The continuing contributions of Queen’s staff will be celebrated during Staff Appreciation Day on Wednesday, Dec, 11.

The day is highlighted by the Principal’s Holiday Reception with a wide array of food and drinks on offer from 11:30 am to 1 pm in the main gym of the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).

Donations of non-perishable food items are being accepted in support of the AMS Food Bank. Donors will be entered into a draw to win a handcrafted gingerbread house courtesy of Queen’s Hospitality Services Sodexo.

Getting the day off to a good start, Queen’s staff can pick up a free medium coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at any Sodexo retail outlet on campus (excluding Starbucks) until 10:30 am. Please bring your Queen’s employee card.

Also marking the day, is a series of tours, workshops, and wellness activities organized by Human Resources in the morning and afternoon.

• 9:30-10:15 am: Miller Museum of Geology Tour - Miller Museum of Geology
• 10-10:30 am: Tour the Agnes - Agnes Etherington Art Centre
• 10:30-11:20 am: Yoga for Managing Stress - Athletics & Recreation, Studio 1
• 10:30-11 am: Clinical Simulation Centre Tour - Clinical Simulation Centre
• 1:30-2:15 pm: Queen's Observatory Tour - Queen's Observatory
• 2-2:50 pm: Indoor Cycle - Athletics & Recreation, Studio 2
• 2:30-3:30 pm: Emotional Intelligence Workshop - Indigenous Classroom, Mackintosh-Corry E202

Visit the Human Resources Learning Catalogue to sign up for one or more of these events (pre-registration is required). 

Queen’s has released a final report and recommendations after looking into food insecurity within the university community.

Established in June 2019 by Interim Provost and Vice-Principal Tom Harris, the Food Insecurity Working Group was tasked with reviewing available data, evaluating current trends, and scanning current practices related to food insecurity at Queen’s. The working group, chaired by Corinna Fitzgerald, Assistant Dean, Student Life and Learning, included staff and student representatives. The group consulted with community partners and subject matter experts to inform their report and recommendations.

Among the working group’s findings is that those most affected by food insecurity at Queen’s tend to be female-identified graduate students with family responsibilities. The working group also identified that food insecurity is a symptom of the bigger problem of poverty, and that Canadian post-secondary institutions’ understanding of the prevalence of student food insecurity is continuing to evolve.

The working group identified five strategic priority areas to help address food insecurity at Queen’s: education and awareness; environment; community; skills building; and policy.

“I'm pleased to be able to release the report of the Food Insecurity Working Group,” Provost Harris says. “I established this working group after reading media reports on food insecurity, and in particular food insecurity on university campuses. I felt that we needed to know more about the situation at Queen’s. In January, I will form an implementation group to act on the recommendations outlined in the report. I want to express my thanks to the members of the working group for their commitment to learning more about this important issue.”

Mikayla Sebesta (Artsci’19), a Student Experience Assistant and working group member, helped draft the report and took part in an environmental scan of the programs and services that focus on food insecurity at Queen’s. The scan highlighted existing programs and services that help students access food, including the Swipe it Forward Program, which allows students with a meal plan to donate meals to anonymous students in need. The scan also identified that the university offers several free cooking classes, budgeting classes, and regular events that offer free food for students.

At the same time, the university continues to develop ways to increase financial aid for students in need, such as the Promise Scholars program, and the recently launched Promise Campaign.

Sebesta adds that by taking part in the project she was able to gain a valuable, inside view of the Queen’s community.

“Through taking part in the working group I was able to experience the collaboration happening on campus to address food insecurity,” she says. “Through reviewing data I learned of the prevalence of food insecurity on campus, and through conversations with campus partners I learned of the work being done to mitigate the experiences of food insecurity, including Swipe it Forward and the AMS Food Bank. Most importantly, I learned that there is still more work to be done, and the importance of continuing conversations about food insecurity on campus. I believe that the recommendations made in the report reflect this, and provide a strong stepping stone for this work to be continued.”

The Food Insecurity Working Group’s final report is available on the website of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). 

