2017-20 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Queen’s University

Preamble

This Strategic Mandate Agreement between the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and Queen’s University  outlines the role the University currently performs in Ontario’s postsecondary education system and how it will build on its current strengths to achieve its vision and help drive system-wide objectives and government priorities.

The Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA):

• Identifies and explains the shared objectives and priorities between the Ontario government and the University
• Outlines current and future areas of program strength
• Supports the current vision, mission, and mandate of the University and established areas of strength within the context of the University’s governing legislation
• Describes the agreed-upon elements of the new university funding model, including:
  • a University’s enrolment plans as well as their projections of their enrolments relative to their corridor midpoint and any desired changes to their corridor during the period of this SMA; and
  • differentiation areas of focus including metrics and targets
• Provides information on the financial sustainability of the institution; and
• Informs Ministry decision-making and enables the Ministry to align its policies and processes to further support the University’s areas of strength

The term of the SMA is from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020.

The agreement may be amended in the event of substantive policy or program changes that would significantly affect joint commitments made in the SMA (e.g. Major Capacity Expansion, Highly Skilled Workforce, etc.). Any such amendment would be mutually agreed to in writing, dated, and signed by both signatories.

Ontario’s vision for postsecondary education

Ontario’s colleges and universities will drive creativity, innovation, knowledge, skills development and community engagement through teaching and learning, research, and service.

Ontario’s colleges and universities will put students first by providing the best possible learning experience for all qualified learners in an affordable and financially sustainable way, ensuring high quality and globally competitive outcomes for students and Ontario’s economy.

Queen’s university vision, mission and mandate

Queen’s University is the Canadian research-intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. It brings together exceptional students, staff and faculty within a closely knit academic environment that is infused by both a commitment to excellence in teaching and learning and a spirit of inquiry that encourages research and innovation. The result is a university that uniquely combines high student engagement and exceptional student outcomes with one of the highest degrees of research intensity in Ontario.

Aspirations

The Ministry recognizes the importance of supporting institutions to evolve and acknowledges the strategic aspirations of its postsecondary education institutions. The SMA is not intended to capture all decisions and issues in the postsecondary education system, as many will be addressed through the Ministry’s policies and standard processes. The Ministry will not be approving any requests for capital funding or new program approvals, for example, through the SMA process.

Institutional Aspirations

Queen’s is uniquely positioned among Ontario’s universities. No other institution combines our quality and intensity of research with our excellence in undergraduate and graduate education.[1] Queen’s delivers a transformative student learning experience that is marked by high student engagement, while at the same time maintaining its standing as Ontario’s third-most research-intensive university. [2] These two aspects of Queen’s mission are complementary, combining to produce an exceptional environment where learning and discovery go hand in hand.

Queen’s is home to exceptional undergraduate and graduate students, who are divided almost equally between arts and science and professional schools. Their education is enriched by Queen’s research-intensive environment and the spirit of inquiry. They are able to take advantage of unparalleled opportunities, both inside and beyond the classroom, to advance their academic, professional and personal development and to prepare them for global citizenship. For example, Queen’s undergraduate students participate in study abroad opportunities at more than 2.5 times the provincial average, and more than 80 per cent of students report participation in experiential learning.[3]  At the same time, Queen’s has a long history of research excellence supported by highly qualified personnel. It is a member of the prestigious U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and is home to exceptional professors, including Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald, co-recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.

In alignment with the priorities for differentiation contained in this SMA, Queen’s aspires to advance its student learning experience and its research prominence through a number of strategies, including:

• Continuing to provide responsive services and supports to maintain Queen’s leadership in student retention and graduation rates at both the undergraduate and graduate levels
• Ensuring Queen’s remains a leader in innovative, evidence-based teaching and learning best practices, including experiential learning, to help ensure graduates are highly skilled and prepared for success
• Faculty renewal of up to 200 new hires over the next five years, nearly double the pace of the past five, to advance excellence in teaching and learning, research, and training of highly qualified personnel
• Further increasing the diversity of the student body, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous and racialized students
• Increasing engagement with the regional community, provincial and federal governments, the private sector, and international partners to further innovation, commercialization and skills development
• Continuing the revitalization of campus facilities, with specific priorities including:
  • New academic building for Physics, including the Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Centre
  • New/revitalized space for nursing and rehabilitation therapy
  • Classroom renewal, including conversion to active learning spaces
  • John Deutsch University Centre revitalization
  • Implementation of the Library and Archives Master Plan
  • Renewal of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre and creation of an Indigenous art centre
  • Support for innovation and industry partnerships at Innovation Park

Shared objectives and priorities for differentiation

Student experience

This section captures institutional strengths in improving student experience, outcomes and success. This section recognizes institutions for measuring the broader learning environment, such as continuity of learning pathways; retention; student satisfaction; co-curricular activities and records; career preparedness; and student services and supports.

Institutional approach to improving student experience

With an undergraduate entering average of 88.5 per cent, among the highest in the province[4], admission to Queen’s is highly competitive and our academic programs are in high demand. Queen’s is proud of the high quality of its student experience at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and across its faculties and professional schools, as demonstrated by various student satisfaction, engagement and outcome metrics. According to the National Survey on Student Engagement (NSSE), 90 per cent of upper-year undergraduate students at Queen’s report good to excellent satisfaction with their entire educational experience. Similarly, the Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS) reports that 89 per cent of graduate students rate their academic experience as good to excellent. In addition, 96 per cent of Queen’s third-year law students said they would choose Queen’s again, compared to an average of 75 per cent for North American law schools[5]. The student satisfaction index in the School of Medicine is substantially above the mean for medical schools across the country.[6]

Over the course of this SMA, Queen’s aims to maintain its leadership in delivering an exceptional student learning experience and in achieving excellent retention and completion rates at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The university will do this by continuing to offer programs, services and supports that ensure a high-quality student experience and promote student success, including:

• First-year transition programing to promote student success academically and personally, including peer mentoring for students with disabilities, international students, first-generation students and self-identified Indigenous students
• Career services to get students thinking about their options early and to help develop workplace skills
• Student academic success services that develop skills in critical thinking, reading, learning, studying, writing, and self-management
• Student wellness services including health, counselling and accessibility services, and health promotion[7]
• Academic and cultural services for Indigenous students
• A variety of student clubs, athletics and recreation, and volunteer opportunities
• International and cross-cultural programs, including through the Queen’s University International Centre

In addition, bringing together students and faculty members who are excellent teachers and researchers enriches Queen’s student experience. The university’s primarily residential environment cultivates a deeply rooted sense of a Queen’s identity, a dedication to a collaborative learning community and active engagement of students in their academic and extracurricular pursuits. Queen’s research-intensive environment infuses a spirit of inquiry into the student experience and contributes to an evidence-based approach to teaching and learning that informs curriculum and places a focus on experiential learning. This spirit of inquiry is advanced by Queen’s having one of the highest proportions of graduate students to undergraduate students in Ontario.[8]

Queen’s performs above the provincial average with respect to the proportion of senior-year undergraduate students who have undertaken high-impact practices (HIPs), such as experiential learning, study abroad, research with faculty, and culminating experiences. Queen’s students report having achieved an average of 2.15 HIPs (17 per cent higher than the provincial average[9]) with undergraduates 2.5 times more likely than the provincial average to undertake a study abroad opportunity and 1.5 times more likely to conduct research with faculty.

