Flags on campus are lowered for Tom Kent, a fellow in the Queen’s School of Policy Studies.

Mr. Kent was the architect of the Liberal Party's famous Kingston Conference in 1960. He presented a paper at the conference that eventually formed much of Prime Minister Lester Pearson's agenda during the 1960s. He chaired the Royal Commission on Newspapers in the early 1980s. He founded the influential publication Policy Options. Mr. Kent is a Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest honour conferred on Canadian citizens.

Mr. Kent joined the Queen’s School of Policy Studies as a fellow in 1992 when he moved to the Kingston area. He attended the school's weekly speaker series on a regular basis, participated in conferences, and commented on papers. He received an honorary degree from Queen’s in 2008.