The Senate is one of the three governing bodies of the University, together with the Board of Trustees and the University Council, all of which are administered by the University Secretariat.
The Senate is responsible for determining all matters of academic character affecting the University as a whole. It shares responsibility with the Board of Trustees for appointing the Principal.
The Senate has 68 members: 12 ex-officio and 56 elected.
The Senate functions through a standing committee structure consisting of 11 committees.
Orientation
All Senators are encouraged to complete this self-guided orientation module, designed to provide information on the purpose and functions of Senate, an overview of the governance structure at Queen's, and much more. It is not necessary to complete this in one sitting, you may return to the content at any time. If you would like more information, please contact our office at senate@queensu.ca and we will be pleased to assist.
Tehontatenentsonterontahkhwa Queen's Friendship Wampum
Skén:nen Atenro’será:kon tánon Ka’nikonhrí:io
Wa’kón:ion ne Queen’s University tsi iohétstha ne kaianerénhsera ne Kaswéntha Atenro’será:kon atia’táhnha, né ne Konti’tarí:sere Ka’nisténhsera takóntka’we Tyendinaga nitioné:non tánon ne Kahsóhtshera Iotitióhkwaien ne Kingston kí 7 shískare Enniskó:wa 2017.
Kí kakweniénston ate’nienténhtshera tiókonte e’tho káien nó:nen enhontkenní:sa ne ratiianerenhserón:nis, ne wathró:ris tsi enká:take tsi waterihwahserón:ni ne Skén:en tánon Atenro’será:kon.
Peace, Friendship, and Good Minds
The friendship wampum belt was presented to Queen's University Senate by the Clan Mothers at Tyendinaga, and the Grandmothers' Council of Katarokwi, on March 7, 2017.
This cherished symbol is now present at all Senate meetings, to represent the lasting covenant of peace and friendship.
To learn more about wampum, you may be interested in this video from Richard Hill, Tuscarora scholar and expert in this field.
We recommit to this relationship regularly through the Polishing the Chain Ceremony, to keep the rust from forming. This video shows the January 2021 Ceremony:
As members of Queen’s Senate, we acknowledge that we are on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee people. Learning and growth requires exploration of one’s identity, an exploration that can only take place in the true commitment to reconciliation.
As members of Senate, we recognize our role in this process of exploration and we acknowledge that learning must also involve recognizing the consequences of actions and the responsibility to move forward with a positive spirit. We acknowledge the wampum on the table before us, which serves as a reminder of the peace, friendship, and good minds that we commit and recommit to each time we meet.
These lands situate us in place while reminding us of our past.
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