This outstanding student experience leads to some of the most impressive student outcomes in Ontario. For example, Queen’s first- to second-year undergraduate retention rate is 94.2 per cent, the highest in Ontario. Queen’s graduation rate for undergraduates is 90.2 per cent (the highest in Ontario), 91.7 per cent for Master’s students (the highest in the U15), and 76.8 per cent for PhD students (the second-highest in the U15). [10] Queen’s graduates are more likely to go on to further studies (67 per cent compared to the national average of 50 per cent[11]) and they enjoy favourable employment outcomes. For students graduating with advanced degrees, a recent 2016 Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) report showed Queen’s had the highest percentage of PhD graduates employed as professors among Ontario’s research-intensive universities, with 50 per cent working inside academia, and 35 per cent in technical, health-related, public sector and other employment.

While proud of these results, Queen’s continually strives to improve the student experience by ensuring the services, supports, programs and opportunities available are responsive to students' needs and contribute to their success. The examples below illustrate some recent and ongoing initiatives to build on our offerings to further enhance educational and career outcomes.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• First-year transition programming — Queen’s offers a comprehensive suite of first-year transition programing that is focused on promoting a successful transition to postsecondary studies for all students, including students with disabilities, international students, first-generation students and self-identified Aboriginal students. This includes:
  • Summer Orientation to Academics and Resources, a day-long summer orientation program where participants learn about academic expectations, transition issues and more
  • Summer webinar series hosted by staff and upper-year students, covering such topics as registration, living in residence, orientation week, academics and student life
  • Acculturation and Transition to Life and Academic Success, a specialized summer webinar series designed specifically for new international students coming to Queen’s
  • A dedicated welcome day and early residence move-in for self-identified Indigenous students, as well as Bimaadiziwin Ka'Nikonhriyo, a living and learning community within residence
  • Q Success, an interactive workshop series delivered in the first six weeks of classes that aims to help all first-year students develop the skills and habits that promote academic success
  • Q Success mentoring is designed specifically for first-year students who identify as Indigenous, international, having a disability, or being the first person in their family to attend university
  • Bounce Back, a support program for first-year undergraduate studentshaving academic difficulty, which provides an upper-year student mentor to work with participants one-on-one

• Transitioning into graduate studies
  • Queen’s graduate orientation and resource fair prepares students for what to expect in graduate school, with more than 30 information booths from Queen’s and the community
  • Expanding Horizons, a workshop series for graduate students that focuses on such topics as the fundamentals of communication with their supervisor and academic and research integrity
  • School of Graduate Studies Habitat, a national award-winning[12] online resource hub for graduate students and their families with tips, guidance and information on health, well-being, navigating academe, managing time and finances and building a career
  • A suite of graduate student supports that includes: workshops, boot camps, and online resources to promote graduate student achievement of academic and professional goals, including management and leadership; intercultural competency; CVs and resumés, and design thinking. A Supplemental Training Record tracks completion of professional development and training

• Major Maps and Grad Maps: help students navigate their academic program by offering information and milestones for each undergraduate and graduate program at Queen’s, in areas such as academics, extra-curriculars, networking, international opportunities and professional development. They help illustrate for students how the transferable skills gained during their studies extend through to employment. Approximately 90 per cent of students using the maps said they motivated earlier career planning and job search, raised awareness of experiential learning opportunities, and helped in making decisions around academic programs and career options.[13] The Major Maps initiative received the 2015 Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers award for Excellence in Innovation (Student Engagement) and is a finalist for the Career Services Excellence award from the US-based National Association of Colleges and Employers

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics	2019-20 Target Range
Proportion of fourth year students with two or more High-Impact Practices  (HIPs) (from the National Survey of Student Engagement)	62% - 66%
Year 1 to Year 2 retention (from the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange)	93 - 95%
Proportion of operating expenditures on student services, net of student assistance (as reported in the Council of University Finance Officers data)	3.0% – 3.4%

Institutional Metrics	2019-20 Target
Undergraduate Senior-Year Student Satisfaction Evaluate your entire educational experience at this institution ("Good” + "Excellent” responses) If you could start over again, would you attend the same institution? ("Probably Yes” + "Definitely Yes” responses)	85 - 91% 82 - 88%
Graduate Student Academic Experience Rating Overall rating of the quality of the academic experience ("Good” + "Very Good” + "Excellent” responses) Professional Masters students Research Masters students Doctoral students	80% - 90% 85% - 95% 80% - 90%

Innovation in teaching and learning excellence

This section focuses on innovative efforts including pedagogical approaches, program delivery and student services that contribute to a highly skilled workforce and ensure positive student outcomes.

This section captures institutional strengths in delivering high-quality learning experiences, such as experiential, entrepreneurial, personalized and digital learning, to prepare students for rewarding careers. It includes recognition of student competencies that improve employability.

It begins to identify indicators of quality that are currently available and within an institution’s control.

Institutional approach to innovation in teaching and learning excellence

A spirit of inquiry drives innovation in teaching and learning at Queen’s. This spirit is associated with challenging current beliefs, acquiring new knowledge, developing critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, an increase in student engagement and heightening student-faculty interaction. Inquiry starts by posing meaningful questions designed to engage students as a scholarly way of furthering knowledge, skills and habits of mind. It involves the pursuit of open-ended questions and fuels the energy behind curiosity-based research, and engages and enhances higher-order learning skills, reflective and integrative learning and the use of quantitative reasoning. Current and planned initiatives leading into this SMA are designed to enhance the spirit of inquiry that characterizes the teaching and learning environment and to diffuse this spirit through innovations in pedagogy, program development and the supportive educational environment.

In pedagogy, the spirit of inquiry leads us to break down divisions between online and on-campus study, and between academic-based learning and applied experiential learning. During the first SMA (2014-17), Queen’s undertook a series of course redesign projects that saw the revision of many first-year courses and led into the integration of blended learning in courses across the university. More recently, Queen’s has significantly expanded its fully online learning through successful applications to the eCampusOntario competition. For three consecutive years, Queen’s led in funding awarded through the Ontario Online Initiative with 13 courses supported in 2013-14, 19 in 2014-15, 31 in 2015-16. There are now nine degree programs fully online with more than 140 individual courses currently available.

With respect to online learning, Queen’s target during SMA2 is to increase online enrolments by 15 per cent and to develop and launch two new undergraduate programs. Successful research projects funded through eCampusOntario have identified strategies for attracting a more diverse set of distance learners, and these strategies will be introduced during the next recruitment cycles. An additional research project, also funded through eCampusOntario, defines new approaches to instructor development and the implementation of research-based best practices into instructional design. This review and redevelopment of instructional design will lead to innovative approaches to pedagogy during the term of this SMA.

