1873. With 39 regional and national championships, Queen's football program has secured more championships than any other sport team at Queen's, and more than any other football team in Canada. Queen's and the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
are the only universities to have claimed
Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
s (1922, 1923, and 1924), now the championship trophy for the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
. Queen's also competed for the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
in 1894–95, 1898–99, and 1905–06. Queen's University has a number of athletic facilities open to both varsity teams and students. The stadium with the largest seating capacity at Queen's is Richardson Memorial Stadium. Built in 1971, the stadium seats 8,500 and is home to the varsity football team. The stadium has also hosted a number of international games, including Canada's second-round 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification games and the inaugural match of the Colonial Cup, an international rugby league challenge match. The stadium reopened for its inaugural football game on 17 September 2016, after an extensive revitalization. Other athletic facilities at Queen's include the Athletic and Recreation Centre, which houses a number of gymnasiums and pools; Tindall Field, a multi-season playing field and jogging track; Nixon Field, home to the school's rugby teams; and West Campus Fields, which are used by a number of varsity teams and student intramural leagues.


Rivalries

Queen's maintains an academic and athletic rivalry with
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
. Competition between rowing athletes at the two schools has inspired an annual boat race between the two universities in the spring of each year since 1997, inspired by the famous Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race. The football rivalry, which started in 1884, ended after Canadian university athletic divisions were reorganized in 2000; the Ontario-Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference was divided into Ontario University Athletics and
Quebec Student Sports Federation Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...
. The rivalry returned in 2002 when it transferred to the annual home-and-home hockey games between the two institutions. Queen's students refer to these matches as "Kill McGill" games and usually show up in Montreal in atypically large numbers to cheer on the
Queen's Golden Gaels The Queen's Gaels (also known as the Queen's Golden Gaels) is the athletics program representing Queen's University at Kingston, Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The main athletics facilities include Richardson Stadium (Kingston) ...
hockey team. In 2007, McGill students arrived in busloads to cheer on the
McGill Redmen The McGill Redbirds (formerly the McGill Redmen) and McGill Martlets are the varsity athletic teams that represent McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. History In 1868, the first recorded game of rugby in North America occurred in M ...
, occupying a third of Queen's Jock Harty Arena. The school also competes in the annual Old Four (IV) soccer tournament, along with McGill, the University of Toronto, and the
University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...
.


Insignias and other representations


Symbols

Queen's official colours are gold, blue, and red. Queen's colours are also used on the school flag. It displays three vertical stripes, one for each colour. In the upper-left corner on the blue stripe is a yellow crown, symbolizing the royal charter. The university also has a ceremonial flag, which is reserved for official university uses. The ceremonial flag is a square design of the Queen's coat of arms. The university also has a
tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...
, made up of six colours, each representing an academic discipline: blue (Medicine), red (Arts & Science), gold (Applied Science), white (Nursing Science), maroon (Commerce & MBA), light blue (Kinesiology and Physical Education), and purple (Theology). The tartan was created in 1966 by Judge John Matheson and is registered under the Scottish Tartans Authority.


Coat of arms

The
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
appeared as early as 1850 but was not registered with the
College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...
until 1953. The coat of arms was registered with the Scottish equivalent of the College of Arms, the
Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officer of State, Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scotland, Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...
, in 1981 and with the
Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...
during Queen's sesquicentennial celebrations in 1991. The coat of arms is based on that of the University of Edinburgh, the institution after which Queen's was modelled. The coat of arms consists of a gold shield with red edges, divided into four triangular compartments by a blue, diagonal St. Andrew's Cross. A golden book, symbolizing learning, sits open at the centre of the cross. In each of the four compartments is an emblem of the university's Canadian and British origins: a pine tree for Canada, a thistle for Scotland, a rose for England, and a shamrock for Ireland. The border is decorated with eight gold crowns, symbolic of Queen Victoria and the university's Royal Charter.


Motto and song

Queen's motto, from
Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...
33:6, is ''Sapientia et Doctrina Stabilitas''. The Latin motto is literally translated as "Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times," and has been in use since the 1850s. A number of songs are commonly played and sung at events such as commencement,
convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a specia ...
, and athletic contests, including the "Queen's College Colours" (1897), also known as "Our University Yell" and "
Oil Thigh The Oil Thigh is the name given to the anthem and fight song of Queen's University at Kingston and its sports teams, the Queen's Gaels. Although the song's official title is "Queen's College Colours", it is almost universally referred to by the fir ...
", with words by A.E. Lavell, sung to the tune of " John Brown's Body". "Oil Thigh", created in 1891, consists of the old song "Queen's College Colours". The name "Oil Thigh" comes from the chorus of the song, which begins with the
Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
words "oil thigh". The modern version of the song was crafted in 1985, when a line was changed to include Queen's women athletes in the cheer.


