Principal Daniel Woolf has received the final report from the Principal’s Commission on the Future of Public Policy at Queen’s University.

The commission was created in September, 2016, to determine how Queen’s can modernize its approach to public policy to reflect changes in public policy-making and public service as well as new requirements for policy leaders.

The report, entitled An Ambitious Vision for Public Policy at Queen’s, outlines the need for a ‘next generation’ of university-based public policy research and education, with a focus on education, inter-disciplinary collaboration, and incorporating public policy as a pan-university priority.

The report recommends changes in how public policy is taught and researched at Queen’s.

"Elevating public policy as a strategic priority for the university as a whole will no doubt be challenging, but it has the potential to yield great dividends,” said Michael Horgan, senior advisor with the law firm Bennett Jones LLP and chair of the commission. “It will enrich the student learning experience, advance the university's research and innovation goals, increase Queen's policy influence, and enhance its national and international reputation."

The commission followed an extensive consultation process, which included speaking with people inside and outside of government, staff, students, faculty, and alumni. The report contains a number of key recommendations to position Queen’s for maximum impact on public policy.

“Queen’s is focused on having a greater impact on the practice and execution of public policy across Canada and globally,” says Principal Woolf. “I am grateful to the members of the commission, led by Michael Horgan and Margaret Biggs, and for the input received from current School of Policy Studies’ faculty, fellows, and students, School of Policy Studies alumni, Queen’s alumni more broadly, and people involved with public affairs, both within the public and private sectors.”

The Principal will review the report in full over the coming weeks, and establish a transition and implementation working group led by the Provost to review the recommendations put forward by the commission and propose a long-term plan.