Complementary to the spirit of inquiry is the extension of pedagogies associated with experiential learning. Eighty-two per cent of Queen’s students report involvement in experiential learning, including the more than 40 per cent who report participating in an internship or co-op placement.[14] Capstone courses in many programs include internships, field experience, placements and work study opportunities. These include internships or placements in programs such as Development Studies, Public Health, Urban and Regional Planning, Engineering and Law. Other work-integrated learning opportunities are available in the Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Master of English, Master of Arts Leadership, Masters and PhD in Gender Studies and the soon-to-launch professional Doctorate in Rehabilitation Health Leadership, Graduate Diploma and Masters programs in Medical Sciences and Clinical Laboratory Science. In addition, Queen’s offers a number of international-oriented courses that contain significant experiential learning components, including courses based in Cuba, Venice, Shanghai, as well as biology field courses with a number of international locations.

Program development at Queen’s has also seen a transformational change in the creation of interdisciplinary, interfaculty and pathway partnerships that break down divisions between academic disciplines, faculties, and between universities and colleges. A new Bachelor of Arts specialization in Politics, Philosophy and Economics represents collaboration among diverse departments; certificates in Business and Law open new areas of inquiry for Arts and Science students; and a new certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation developed by the Faculty of Arts and Science is the first pan-university certificate available to undergraduates in any faculty. Further, a pathway agreement with St. Lawrence College facilitates laddered credentials by combining a Bachelor of Music with a Diploma in Music and Digital Media, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Biotechnology with an Advanced Diploma in Biotechnology, and a Bachelor of Music Theatre with an Advanced Diploma in Music-Theatre Performance.

Graduate programs have also evolved at Queen’s to include 10 laddered credentials in a range of areas, including the Graduate Diploma in Biomedical Informatics and the Graduate Diploma in Medical Sciences, which provide advanced standing in the associated Professional Masters program. Under SMA1, 17 new graduate programs were approved, 15 of which will have launched by September 2017. An additional 13 programs are in the pipeline that Queen’s proposes to launch under this SMA, as they align with its focus on providing increased options for students through laddered credentials and supporting areas of growth, research reinvestment, and high demand where student career outcomes are favourable. Queen’s will develop similar academic programs that offer additional certification opportunities for students, expand the range of disciplinary combinations and broaden the connection across academic institutions.

Along with these evolutions in pedagogy and program, Queen’s is committed to developing an enhanced, supportive educational environment capable of sustaining the transformations brought about by the spirit of inquiry. A range of pedagogical supports is delivered by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), enabling the development of different pedagogies, teaching assistant (TA) training and the articulation of learning outcomes and curriculum mapping for instructors and departments. All of Queen’s programs now have specified learning outcomes and the HEQCO-funded Learning Outcomes Project offers an analysis of the effectiveness of learning outcomes using embedded course assessments, standardized instruments and specific rubrics to assess learning outcomes and cognitive skills. It will be radically expanded during this SMA. In support of pedagogical innovations, Queen’s currently invests $1 million per year in classroom renewal. Technology upgrades are complemented by substantial renovations and reconfigurations in teaching and learning spaces across campus. Active Learning Classrooms, which can easily be rearranged between or even during classes, are replacing conventional teaching spaces to enable and support a variety of highly interactive and collaborative learning activities.

Ultimately, the spirit of inquiry and the application of theory to practice are complemented by engagement with issues of social justice, economic development, internationalization and globalization. Students develop a sense of engagement through their involvement in outreach, clubs, student government and a range of campus activities and events. Carried forward, this social and community engagement results in citizens who support a collaborative, creative economy and who experience high employment rates and high earning levels.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• Undergraduate Research initiatives such as: Inquiry@Queen’s, a robust program designed to promote and showcase undergraduate research through conference activity and a new I@Q Undergraduate Research Journal; a new Certificate in Advanced Undergraduate Research Skills; and Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowships that allow undergraduate students at Queen’s the opportunity to develop research skills under the guidance of a faculty researcher

• The Queen’s University Internship Program (QUIP) is a work-integrated learning program available to domestic and international students in the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Computing. Students in QUIP complete a 12- to 16-month paid and professionally supervised internship requiring reflective learning and providing opportunities for networking. Student participation in QUIP increased by 30 per cent in 2015-16 over the previous year.[15]

• The PhD-Community Initiative (established 2016) provides hands-on experiential learning opportunities that take PhD students outside their field of study to work as part of an interdisciplinary team of students. They translate their skills and knowledge gained in their academic training to an issue or challenge identified by a community partner organization. Guided by alumni mentors, PhD teams scope the project, set goals, and present deliverables to the community partner, enabling them to move forward and make progress. The program will be expanded in 2017, building on its first-year success

• Competency-based medical education (CBME): In 2014, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada mapped out a multi-year transition for all residency programs in Canada that would see the implementation of a CBME model over the next decade. However, Queen’s School of Medicine took on a leadership role by accelerating CBME, making a commitment that all incoming Queen’s residents will start their training using a CBME-based model by July 2017. The CBME model shifts the emphasis of training from one focused on time-based learning to one based on competency in the skills required. It includes more frequent and meaningful assessments, ensuring that competent residents will move through training in a more individualized and efficient manner, saving valuable resources and promoting excellence in their paths to independent practice.

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics	2019-20 Target
Composite score on National Survey of Student Engagement questions related to students' perceived gains in higher order learning outcomes	29.0 – 30.0
Proportion of programs with explicit curriculum maps and articulation of learning outcomes	Maintain at 100%  (learning outcomes) 70 - 80% (curriculum maps)
Graduation rate (from the Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange)	84 - 86%

Institutional Metrics

2019-20 Target

Composite Engagement Score Average engagement score across all engagement indicators and HIPs relative to the national averag (Alternate): Actual average engagement score across all engagement indicators excluding HIPs The Spirit of Inquiry Selected dimensions of teaching and learning that demonstrate the spirit of inquiry relative to the national average (4th year) (Alternate): Actual scores on selected teaching and learning items that demonstrate the spirit of inquiry (4th year) (a) Perceived gains in writing (mean) (b) Perceived gains in speaking (mean) (c) Undertaking research with faculty (%) (d) Having a capstone experience (%) (e) Perceived gains in solving complex problems (mean) (f) Perceived gains in critical thinking (mean)

108% 37.5 106 – 150% Maintain +/- 5% (means) +/- 4% (%s)

Access and equity

This section recognizes institutions for their efforts in improving postsecondary education equity and access. Institutions play an important role in providing equitable and inclusive environments that make it possible for students from diverse communities to thrive and succeed.