Notable people

File:Borden-sm.jpg, Sir
Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942), Conservative politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known ...
,
8th Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
File:The Late Prince Takamado.jpg, Norihito, Prince Takamado, member of the
Imperial House of Japan The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...
File:Hon Kathleen Wynne MPP Premier of Ontario.jpg,
Kathleen Wynne Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario), member of provinci ...
, 25th
Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...
and first
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
Premier in Canada File:Nobel Laureates Fraser Stoddart 2016 (31117136180).jpg, Fraser Stoddart,
Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
in
chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
for his work with
molecular machines Molecular machines are a class of molecules typically described as an assembly of a discrete number of molecular components intended to produce mechanical movements in response to specific stimuli, mimicking macromolecule, macromolecular devices ...
File:Arthur B. McDonald 5193-2015.jpg, Arthur B. McDonald, Nobel Laureate in
physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
for the discovery of
neutrino oscillations Neutrino oscillation is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in which a neutrino created with a specific lepton family number ("lepton flavor": electron, muon, or tau) can later be measured to have a different lepton family number. The probability o ...
File:Ella Blaylock.png, Ella Blaylock Atherton, first woman in Quebec to receive a medical diploma from a Canadian institution File:Derek Burney.jpg, Derek Burney, former chairman and CEO of
Bell Canada Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun, Quebec, in Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in the province ...
, Canadian ambassador to the United States File:Elon Musk 2015.jpg,
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
, a founder, CEO, or both of
PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support E-commerce payment system, online money transfers; it serves as an electronic alter ...
,
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
, Tesla,
OpenAI OpenAI, Inc. is an American artificial intelligence (AI) organization founded in December 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It aims to develop "safe and beneficial" artificial general intelligence (AGI), which it defines ...
, The Boring Company and
Neuralink Neuralink Corp. is an American transhumanist neurotechnology company that has developed, as of 2024, implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs), also known as brain implants. It was founded by Elon Musk and a team of eight scientists and ...
File:Derek Muller Ted@Syndey 2012 (cropped).png,
Derek Muller Derek Alexander Muller (born 9 November 1982) is a science communicator and media personality, best known for his YouTube channel Veritasium, which has over 17.8 million subscribers and 3.3 billion views as of April 2025. He currently lives in ...
, science communicator and creator of popular
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel ''Veritasium''
Queen's graduates have found success in a variety of fields, heading diverse institutions in the public and private sectors. In 2011, the university had over 131,000 alumni, living in 156 countries. Queen's faculty and graduates have won many awards, including the
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
, the
Turing Award The ACM A. M. Turing Award is an annual prize given by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for contributions of lasting and major technical importance to computer science. It is generally recognized as the highest distinction in the fi ...
, and the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
. As of 2016, 57 Queen's students and graduates had been awarded the
Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...
. Queen's is also a partner of the Loran Scholars Foundation, with over 20 Loran Scholars having attended the university. In 2013, the artist Raine Storey began attendance at Queen's after being the first visual artist to ever receive the award. Several Nobel laureates are associated with the university, including faculty member Arthur B. McDonald, who received the
Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...
for fundamental research elucidating neutrino change identities and mass; former National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at Queen's Sir
Fraser Stoddart Sir James Fraser Stoddart, (24 May 1942 – 30 December 2024) was a British-American chemist who was Chair Professor in Chemistry at the University of Hong Kong. He was the Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry and head of the Stoddart ...
, awarded the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...
"for the design and synthesis of molecular machines"; and
David Card David Edward Card (born 1956) is a Canadian-American labour economist and the Class of 1950 Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has been since 1997. He was awarded half of the 2021 Nobel Memorial Prize in ...
, who shared the
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (), commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics(), is an award in the field of economic sciences adminis ...
in 2021 "for his empirical contributions to
labour economics Labour economics seeks to understand the functioning and dynamics of the Market (economics), markets for wage labour. Labour (human activity), Labour is a commodity that is supplied by labourers, usually in exchange for a wage paid by demanding ...
". Another notable individual associated with the university is
Sandford Fleming Sir Sandford Fleming (January 7, 1827 – July 22, 1915) was a Scottish Canadian engineer and inventor. Born and raised in Scotland, he immigrated to colonial Canada at the age of 18. He promoted worldwide standard time zones, a prime meridian, ...
, an engineer who first proposed the use of a universal time standard and the former Chancellor of Queen's. Notable alumni in the field of science include Adolfo de Bold, who won the Gairdner Foundation Award for the discovery and isolation of
atrial natriuretic peptide Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) or atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) is a natriuretic peptide hormone secreted from the cardiac atria that in humans is encoded by the ''NPPA'' gene. Natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP, and CNP) are a family of ho ...
, and Shirley Tilghman, a
microbiologist A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of par ...
and former
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
of
