About the Working Groups
In May 2021, the Principal created six working groups to assist with developing an operational plan to implement the new Queen’s Strategy.
| Name | Focus |
|---|---|
| Research Impact |
Increasing the intensity and volume of exemplary, ground-breaking and interdisciplinary research, whether fundamental, applied, or driven through community partnership. Chair: Parvin Mousavi Members: Cathy Crudden, Elizabeth Eisenhauer, Joshua Karton, Praveen Jain, Melissa Lafrenière, Lindsay Morcom, Karen Samis, Rohit Shukla Administrative Support: Anne Martineau, Pourousha Mashhadi Hashem Marandi Draft Plan - Research (PDF 959KB) - July 14, 2021 |
| Student Learning |
Advancing highly effective pedagogies, leveraging new technologies, and reconceiving educational programs of all levels and types so as better to prepare students to have impact in their chosen careers and throughout their lives. Chair: Erik Knutsen Members: Nathan Brinklow, Sue Fostaty-Young, Christian Lloyd, Colleen Renihan, Richard Ascough, Melanie Howard, Tony Sanfilippo, Justine Aman, Ryan Sieg Administrative Support: Anne Martineau, Camila Mercado Martinez Draft Plan - Student Learning (PDF 327 KB) - July 7, 2021 |
| Research and Teaching Interdependence |
Enhancing the interdependence of research and teaching, with emphasis on greater integration of research in the undergraduate experience, an increase in the ratio of graduate to undergraduate students, and a program to attract, support, and more effectively integrate postdoctoral fellows. Chair: Ram Murty Members: Petra Fachinger, Klodiana Kolomitro, Josh Marshall, Lynn Purda, Vicki Remenda, Marta Straznicky, Awet Weldemichael, Courtney Bannerman, Zaid Kasim Administrative Support: Anne Martineau, Robert O'Connor Draft Plan - Research & Teaching Interdependence (PDF 245 KB) - July 19, 2021 |
| Global Engagement |
Strengthening Queen’s presence globally: developing and implementing a comprehensive, equity-focused and integrated program of global engagement that includes active, strategic partnerships, enhanced student and faculty mobility, and teaching and learning reform oriented toward a pluralistic and culturally relevant global environment. Chair: Sandra den Otter Members: Mofi Badmos, David Detomasi, Sultan AlMajil, Christopher Booth, Amitava Chowdhury, Chris Coupland, Il Yong Kim, Beth Richan, Stefanie von Hlatky, Anika Chowdhury, Porpong (Paul) Boonmak Administrative Support: Rosie Lalande, Dennis Liao Draft Plan - Global Engagement (PDF 200 KB) - July 27, 2021 |
| Queen's in the Community |
Embedding Queen’s in the community: building deliberate, strategic, respectful and mutually beneficial engagement with communities outside the University, including Kingston, the region, other organizations and institutions, and national and global networks that share our goals Chair: Elaine Power Members: Ajay Agarwal, Jonathan Rose, Kandice Baptiste, Peter Chin, Emelie Chhangur, Jeff Downie, Susan Bartels, Jean-Baptiste Litrico, Laura Murray, Eva Purkey, Karla McGrath, Anthony Lomax, Jacob Marinelli Administrative Support: Rosie Lalande, Solyana Gedlu Draft Plan - Queen's in the Community (PDF 196 KB) - July 16, 2021 |
| Organizational Culture |
Ensuring that in the workplace we live our values, and that our human resources, organizational structure, processes and culture are properly aligned to fulfil our mission. Co-chairs: Ellie Sadinsky & Adnan Husain Members: Wendy Craig, Jessica Della Latta, Deanna Fialho, Leigh Kalin, Sam McKegney, Kate Minor, Jordan Morelli, Christine Sypnowich, Anna Taylor, Paul Treitz, Heidi Penning, Jennifer Li, Samara Lijiam Administrative Support: Rosie Lalande, Amaiya Walters Draft Plan - Organizational Culture (PDF - 274 KB) July 19, 2021 |
Each working group was tasked with developing two or three operational priorities aligned with each of the six strategic goals set out in the strategy.
Over June and July 2021, these groups worked together and consulted with the Queen’s community to determine the most pressing operational needs and how they might be achieved to help Queen’s fulfill its vision and mission while being true to its values.
Composition
The working groups were championed by faculty members and comprised of additional faculty, staff and students.
Each working group consists of:
- a Faculty Chair
- a Senate representative
- a student representative
- a staff representative
- four to six additional members – representing current faculty, staff and students – with established expertise and experience in the strategic area.
These groups were designed to represent the Queen’s community. Public consultation was part of the working group mandate so that all members of the community that wished to participate in this process could do so.
Meetings structure and feedback
Working groups came together for at least three structured meetings to develop their own operational priorities.
Public feedback was sought (but not limited to) during the time between the second and third meetings and after draft operational priorities were posted. The operational priorities from each working group were submitted to the steering committee in early August.
Steering Committee
The steering committee will use these operational priorities to develop an operational plan.
The steering committee is chaired by the Principal.
Other members include:
- the working group chairs
- all faculty deans
- members of the university's senior leadership team
Mandate and Structure
Learn more about the mandate and structure of the working groups.
Principal Patrick Deane's Working Groups for strategy implementation are intended to identify operational priorities to support each of the strategic goals articulated within the Strategic Framework. Since the overall aim is to maximize the impact of the university in society and in the world at large, the working groups’ focus should be on initiatives that hold the promise of increasing such impact. Coordination and collaboration between groups is highly desirable where appropriate and will be supported and facilitated. The university, as is stated in the opening of the new vision statement, is “a community.”
Discussion in the groups should occur at the conceptual level and avoid becoming bogged down in implementation detail. At the same time, however, this is not an entirely “blue sky” exercise, and aspirational thinking needs to be paired with pragmatism and practical good sense. In the next phase, the initiatives from the working groups will be subsumed in an operational plan that will allow the university to track its progress and measure its success.
There are six working groups to align with the six strategic goals articulated in the Strategic Framework. Besides conducting themselves in a spirit of collaboration, they will also act to advance institutional values as laid out in the Strategic Framework, ensuring that their deliberations and their recommendations express our commitment to truth, responsibility, respect, freedom and well-being.
It is expected that the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will to some degree inform discussion in most of the groups, so there is no separate working group devoted to that subject, despite its obvious importance. To ensure coordination, an SDG reference committee has been established that will be chaired by the Principal and will serve as a resource and a coordinating mechanism for the six groups in their engagement with the SDGs.See Footnote 1
Because our intention is to make global engagement a fully integrated element in all our operations, it is likely that international is another subject on which the groups will want to collaborate. In that case, working group #4 will serve as the reference committee and point of coordination. Working group #4 will be drawn from the existing Internationalization planning group and will be chaired by Sandra den Otter.
Working groups have been established with a specific membership and a designated faculty chair, and include membership pulled from faculty, Senate, staff and students. While membership is limited, it is meant to reflect the community base, with participants chosen due to their experience and expertise. To ensure wide community engagement, public consultation will be a necessary component of the work of all groups and the Principal’s Office will help to administratively coordinate public postings and the collection of feedback and commentary to help inform the process of the working groups as they develop, draft and ultimately, finalize their proposed operational priorities.
A Steering Committee, chaired by the Principal, with membership comprised of working group Chairs, members of the Senior Leadership Team and the Deans, will oversee the whole process and ultimately create the new operational plan to support the implementation of the university’s strategy for the future
1. Other members are Sandra den Otter, Michael Fraser, Donna Janiec, Warren Mabee, and Heather Cole.