Institutions will also be recognized for creating equitable access opportunities that can include multiple entrance pathways and flexible policies and programming, with the focus on students who, without interventions and support, would not otherwise participate in postsecondary education. Examples include outreach to marginalized youth, transition, bridging and access programs for adults with atypical education histories and who do not meet admission requirements.

Institutional approach to improving access and equity

Queen’s University is committed to fostering an equitable and inclusive educational environment that supports student success and to developing a range of entrance pathways, including through partnerships with the college sector. While the Queen’s student body is diverse in many respects[16], the university recognizes the need for ongoing enhancement of the programs and pathways it offers in support of access and equity for students. Queen’s aims to broaden the diversity of its student body and provide all students with a supportive environment in which to pursue a postsecondary education. We aim to achieve this through programs, policies and practices that facilitate access to postsecondary education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and to ensure that the university is responsive to the unique needs of each student.

A particular area of focus for Queen’s has been increasing enrolment among Indigenous students through targeted recruitment activities, outreach programing and alternate admissions pathways. In 2016, Queen’s had 287 self-identified Indigenous applicants, made 188 offers of admission and received 71 acceptances. This represents increases of 68 per cent in applications, 150 per cent in offers, and 163 per cent in acceptances since 2012. Queen’s has a strong retention rate of self-identified undergraduate Aboriginal students: 92 per cent from year 1 to year 2, consistent with the broader first-year cohort. In 2016, 1.2 per cent of incoming graduate students self-identified as Aboriginal.

Among the policies and programs in place to enhance access for Aboriginal students and support their success is an Aboriginal Student Admissions Policy for all undergraduate degree programs. The policy offers an alternative pathway for admission to the first-year of a full-time, first-entry undergraduate degree program. An alternate admissions process is also in place for Aboriginal candidates in the Faculty of Law, the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. Aboriginal recruitment, outreach and support services include an Aboriginal student guide, an Aboriginal Community Liaison officer, dedicated Aboriginal recruitment and outreach staff for undergraduate programs and for the Faculties of Medicine, Business and Law, the Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre, Aboriginal Access to Engineering, the Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement peer mentoring program, Aboriginal scholarships, awards, and bursaries, and the Queen’s Native Students Association. In addition, since 1992 the Aboriginal Council of Queen’s University has brought together representatives of Aboriginal communities in Ontario, Aboriginal students at Queen’s, and senior university personnel. It is involved in all decisions affecting Aboriginal programs and services.

A number of academic programs support Indigenous students and the Indigenization of the university, including: the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program, the Indigenous Policy and Governance Studies in the Professional Masters of Public Administration and the Aboriginal and World Indigenous Master of Education program. The Faculty of Arts and Science offers an undergraduate minor in Indigenous Studies, which is an interdisciplinary program designed to bring together courses on Indigenous history, language, and culture. Queen’s is currently in the process of developing Aboriginal language courses. Queen’s has successfully leveraged the Canada Research Chair Program and the Queen’s National Scholar Program to bring more Indigenous faculty members to Queen’s, which has in turn promoted an increase in Indigenous curricula.

Queen’s strives to continually enhance the inclusiveness of its campus community and has a variety of resources available to its faculty, staff and students. The School of Graduate Studies Expanding Horizons program, in partnership with the Queen’s University International Centre, offers intercultural competencies training to graduate students to help them effectively engage in an intercultural context. Interactive workshops on Indigenous cultural competency and religious literacy are also conducted throughout the year. In addition, Human Resources offers Queen’s faculty and staff a certificate program on diversity and inclusion in the workplace to help build a more inclusive working environment. The Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion worked to examine past reports on diversity and inclusivity and to identify barriers to implementing their recommendations and the steps needed for real change can take place.

To ensure access to students with disabilities, Queen’s has completed a comprehensive audit of its current built environment to assist it in determining capital priorities, including deferred maintenance. Queen’s is in the process of developing facilities accessibility design standards to ensure that future builds will meet or exceed inclusive design standards. Queen’s Accessibility Framework ensures continual systemic change through community engagement. This engagement has resulted in the development of an accessibility hub and increased adaptive technology resources to ensure student success. Accessibility Services provides individualized accommodation planning to remove barriers, advocates for students with disabilities, and liaises with campus units to support student success.

In addition, Queen’s is committed to ensuring access for students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, so that every qualified student who wishes to attend Queen’s can do so. Total expenditures on scholarships and bursaries of about $60 million represent about 12 per cent of total operating expense.[17] Queen’s is a supportive partner of the government’s recent reforms to the Ontario Student Assistance Program. In addition, the dramatic growth in fully online offerings at Queen’s — both courses and programs — has provided access to non-traditional students. The experience of Queen’s Arts and Science Online program has been that students are predominately people who are working and adult learners who benefit from the flexibility and high quality of Queen’s online programs.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Task Force, formed in April 2016, considered how to meaningfully respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final report, including its specific calls to action and the broader themes of relationship-building, changing perspectives and policy, and promoting an awareness of the rights, histories, and contemporary issues facing Indigenous Peoples. Queen’s is committed to implementing the recommendations in the task force’s final report and to continuing programs that attract, retain and serve Indigenous students, such as Aboriginal Access to Engineering, the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program, and the Indigenous Policy and Governance Studies concentration offered as part of the Professional Masters of Public Administration.

• Diversity and Equity Assessment and Planning Tool facilitates the identification of diversity and equity goals and action plans at the unit level. It allows individual units to audit the demographic profile of their faculty, staff and students, assess inclusivity, identify areas for improvement, and develop action plans to enhance inclusion. Implementation across Queen’s is underway, to ensure a living and learning environment that is inclusive of all equity-seeking groups

• Queen’s is developing a First-Generation Admission Policy, modelled on its Aboriginal Admission Policy, to build on Queen’s existing relationships with Pathways to Education programs, as well as the Crown Ward Education Championship Team of Southeastern Ontario, which aims to help youth in the care of area children’s aid societies get to university and college

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics	2019-20 Expected Value
Number and proportion of the following groups at an institution:
Indigenous students	2.0 – 2.4%
First generation students	8.0 – 8.5%
Students with disabilities	5.25 – 5.75%
Francophone students	N/A
Share of OSAP recipients at an institution relative to its total number of eligible students	N/A
Number of transfer applicants and registrations, as captured by the Ontario University Application Centre	140/12

Institutional Metrics	2019-20 Target
Indigenous Student Retention Rate Percentage of self-identified first-year students returning to second-year the following fall (2-year smooth)	91 - 95%
Collaborative Programs Number of academic and research programs delivered in collaboration with other institutions/organizations Enrolments in collaborative academic programs	TBD TBD

Research excellence and impact

This section captures institutional strengths in producing high-quality research on the continuum of fundamental and applied research through activity that further raises Ontario’s profile as a globally recognized research and innovation hub. It also acknowledges that research capacity is strongly linked with graduate education.

