It was another banner year for Queen’s in 2016 with a number of significant achievements and memorable moments as the university began the celebrations marking its 175th anniversary.

There were a number of key infrastructure developments, including the opening of the revitalized Richardson Stadium and the announcement of funding that will result in the creation and construction of the Queen’s Innovation and Wellness Centre.

The year also saw the successful completion of the decade-long Initiative Campaign, which raised $640 million, helping further the university’s top priorities in teaching, research and athletics and recreation. Other donations resulted in the creation of the Dan School of Drama and Music and the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre.

Continuing their incredible philanthropy, Alfred and Isabel Bader donated a third Rembrandt painting to add to the collection of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.

Successful Initiative Campaign

Queen’s celebrated the successful conclusion of the Initiative Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its 175-year history. Thanks to the collective dedication and generosity of volunteers and donors, more than $640 million has been donated to Queen’s University during the 10-year Initiative Campaign, surpassing the $500 million goal. Over $85 million has been used to support student assistance programs, including the creation of 473 new student awards and 22 new chairs and professorships. More than $115 million has been committed in future estate gifts against the university’s parallel goal of $100 million, which is counted outside of the Initiative Campaign total.

Opening of revitalized Richardson Stadium

A priority within the Initiative Campaign was the revitalization of Richardson Stadium, which officially reopened on Sept. 17 with a special celebration bringing together the Queen’s and Kingston communities. Revitalization plans began in March 2014 with the announcement of a $10 million pledge to the project from Queen’s alumni Stu and Kim Lang. That announcement was followed by news of a $5 million contribution from the Richardson Foundation. Other donors came forward, bringing the total amount raised to more than $17 million, with the university contributing $3 million for infrastructure support.

Unveiling of third Rembrandt painting

With the latest gift from Alfred and Isabel Bader three authenticated paintings by Dutch master Rembrandt now occupy one wall at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Unveiled to the public on April 29, Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo, signed and dated 1658, is a late-career masterpiece that had been privately owned and unavailable to scholars for much of its existence. Over the past five decades, the Baders have donated to the Agnes more than 200 paintings, including two other works by Rembrandt, Head of an Old Man in a Cap (c. 1630) and Head of a Man in a Turban (c. 1661).

Dan School of Drama and Music

Queen’s unveiled the Dan School of Drama and Music, honouring Aubrey and Marla Dan and their donation of $5 million to the university. The donation will be endowed to allow investments in visiting professional instructors, scholarships and research and builds on the momentum from the opening of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts and the ongoing development of exciting new programs.

Innovation and Wellness Centre

Thanks to a $31 million investment from the Government of Canada, under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), $4.9 million from the Government of Ontario, and the contributions of a number of benefactors, Queen’s is able to begin two major capital projects – the creation of the Queen’s Innovation and Wellness Centre and a revitalization of on-campus biomedical research facilities. Nearly $37 million was donated by Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni to support the innovation component of the revitalization project.

Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre

Innovation and entrepreneurship at Queen’s received a major boost from distinguished alumni. As a result of the support from the Dunin Foundation – established by Andrew Dunin, Sc’83, MBA’87, and his wife Anne Dunin, Artsci’83 – and Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, PhD’79, and his wife Jaishree Deshpande, the newly-named Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre will be able to launch new programs and resources for students over the next five years.

There were many other noteworthy stories at Queen’s as well, including:

• The appointment and arrival of Benoit-Antoine Bacon as provost and vice-principal (academic) of Queen’s.
• The creation and approval of a new Policy on Sexual Violence Involving Queen's University Students.
• The creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Task Force at Queen’s and subsequent open discussions.
• The creation of the Principal’s Commission on the Future of Public Policy at Queen’s University.

Principal Daniel Woolf has also posted his highlights for 2016 on his blog.

These are a few of the stories that made headlines at Queen’s in 2016. Many more can be found on the Gazette website as well in the print edition of the Gazette, which returns with the first edition of 2017 on Jan. 10. If you have a story that you think should receive some attention, contact Gazette editor Andrew Carroll.