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
. Notable Chancellors who were once politicians, include
Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942), Conservative politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known ...
,
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
, and provincial premiers
Peter Lougheed Edgar Peter Lougheed ( ; July 26, 1928 – September 13, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and Progressive Conservative politician who served as the tenth premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985, presiding over a period of reform and economic growth. ...
and
Charles Avery Dunning Charles Avery Dunning (July 31, 1885 – October 1, 1958) was the third premier of Saskatchewan. Born in England, he emigrated to Canada at the age of 16. By the age of 36, he was premier. He had a successful career as a farmer, business ...
.
Roland Michener Daniel Roland Michener (April 19, 1900 – August 6, 1991) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the 20th governor general of Canada from 1967 to 1974. Michener was born and educated in Alberta. In 1917 he served briefl ...
,
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
from 1967 to 1974, served as Chancellor from 1973 to 1980. Many alumni have gained international prominence for serving in government, including Prince Takamado, member of the
Imperial House of Japan The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...
, and Kenneth O. Hall, the fifth Governor General of Jamaica. The 29th
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
, David Johnston, is also a graduate and former faculty member of the university. Three Canadian premiers are also alumni of Queen's:
William Aberhart William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as "Bible Bill" for his radio sermons about the Bible, was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943. He was the founder and first le ...
, the 7th
Premier of Alberta The premier of Alberta is the head of government and first minister of the Canadian province of Alberta. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the governing United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022. The premi ...
,
Frank McKenna Francis Joseph McKenna (born January 19, 1948) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Chair of Brookfield Corporation and Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador ...
, the 27th
Premier of New Brunswick The premier of New Brunswick ( (masculine) or (feminine)) is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The premier of a Canadian province is much like the prime minister of Canada. They are normally ...
, and
Kathleen Wynne Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario), member of provinci ...
, the 25th
Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...
. The 14th Premier of Alberta, Alison Redford, also attended the university for two years.
Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false cha ...
, a
Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
of the
Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...
, is an alumnus. Prominent alumni who became leaders in business include Derek Burney, former chairman and CEO of
Bell Canada Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun, Quebec, in Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in the province ...
; Donald J. Carty, chairman of
Virgin America Virgin America Inc. was a low-cost airline headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Burlingame, California. It primarily focused on operating low-fare, higher-quality service between cities on the West Coast of the United States a ...
and
Porter Airlines Porter Airlines (stylized in Letter case#All lowercase, all lowercase as porter) is a Canadian airline headquartered at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto. It is the third largest airline in Canada, behind Air Canada and WestJet. Owned ...
and former chairman and CEO of
AMR Corporation AMR Corporation was an airline holding company based in Fort Worth, Texas, which was the parent company of American Airlines, American Eagle Airlines, AmericanConnection and Executive Airlines. AMR filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy prot ...
; Earle McLaughlin, former president and CEO of
Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...
;
Gordon Nixon Gordon Melbourne Nixon (born 25 January 1957) was the president, CEO and director of Royal Bank of Canada, from 2001 to 2014. He is chairman of Bell Canada Enterprises, lead director of George Weston Limited, director and chairman of the Nomina ...
, former president and CEO of the
Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; ) is a Canadian multinational Financial institution, financial services company and the Big Five (banks), largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than ...
; Kimbal Musk, co-founder of Zip2; and F. C. Kohli, founder of
Tata Consultancy Services Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational technology company specializing in information technology services and consulting. Headquartered in Mumbai, it is a part of the Tata Group and operates in 150 ...
. Alumnus David A. Dodge was the 7th Governor of the Bank of Canada and the 13th Chancellor of Queen's.
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...
, founder of
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...
, and CEO of
Tesla, Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it designs, manufactures and sells battery electric vehicles (BEVs), stationary battery energy storage devices from h ...
, attended Queen's for two years.


See also

*
Higher education in Ontario Higher education in Ontario includes postsecondary education and skills training regulated by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and provided by universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, and private career colleges.Ministry ...
*
List of universities in Canada Universities in Canada are established and operate under provincial and territorial government charters or are directed by First Nations bands or by federal legislation. Most public universities in the country are members of Universities Canad ...
*
Royal eponyms in Canada In Canada, a number of sites and structures are named for royal individuals, whether a member of the past French royal family, British royal family, or present Canadian royal family thus reflecting the country's status as a constitutional mona ...


Notes


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links

*
Athletics website
{{Authority control Universities and colleges established in 1841 Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage Buildings and structures in Kingston, Ontario History of the Church of Scotland 1841 establishments in Canada Queen's