Institutional approach to research excellence and impact

Queen’s is a member of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and is one of Ontario’s leading research-intensive institutions. It has a successful track record in the planning, implementation and management of large research initiatives, with multiple national and international partners and stakeholders. Queen’s has established and emerging research strengths in several areas of discovery and innovation that are important for Ontario and Canada, including particle astrophysics, environmental science, cancer research, nuclear materials, clean energy and technology, mental health-neuroscience and cybersecurity. Queen’s is home to more than 20 research centres and institutes and 40 research groups comprised of international thought leaders who pursue industry partnerships and innovation.[18] For example, Queen’s is the lead or host for the Canadian Frailty Network, the International Centre for the Advancement of Community Based Rehabilitation, CMC microsystems, Canadian Institute for Military and Veterans Health, PREVnet, the Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory, Nanofabrication Kingston, Canadian Cancer Trials Group, and the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance network.

Averaging $242,400 in sponsored research income per faculty member, Queen’s is the fifth-most research-intensive university in Canada and the third-most research-intensive university in Ontario.[19] Since 1997, Queen’s has earned more than $261 million in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the second-highest investment in an Ontario university by the foundation.[20]

Queen’s long history of research excellence is demonstrated by the success of its faculty in attracting prestigious awards. Queen’s is home to 45 Canada Research Chairs and a Canada Excellence Research Chair. Honours and awards include the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics, 84 current fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, 48 Killam Fellowships and five Killam Prizes. Over the past decade Queen’s achieved the highest standing in the number of awards and accolades per faculty member of any Canadian institution,[21] and is currently ranked second for faculty winning national awards by Maclean’s magazine. Queen’s graduate students are also impressive in their capacity to attract highly competitive external scholarships to support their research, with 28 Vanier Canada Scholars and 174 Tri-Agency Doctoral Scholarship holders currently studying at Queen’s. This represents 14.4 per cent of graduate students, which is above the 13 per cent U15 average.

Queen’s was awarded a $63.7 million grant from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund to create the Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Centre, which builds on the success of the Nobel-prize winning neutrino research and SNOLAB facility with the goal of making the first direct detection of dark matter. Research at Queen’s also supports innovation and economic development in Ontario. Over the last 25 years, discoveries by Queen’s researchers have led to more than 500 patents, 50 spin-off companies and $1.4 billion in investments.[22]

Queen’s is committed to building on its existing and emerging strengths to further its research prominence within Canada and internationally, in alignment with Queen’s Strategic Research Plan, to produce highly qualified graduates and to benefit the provincial and Canadian innovation ecosystem and economy. Queen’s success in acquiring training grants through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program (NSERC CREATE), the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Scholarships and through funding from the MasterCard Foundation, has been instrumental in developing young researchers and graduate students into global leaders through community and international partnerships. Queen’s will advance its research prominence through increasing focus on those areas that provide international leadership and discovery, as well as broad external partnership and innovation. Queen’s is committed to faculty renewal and has a current renewal target of 41 tenured stream positions in 2017-18, as a first step toward a five-year plan that could see 200 new hires, including up to 20 Queen’s National Scholars.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• Particle Astrophysics: Queen’s is a world leader in particle astrophysics research, including the Canadian Particle Astrophysics Research Centre (CPARC) which received an investment of $63.7 million from the Government of Canada’s Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) to support its creation. CPARC aims to strengthen partnerships between Queen’s and other Canadian universities, attract top talent, and build on Canada’s position as a leader in the field. To support the Centre’s continuing and future research and experiments, 41 positions for researchers, engineers, designers and technicians will be created. In addition, positions for approximately 18 post-doctoral fellows and 40 graduate students will be created on an annual basis. Queen’s is currently pursuing the addition of seven new faculty members — including two Tier II Canada Research Chairs— in support of the Centre and its research

• Clean technology and clean energy: Queen’s expertise in clean technology and clean energy research and commercialization includes:
  • GreenCentre Canada, a member of the Ontario Network of Excellence and the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research. GreenCentre has attracted 500 green chemistry technology disclosures from universities and companies across Canada.[23]
  • RMTL_outline.html">Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory (RMTL), supports the development of safe and economical nuclear power for Ontario. By studying the effects of intense radiation on materials, the RMTL will bring insight to, and draw parallels with, the way that materials behave within a nuclear reactor, and will lead to the design of safer and more efficient nuclear reactors
  • Engineered Nickel Catalysts for Electrochemical Clean Energy (Ni Electro Can), a research team at Queen’s that was granted a $4-million Discovery Frontiers grant from NSERC in January 2016. Focused on developing new clean energy technologies, the international team will develop the next generation of nickel-based materials

• Health Sciences: Queen’s is home to a number of significant research centres in the area of Health Science, including:
  • Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) and Cancer Research Institute (CRI): With approximately 200 members, the CCTG and CRI is a partnership that conducts clinical trials in cancer therapy, coupled with fundamental discoveries that provide novel care, prevention and therapies across Canada and internationally. CCTG is one of the largest cooperative cancer trials groups globally
  • Canadian Frailty Network is a not-for-profit organization hosted by Queen’s and Kingston General Hospital that supports research related to health care tools, technology and interventions for seriously ill elderly patients and their families. The Network brings together researchers from 19 institutions, including 11 Ontario universities and is funded by the Networks of Centres of Excellence
  • International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation (ICACBR) is an organization committed to mainstreaming disability and advancing the concept of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) practice in partnership with women and men with disabilities and their communities around the world, as a method for improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities, their families and their communities. ICACBR is part of Queen’s School of Rehabilitation Therapy, which recently formed a partnership with the University of Gondar to advance inclusive education for young people with disabilities in Ethiopia and other countries in Africa. The partnership will provide 450 next-generation African leaders with a high-quality education at the University of Gondar, while also providing 60 of the university’s faculty members with the opportunity to study at Queen’s
  • Centre for Advanced Computing (CAC) at Queen’s operates a high performance data centre as part of the Compute Canada family, supporting researchers in the health sciences, as well as other fields, by providing high availability, secure, advanced computing infrastructure. The CAC consortium also includes Carleton University, University of Ottawa and the Royal Military College of Canada. It is one of only three academic high-performance computing platforms in Ontario

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics	2019-20 Target
Tri-council funding (total and share by council)	Maintain funding and funding shares +/- allowances for annual fluctuations
Number of papers (total and per full-time faculty)	2.20 – 2.50 (over 5 years)
Number of citations (total and per paper)	8.20 – 9.20 (over 5 years)

Institutional Metrics	2019-20 Target
Faculty Awards 5-year average of percentage of faculty members winning national awards	9.5 – 10.5%
Industry-Funded and Internationally-Funded Research Industry-funded research revenue Percentage of total research revenue Internationally-funded research revenue Percentage of total revenue	$25 million (2-year rolling average) $7 million (2-year rolling average)

Innovation, economic development and community engagement

This section recognizes the unique role institutions play in contributing to their communities and to economic development, as well as to building dynamic partnerships with business, industry, community members and other colleges and universities. It focuses on regional clusters, customized training, entrepreneurial activities, jobs, community revitalization efforts, international collaborations, students, partnerships with Aboriginal Institutes and a program mix that meets needs locally, regionally and beyond.

