Initiative of the Year Award

This award is presented to recognize an initiative that most contributes to the mission of the QUAA.

A prize of free tuition to the annual Alumni Volunteer Summit is awarded to the lead individual for the initiative (i.e. Branch president, director, reunion coordinator, etc.) or designate.

Award Eligibility & Criteria

Candidates should be:

  • From an active and officially recognized Queen’s Branch, Reunion group or Chapter
  • An initiative that aligns with and embodies the mission of the QUAA to engage members in the life and work of the university, and to serve the alumni community in all its diversity
  • Not limited to social events but include initiatives to engage alumni with the life and work of Queen’s University in unique and meaningful ways

No nominations were submitted for the 2024 Initiative of the Year Award. There will be no 2024 recipient of this award. 

2023 Recipient

Queen's Black Alumni Chapter Reunion Cookout

Members of Queen's Black Alumni Chapter

The Queen’s Black Alumni Chapter (QBAC) Reunion Cookout was a family-friendly barbecue hosted by QBAC as part of Homecoming activities on Oct. 29, 2022. The event was QBAC’s first in-person gathering in over three years, due to the pandemic. The QBAC team was intentional in its planning to ensure a safe space for Queen's Black community members, which includes alumni, students, staff, and faculty members. The Cookout offered an opportunity to reconnect and network during Homecoming festivities. Organizers were thrilled to see the event draw a large number of students (over 90 per cent of attendees).  

The response to the reunion cookout countered the prevailing narrative that Queen's is not a safe space for people of colour, providing a place for the Black community at Queen's to connect and share their lived experiences during the university's biggest alumni event of the year. The event also countered the prevailing narrative that Queen's is not a safe space for people of colour. The Black community at Queen's is thriving and continues to grow as a lifelong community that inspires inclusion and social and economic innovation for past, current, and future students. A testament to its success, the QBAC cookout will be offered at 2023 Homecoming as well.