One of Canada’s youngest chief economists and an executive who helps thousands of women around the world develop into leaders are among nine Queen’s alumnae on this year’s list of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

The list, compiled by Women’s Executive Network, features Frances Allen (Artsci’87), Frances Donald (Artsci’08), Monika Federau (MBA’98), Jessica Lui (Com’14), Lisette McDonald, (NSc’78), Patricia McLeod (MBA’11), Deborah Shannon Trudeau (Artsci’76), Patrice Walch-Watson (Law’91), and Annesley Wallace (Sc’03, MSc’05).

Deborah Shannon Trudeau has made a difference in the advancement of women in the workplace by inspiring female executives. Trudeau is the global president of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), an organization that brings together more than 7,000 members across dozens of countries to advance women’s leadership and equality. She is also an experienced innovator and entrepreneur. In addition to her IWF duties, she is a senior vice president at Trudeau Corporation, an international kitchen and houseware company with customers in more than 70 countries.

At 33 years old, Frances Donald is one of Canada’s youngest chief economists. At Manulife, she is praised for approaching economic and financial market forecasts from a social science perspective by considering the reasons behind people’s financial decisions. This perspective has guided her on many successful trading decisions. She is also an advocate for affordable childcare to ensure women have equal opportunities to participate in the workforce.

The other Queen’s alumnae to make the top 100 list are senior executives and proven leaders both in the corporate world and the community:

• Maj.-Gen. Frances Allen is a communications and cyber operations expert with 35 years of experience in the Canadian Armed Forces. The responsibilities of the Deputy Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in the Department of National Defence include commanding and leading the development of CAF’s cyber capabilities at all levels.

• Monika Federau is the chief strategy officer for Canada’s largest property and casualty insurer, Intact Financial Corporation, and leads the development of the company’s corporate strategy. She also gives back to her community by serving on several boards, including UNICEF Canada.

• Jessica Lui is a champion for entrepreneurship and youth education. She is the founder of the Global Professionals Practicum, which helps develop young adults pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers in underserved communities. She served as a United Nations youth ambassador and contributed to the development of the 2030 Sustainability Development Goals.

• Lisette McDonald is a successful entrepreneur who launched Southmedic Incorporated, which manufactures and distributes medical devices. McDonald grew the company through innovation and building a supportive corporate culture for workers. Today, Southmedic has sales in more than 80 countries.    

• Patricia McLeod is a lawyer with extensive legal and governance experience in many areas, including corporate/commercial, compliance, and securities law. She is chair of the board of directors of the Calgary Co-op, one of North America’s largest co-operatives.

• Patrice Walch-Watson is the senior managing director at the CPPIB (Canada Pension Plan Investment Board) who leads the company’s global legal, compliance, and corporate secretarial functions. She is also a champion of cultivating a psychologically healthy and safe workplace within CPPIB.

• Annesley Wallace is a senior vice president at OMERS, Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, with a highly successful track record. She leads a team responsible for communicating with 500,000 pension plan members.

Many Queen’s alumnae have appeared on Canada’s 100 Most Power Women’s lists in previous years. Former recipients include CBC TV Dragons’ Den star Michele Romanow (Sc’07, MBA’08), National Football League Chief Operating Officer Mary Ann Turcke, (Sc’88, MBA’97), and Leslie O’Donoghue (Law’88), who recently received the Johnson Award from the Calgary Branch of the Queen’s University Alumni Association.

This article was first published on the Queen's Alumni website.

Launched on Oct. 1, the Queen’s United Way Campaign Committee has set a fundraising goal of $370,178 for this year’s campaign in support of United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington.

Thanks to the continued support of staff, faculty and retiree donations the campaign currently total $297,228 or 80.3 per cent of the final goal.

Last year, more than 58,000 people benefited from United Way KFL&A-funded programs.

Queen’s community members can back the United Way through payroll deduction, a one-time gift, credit card, cheque or cash. 

To make a donation online through the United Way’s ePledge system, simply go to queensu.ca/unitedway and fill out the forms. Please note that if you donated last year and selected the auto-renewal action, no further action is required unless you would like to change your donation.