Institutional approach to innovation, economic development and community engagement

With more than 26,000 students and more than 4,000 full-time faculty and staff, Queen’s is major employer and economic driver within the City of Kingston and the broader eastern Ontario region. A 2011 Institutional Research and Planning Office report estimated the direct economic impact of Queen’s University on the Kingston community is greater than $567 million annually, with an overall economic impact of over $1.3 billion. Queen’s is committed to being an active partner with all levels of government, business, organizations and other educational institutions to enhance opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, economic development, research, education and training, and experiential learning.

In 2017, Queen’s announced the formation of the Office of Partnerships and Innovation, which will provide a research knowledge translation path via the integration of innovation, industry partnerships, technology transfer and commercialization resources, strategies and initiatives. This integration will enhance support to faculty and students, deepen contributions to the community, and strengthen Queen’s position as an innovative institution that has economic and social impact regionally, nationally and internationally.

Queen’s recognizes that innovation is a key driver of the local, provincial and national economies and continues to be very active in support of innovation in Ontario. Queen’s flagship innovation programs and initiatives include Innovation Park, the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (home to Queen’s Campus-Linked Accelerator), the Innovation and Wellness Centre and a new strategic partnership with the City of Kingston. The Queen’s innovation ecosystem is a broad network of regional, provincial and national partners. At the core of that ecosystem are Queen’s faculty and students, whose research and entrepreneurial spirit create new discoveries and innovative technologies. Since 1987, they have secured more than 500 patents, spun off 50 companies and attracted $1.4 billion in investments through PARTEQ Innovations, the university’s technology transfer organization. Queen’s receives roughly 50 new invention disclosures per year and attracts more than $40M in funding for research from industry annually, including support for clinical trials, and programs that require industry partners.[24]

Queen’s is an active partner in regional economic development and works with many entrepreneurs, businesses and not-for-profits in the region. Queen’s links them to its resources, including research and technical expertise, infrastructure, talent and funding to advance collaboration, commercialization of innovations and growth. In 2015, Queen’s worked with the Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) to lead the development of an innovation ecosystem mission and to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Kingston that contributes to the economic vibrancy and sustainability of the city. The result was the creation of a new innovation platform, INK | Innovation in Kingston, and the engagement of other ecosystem contributors. In 2016, Queen’s commenced working with colleagues in Upper New York State to advance a cross-border research and innovation corridor and collaborations. And in 2017, continuing the long history of collaboration between the City of Kingston and Queen’s University, the two partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance collaboration on a shared innovation agenda and jointly pursue opportunities to enhance innovation, economic development and work-integrated learning opportunities.

In addition, Queen’s students, staff and faculty contribute significantly to the social, cultural and community fabric of the Kingston region through volunteer work, organizations such as the Queen’s Legal Aid Clinic, Neuroscience Outreach for seniors and school aged children, the Queen’s Family Health Team, the Mitacs programs that link researchers with community partners and engages graduate students in work-integrated learning, the Centre for Social Impact in the School of Business, a variety of international student groups, and the contributions of artistic centres such as the Agnes Etherington Art Gallery and the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. Queen’s students make a positive impact on the Kingston community in many ways, including through Queen’s Cares, a community service learning initiative, the Varsity Leadership Council, and the Community Leadership Awards, which also promote good citizenship.

Examples of institutional initiatives

• Innovation Park: With support from the Province of Ontario, Queen’s launched Innovation Park in 2008 to provide an opportunity for academics, industry, government and not-for-profits to work together to cultivate ideas, identify important technological discoveries, and propel innovations into the marketplace. By enabling co-location, collaboration and the development of strategic partnerships, and by providing access to resources including unique research and development infrastructure, Innovation Park removes barriers to innovation and entrepreneurship and fills an important role in the innovation and economic ecosystem in Kingston and region. Innovation Park is home to many companies and innovation-focused organizations, including:
  • InnovationXL: a partnership under the Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program to strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem in Eastern Ontario and provide services to accelerate the growth and retention of high potential startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Between July 2014 to December 2016, InnovationXL services and programs were provided to more than 150 clients, many of which have attracted funding and investment totaling $60M.[25]
  • NanoFabrication Kingston (NFK): a state-of-the-art micro-nano research facility and collaboration between Queen’s and CMC Microsystems. It is an open-access lab providing researchers with access to leading-edge equipment, methodologies and expertise for designing and prototyping microsystems and nanotechnologies to speed up the transfer of research-generated innovations to industry and create new opportunities to develop Ontario’s leadership in advanced manufacturing
  • South-Eastern Ontario Clean-tech Cluster: a Queen’s partnerships with Enviro Innovate Corporation to accelerate the commercialization of clean-tech innovations by leveraging assets, resources, expertise and networks

• Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC): a pan-university centre that supports student-led innovation and entrepreneurship through a variety of programs and services. The flagship program, the Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (QICSI) incubator, provides the resources, training and mentorship to support students as they launch their own ventures from the ground up. A new research commercialization program, the Foundry, pairs researchers who have developed intellectual property with commercial potential with student entrepreneurs who will drive the commercialization forward. Since 2012, 50 ventures have been created and 28 are still in operation, resulting in more than 70 full- and part-time jobs.[26] The new Innovation and Wellness Centre, now under construction, will provide a new home for the DDQIC, including SparQ Studios, a Makerspace and Design Studio

• The School of Medicine’s industry engagement strategy has seen 40 visits to pharmaceutical and medical device companies, 25 reciprocal visits to Queen’s and 10 material outcomes in the form of research partnerships/collaborations with industry

Metrics and targets

System-Wide Metrics	2019-20 Target
Graduate employment rates	Maintain position relative to Ontario average or maintain current rates +/- 1%
Number of graduates employed full time in a related job	92 – 94%

Institutional Metrics	2019-20 Target
Contribution to the Regional Economy Number of living alumni in Eastern Ontario (Kingston and Ottawa regions) Eastern Ontario alumni as percentage of total alumni	42,000 – 43,000 28.3 – 29.3%
Technology and Commercialization Number of annual invention disclosures (3-year average) Licences/option agreements (3-year average) Number of US patents issued (3-year average)	45 – 55 (3-year average) 6 – 9 (3-year average) 17 – 21 (3-year average)

Enrolment strategy and program direction

Enrolment plan and corridor midpoints

This section establishes the agreed-upon corridor midpoint that will form the basis of enrolment-related funding over the course of the SMA period.

Corridor midpoint

For funding purposes, 60,785.03 Weighted Grant Units (WGU) will be the corridor midpoint value for Queen’s University. This value was determined using the institution’s actual enrolment (expressed as WGUs) from the 2016-17 academic year. Queen’s University will receive funding consistent with this level of enrolment and subject to the policies contained within the Ontario University Funding Model Technical Manual, May 2017, Version 1.0.

Projected funding-eligible undergraduate enrolments

Below is the institutions projected enrolment of funding-eligible undergraduate enrolments for Queen’s University

	Projected 2017-18	Projected 2018-19	Projected 2019-20
Undergraduate Full-time Headcounts	18,176	18,315	18,445

Note – for this table, Full-time Headcount should be reported for Fall term only.

Graduate allocation – SMA 2017-2020

Below are the allocation of funding eligible graduate and PhD spaces for Queen’s University

	Target 2017-18	Target 2018-19	Target 2019-20
Masters	2,245	2,353	2,481
PhD	669	703	739
Total	2,914	3,056	3,220

Note – allocation shown in FTEs

Projected international enrolment

	Projected 2017-18	Projected 2018-19	Projected 2019-20
Undergraduate Full-time Headcounts	1,047	1,100	1,118
Masters Full-time Headcounts	371	375	400
Doctoral Full-time Headcounts	319	343	342
Total Enrolment Full-time Headcounts	1,737	1,818	1,860

Note:  International enrolments include all funding ineligible international students.

International enrolment strategy and collaboration

International Goals

The Queen’s University Comprehensive International Plan 2015-2019 (QUCIP) sets out institutional-wide priorities to advance Queen’s global reach and profile. The QUCIP identifies ways to advance international research, academic mobility and international opportunities on campus by achieving Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to be accomplished by 2019-2020. The QUCIP is directly aligned with the university’s Strategic Framework, Academic Plan, and the Strategic Research Plan. The KPIs are outlined within four key themes of international research engagement, international mobility, international enrolment management and international at home. Queen’s delivers on this strategy with careful consideration and effort to maintaining its relevant and innovative programming and providing student supports, both academic and personal, to foster success through to graduation.

In 2018-19, Queen’s will begin to plan for the next phase of its international strategy. The aspirations of this plan will be to prepare our students for global citizenship. Queen’s ability to recruit, retain and graduate its students will depend in part on its ability to create an ecosystem of flexible and customizable learning and research that prepares its graduates to contribute to economic growth and prosperity. This learning will be underpinned by ways to gain competence in inclusive citizenship. This multidisciplinary approach to international enrolment and collaboration will be created through:

• Flexible, customized degree and certificate programs in relevant disciplines, that provide an international experience, advance research, and train future job prospects. These offerings will be provided on Queen’s main campus, at its study abroad campus in the United Kingdom and through exchange and study abroad opportunities with our strategic international partners. these offerings will be offered in class, online and through short-term study abroad and research opportunities. Dual degree Masters programs in Business Administration, Education and Chemistry provide Canadian students the opportunity to study, live and experience a new culture abroad while pursuing a degree from a foreign institution alongside their Queen’s degree. Students from the partner institution will enrich the Queen’s learning environment while studying here. At the PhD level, students have the opportunity to pursue two degrees in a co-tutelle arrangement, which serves to strengthen Queen’s international research ties and partnerships
• Identifying and creating international experiential and work-integrated learning opportunities that allow students to learn new skills and knowledge in a work environment, including international internship, international research collaboration, international case competition or moot court competition, field school, social or corporate innovation or entrepreneurship opportunities
• Developing international graduate and undergraduate research opportunities, both theoretical and applied, that link academic research with industry to create the transfer of knowledge and product to create economic growth and innovation

Risk Management

Queen’s has formally recognized internationalization through its enterprise risk management process. Queen’s recognizes the risk of not achieving the objectives of its QUCIP as one of its top 10 risks and has a number of significant measures in place to mitigate this risk:

• The QUCIP is in place to guide Queen’s international activities, decision-making and resource allocations
• The Office of the Associate Vice-Principal (International), which responsible for advancing strategic international relations and the KPIs within the International Plan
• Staffing resources dedicated to supporting and enhancing Queen’s internationalization goals. This includes international recruiters both on campus and abroad as well as cross-cultural counsellors and other support services, such as dedicated student academic programming for international students
• Internationalization as a strategic focus of faculty renewal plans, partnerships with external organizations and research strategy
• Queen’s Strategic Enrolment Plan, which includes targets for international recruitment

International Strategy Approval Process

Both the Queen’s University Board of Trustees and the Queen’s University Senate endorsed the QUCIP. The Principal and Vice-Principals (PVP) Group approved the QUCIP prior to presentation at the Board of Trustees and Senate.

Strategic areas of program strength and expansion

Program areas of strength

1. Arts and Science: Humanities
2. Arts and Science: Science
3. Arts and Science: Social Science
4. Business
5. Education
6. Engineering and Applied Science
7. Law
8. Medicine
9. Nursing
10. Rehabilitation Therapy

The proposed areas of program strength are intended to inform program approval processes.

Program areas of expansion

1. Health and Society
2. Science and Technology
3. Business Administration and Education

Financial sustainability

The Ministry and the University recognize that financial sustainability and accountability are critical to achieving institutional mandates and realizing Ontario’s vision for the postsecondary education system. To this end, it is agreed that:

It is the responsibility of the governing board and senior administrators of the University to identify, track, and address financial pressures and sustainability issues. At the same time, the Ministry has a financial stewardship role. The Ministry and the University agree to work collaboratively to achieve the common goal of financial sustainability and to ensure that Ontarians have access to a full range of affordable, high-quality postsecondary education options, now and in the future.

The University remains accountable to the Ministry with respect to effective and efficient use of provincial government resources and student resources covered by policy directives of the Ministry, or decisions impacting upon these, to maximize the value and impact of investments made in the postsecondary education system.

System-wide Metrics*	2015-16 Actuals**
Net Income / (Loss) Ratio	4.3%
Net Operating Revenues Ratio	5.36%
Primary Reserve Ratio	163 days
Interest Burden Ratio	1.69%
Viability Ratio	1.41
Endowment per student FTE ($000)	$36.39
Debt rating – Dominion Bond Rating Service (DBRS) Debt rating – Standard & Poor’s (S&P)	AA/stable AA+/stable

Institutional collaborations and partnerships

Queen’s University has more than 250 academic, research and administrative partnerships with organizations and institutions across Canada and internationally. The following is a sample of these initiatives.

Academic Partnerships with St. Lawrence College

• Bachelor of Music Degree (BMus)/Music and Digital Media (MDM) Diploma Program: This program combines need for theory and performance with practical skill and experience; students in this 4+1 model graduate with a BMus Degree and an MDM Diploma in five years
• Combined Degree and Diploma Program in Biotechnology: This new interdisciplinary program with a strong emphasis on laboratory-based learning combines the applied training of a college diploma and the research acuteness of a university degree — ensuring that students graduate with both a degree and a diploma, as well as a unique set of skills and hands-on experience
• Bachelor of Music Theatre: This program is designed to provide aspiring musical theatre professionals with academic study and practical training in three core disciplines of acting, singing, and dance. It allows students to hone their skills by performing in front of audiences, in studio, main stage productions and in productions where students learn to create and produce original theatrical pieces. Students receive mentoring from faculty and guest industry professionals to become competent and job-ready for a competitive and rapidly changing industry. Students complete the first two years of the program through St. Lawrence College, Brockville and their final two years at Queen’s University

Academic Partnerships with other institutions

• Langara College: Students can complete their first two years at Langara College in Vancouver and then transfer directly into one of 17 Arts or Sciences programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Computing degree at Queen’s
• Ontario Visiting Graduate Student Program: The Ontario Council of Graduate Studies, through the Council of Ontario Universities, permit graduate students of an Ontario university to take graduate courses at another Ontario university while remaining registered at the home university. The agreement allows the student to bypass the usual application for admission procedures to the host university and facilitates transfer of course credits to the home university
• Queen’s-Trent: This agreement enables faculty members at Trent to seek Adjunct 1 status at Queen’s, enabling them to supervise graduate students enrolled at Queen’s who are then able to take relevant courses at Trent
• Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC): A collaborative geo-engineering graduate program links graduate and research programs in the Departments of Civil Engineering, Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering and Mining Engineering at Queen’s with Civil Engineering at the Royal Military College of Canada. Graduate students enrolled at Queen’s or RMCC enjoy reciprocal privileges, enabling them to take graduate courses relevant to their programs of study at the other institution
• Queen’s-Tongji University 2+2 program in environmental studies: Students first spend two years at Tongji’s School of Environmental Science and Engineering in Shanghai, China and then two years in Queen’s School of Environmental Studies. Upon graduation, they are awarded a degree from both universities
• Queen’s-Jilin University 2+2 degree program in Computer Engineering: Allows Jilin students to earn a Bachelor of Applied Science (International Collaboration) from Queen’s after studying for two years at Jilin and a further two years at Queen’s
• Beijing Normal University (BNU) 2+2 degree program in Biology: Students first spend two years at BNU School of Life Sciences in Beijing, China and then two years in Queen’s Department of Biology. Upon graduation, they are awarded a degree from both universities

Canadian University Dubai (CUD): 2+2 program in Computer Science: Students enrolled at CUD in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in Bachelor of Science in Network Engineering can transfer directly to Queen’s School of Computing to complete a Bachelor of Computing degree.

• The Faculty of Education’s Aboriginal Teacher Education Program negotiates formal agreements for delivery of the three community-based programs with Seven Generations Education Institute, Six Nations Polytechnic and Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute
• The School of Policy Studies has an MOU with First Nations Technical Institute that articulates the roles and responsibilities regarding to curriculum development and delivery as well as student support services for Indigenous Policy and Governance participants in the Professional Master of Public Administration program

Financial Sustainability

• Joint procurement partnerships: Queen’s has several joint procurement partnerships with other institutions, including the recent implementation of the CONCUR expense reimbursement system
• University Pensions Project: Queen’s is a participating partner university in the University Pensions Project, which aims to create a multi-employer, jointly sponsored pension plan for Ontario universities

Ministry/government commitments

• The SMA2 process has focused on implementing the first stages of the new funding model and demonstrating the ongoing commitment by all colleges and universities to student success. Future growth will only be funded through negotiated changes to an institution’s funded enrolment corridor. Through the SMA2 cycle, the ministry will continue to work closely with institutions to ensure all dimensions of the funding model are implemented.

• In a memo to colleges and universities dated March 7, 2017, the ministry committed to using the SMA2 (2017-20) process as a transitional phase to commence the collaborative and joint development of performance metrics and targets, tied to funding, for SMA3 (2020-23). The ministry reiterates this commitment and reaffirms that metrics and targets included in SMA2 are not tied to funding at this time and are a beginning point for further discussions with the sector prior to their application in SMA3. Colleges and universities will have the opportunity to reset and realign metrics prior to the application of metrics in SMA3. The ministry will also engage other stakeholders as part of discussions on a broad metrics strategy

• • The ministry commits to establishing a joint working group with each of the sectors and to begin detailed discussions in fall 2017 on metrics/targets and to seek input on the performance measurement methodology for SMA3.

• Colleges, universities and the ministry all benefit from processes that are transparent and non-duplicative. The ministry commits to work with colleges and universities to continue to streamline processes and seek opportunities to further reduce red tape (in part through increased access to other tools) , including reducing or eliminating duplicated reporting requirements.

• Through SMA2 discussions, the ministry has heard concerns about the challenges of delivering breadth in programming for Francophone and Francophile students, including the cost and funding of such delivery. Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to consulting institutions who have a formal mandate for bilingual and/or French-language delivery to review the delivery of French-Language programming and consider these concerns

• In 2016, an extension of the existing tuition policy framework was announced to support a major reform in OSAP. The ministry will engage with both the college and university sectors around the next tuition policy framework, including examining the issue of tuition anomalies in certain professional programs as a result of past changes to tuition policy, and, for colleges, examining tuition levels relative to competitive college tuition frameworks in Canada.

• In recent years and during the SMA process, there has been an increased interest in the creation of a new polytechnic designation in the Ontario postsecondary education system. Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to undertake a review that examines whether improved benefits for students and employers are sufficient to make such a change. The ministry commits to working collaboratively with institutions across the sectors on this review.

• The ministry commits to continue to work collaboratively with universities to assess the anticipated need for additional graduate spaces related to programs that are currently under development.

• Starting in fall 2017, the ministry commits to undertake a review of the university Northern Grant working collaboratively with universities to examine whether the criteria for access and allocations of the Northern Grant represent an equitable approach

[1] This is evidenced by Queen’s position in Research InfoSource’s ranking of Canadian research universities

and responses of students to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). This point is elaborated in the appendix to Queen’s Strategic Mandate Agreement 2014-2017 (p. 3).

[2] Research InfoSource, "Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities 2016”

[3] NSSE 2014 report

[4] Queen’s University Office of the University Registrar, Maclean’s University Rankings 2017

[5] Law School Survey of Student Engagement

[6] Results of the Canadian Graduation Questionnaire (CGQ), Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada.

[7] In the 2016 National College Health Assessment student survey, 81.1 per cent of Queen’s respondents reported their health as good, very good or excellent, 81.5 per cent felt they are a part of the Queen’s community, and 84.6 per cent felt the university has a sincere interest in student well-being.

[8] Common University Data Ontario (CUDO) 2015, table A6.

[9] NSSE National 2014 Reports (Ontario subset)

[10] Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (CSRDE) 2016; U15 Data Exchange Time-to-Completion data

[11] National Baccalaureate Graduate Outcomes Survey (NBGOS) results

[12] Canadian Association of Graduate Schools (CAGS) Award for Excellence and Innovation in Enhancing the Graduate Student Experience, 2015

[13] 2016 and 2017 student surveys conducted by Division of Student Affairs

[14] Queen’s University 2014 NSSE data file

[15] