A Very Big Thank You

On behalf of Leigh and myself, I want to express our gratitude to everyone in Advancement for the success that was Homecoming 2020 and Queen’s Day.

Queen’s Day, although more subdued this year, was a great success on social media. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to engage our alumni online to celebrate Queen’s 179th birthday. In case you missed it, here’s a little video we made of the Queen’s Day 2020 celebrations.

On Queen’s Day, the hashtag #queensuday garnered 303 posts from 149 users, producing 5,633 engagements – a reach of 354,961 and 985,807 impressions. Impressions from our media accounts alone were up across the board from Queen’s Day last year: 113,185 (compared to 59,104 in 2019, an increase of 91.5%). Here’s a breakdown:

Twitter 25,861 (compared to 6,698 in 2019, an increase of 286%)
Facebook 22,333 (compared to 5,437 in 2019, an increase of 310%)
Instagram 32,250 (compared to 24,648 in 2019, an increase of 30%)
LinkedIn 32,471 (compared to 22,321 in 2019, an increase of 45%)

We had just shy of 2,000 registrations for Homecoming. At any one time during the three-hour main event we had hundreds of people tuning in from around the world. Here’s a little of what our alumni had to say:

• "So cool to join from Munich, Germany. Have not participated in a Homecoming since I left Queen's."
• "I'm finding this whole afternoon so moving..."
• "Love this offering from Queen's. I'm flooded with gratitude for my time there and since."
• "... I have never been to a live Homecoming in all the 49 years since graduation from Queen's, so this virtual Homecoming was extra special for me."
• "As a newcomer to Queen's this is my second Homecoming. Equally as impressive as the first!"
• "For those of us far away — this was a great way to connect."
• "Thanks for this trip down memory lane. My heart feels renewed and grateful for community. Cha gheill!"

Like all great events, in the end it looked easy. But that was only because of the tremendous efforts of a lot of people. I had planned to thank everyone who worked on Homecoming individually here but the list was starting to look exactly like the Advancement staff list. Our sincere thanks to you all!

I want to leave you with a note that Karen received from the principal yesterday:

“Hi Karen. Just wanted to say: brilliant job on Homecoming. Your people did a really stellar job. I can’t imagine how much planning was required to pull that off. And oddly, I found it the most enjoyable Homecoming I’ve experienced anywhere. So there.”

Again, we want to thank everyone for making Queen’s Day and our first-ever virtual Homecoming so successful. As always, Shakespeare said it best: I can no other answer make, but, thanks and thanks.

Advancement Values – our value statements? 

By Kate Bearse, Executive Assistant, Office of the Vice-Principal (Advancement) 

Last we spoke, I told you big things were coming, and here they are. After our group work in the summer, and working with the Advancing IDEAs group in September, we are starting the Define phase of our values work. In this survey you will find Advancement’s values and two value statements. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to participate in this survey and choose one statement per value. In the November 2nd ALTogehter Now, we will reveal the chosen value statements before we move into our next phase, Validate.

Keep an eye on ALTogether Now for even more information and activities that I hope you will participate in. 

Queen’s United Way Campaign update

By: Begona Pereira, Donor Relations Officer

By now, all of you have received a message from the Chair of the Queen’s United Way committee, James Ligthart, asking you to consider making a gift to the United Way Campaign. We’re happy to report that as of this week, 13 of our colleagues have heeded the call. Thank you to each and every one of you who have chosen to support our local community in this way.

Last Friday, Begona delivered sincere thanks along with hot beverages to two members of our team who have already make their United Way gifts.

Special thanks to Angel and Josh for their commitment to Local Love!

If you would like to learn more about the people who benefit from the many community services funded through the United Way, we invite you to attend one of the weekly Lunch & Learn sessions hosted by Principal Deane:

Food security in our region
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 12:15 – 12:45 pm
Speakers: Brenda Moore, Food Sharing Project and Kathy Sturmey, KCHS Seniors Food Box Program
Join the Zoom webinar

Women’s resilience
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 12:15 – 12:45 pm
Speakers: Speakers from Elizabeth Fry Society and Dawn House
Join the Zoom webinar

Go to queensu.ca/unitedway to make your gift today.

With thanks,

Your 2020 Advancement Workplace Champions
Kate Bearse, VP (Advancement) Office
Gage Benyon, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving
Patricia Falzon & Maura Doyle,  Development
Laura Leeman, Advancement Services
Begona Pereira, Advancement Marketing, Communications, Donor Relations and Events

Jobs with Advancement

We need your recruitment help. Know great talent that would be a good addition to our team? If so, please promote the vacancies below with your networks and let’s find some amazing new team members.

Applications (including a cover letter and resume) must be submitted through CareerQ. For additional information on this posting, please reach out to either Katelyn, Carla, or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.

Available Position:

Did you know?

Jean Isobel Royce (1904-1982)

Jean Royce, BA'29, LLD'68, was the longest-serving registrar in Queen's history, a profound influence on the lives of thousands of Queen's students, and a force in the academic development of the university.

Royce was born in St Thomas, Ontario, and studied at the Ontario Library School before enrolling at Queen's in 1927 to study English and history. She worked briefly at Douglas Library, where she organized the documents collection, and as a teacher in Whitby before becoming Queen's Registrar in 1933. She served in the post for the next 36 years, during which time it is estimated that she personally counselled 30,000 students.

She was renowned for her sympathy and understanding of students' problems and her skill at identifying and encouraging students of ability. She also had a significant influence on the development of Queen's curriculum, especially in the expansion of course offerings in the Faculty of Arts and Science in the 1950s and 1960s.