The Distinguished Service Awards for 2015 were presented to seven members of the Queen’s community this past weekend at the University Council’s annual dinner. Awarded each year to staff, faculty, alumni and friends to recognize exceptional contributions to the university, the DSAs were presented by Chancellor Jim Leech and Principal Daniel Woolf to George Anderson, David Bonham, Stanley Corbett, Paul and Vicki Hand, Arunima Khanna, and Gordon Smith.

The award recognizes exemplary service to Queen’s over an extended period of time.

The following is an edited version of the citations for each award winner.

Distinguished Service Awards:

George Anderson

George Anderson’s connection to Queen’s reaches all the way back to the 1960s, when he completed his BA in Political Studies and received the Tricolour Award. During his career in the civil service, Mr. Anderson would serve as Assistant Deputy Minister in the departments of Energy, Finance, and Foreign Affairs. He would later serve as Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Privy Council, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, and Senior Expert with the Mediation Support Unit of the United Nations. Mr. Anderson’s greatest contribution to Queen’s came when he brought his experience to the Board of Trustees in 1997. His tenure on the board lasted 16 years, until 2013, at which time he was appointed Trustee Emeritus.

David Bonham

David Bonham served as both a professor and an administrator at Queen's University’s and took to each with equal grace and skill. Cross-appointed to the Faculty of Law and the School of Business, Mr. Bonham left an indelible mark on both students and colleagues during the 30 years of his tenure. He also served as Vice-Principal (Finance) from 1971-77 and then Vice-Principal (Resources) from 1984-88. Mr. Bonham has also always given generously of his time and energy to charitable and volunteer organizations including as Chair of the Anna and Edward C. Churchill Foundation, Vice-Chair of Hospice Kingston, sat on the Board of Directors of University Hospitals, Kingston Foundation, and the Board of Hotel Dieu Hospital. After his retirement from the university, Professor Bonham became a founding member of the Retirees’ Association of Queen’s and was chair of its Pension Committee.

Stan Corbett

Stan Corbett had a relationship with Queen’s that stretched across five decades, and in May of this year, he passed away. Dr. Corbett first came to Queen’s to earn a BA in Mathematics in the 1960s and returned to complete him MA and then PhD in Philosophy. Dr. Corbett then taught philosophy at Acadia University, but in the 1990s returned to Queen’s to study law. After graduating, he was hired to teach in the Faculty of Law. Universally beloved by his students, he won the Law Students’ Society’s teaching award three times. An accomplished author, Dr. Corbett also wrote numerous reviews, articles, and books before taking his most important role at Queen’s: Associate Dean (Academic) in the Faculty of Law. Under his guidance, the law school rebuilt its educational offerings, expanded to blended and online learning, and added courses to provide students with essential law skills.

Paul and Vicki Hand

Paul and Vicki Hand have each in their own way made contributions to the university. Paul has served as a member of the School of Business’ Campaign Cabinet and on the Advisory Board Committee. Vicki was the president of the Alumni Association’s New York branch. Together they’ve supported the construction of Goodes Hall, the Dean’s Innovation Fund, as well as contributing to scholarships and awards. Perhaps their greatest contribution to the university has been the leadership role they’ve taken in the Fields and Stadium Campaign Cabinet. Under their leadership, Queen’s has seen the construction of three new fields, and it is in large part thanks to the effort and dedication of these two that the Richardson Revitalization Project was such a success.

Arunima Khanna

Arunima Khanna is a psychologist and Cross-Cultural Advisor in Health, Counseling, and Disability Services. Since coming to Queen’s to complete her PhD, Dr. Khanna has been a tireless advocate for international and racialized students and she goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure their inclusion and success.  Her job sees her advising administrators, faculty, staff, and student groups on issues pertaining to the needs of international students. Dr. Khanna provides frequent support to the Queen’s International Centre and the School of Graduate Studies as they navigate the challenges of integrating and working with people of different cultures. Dr. Khanna also works to supervise graduate students on placement at HCDS.

Gordon Smith

Gordon Smith has served as Director of the Queen’s School of Music, Associate Dean, and now Vice-Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Science. During that time he has worked to develop joint programs with St. Lawrence College, establishing the Indigenous Studies Minor, working to create a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts and has been an active member of the Aboriginal Council of Queen’s. One of Dr. Smith’s greatest services to Queen’s came from when he chaired the Operations and Planning Committee for the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. In this position he balanced the needs, interests, and opinions of many different parties. Because he cared deeply about the Isabel, he spent hundreds of hours reviewing plans to make sure that everything was just right.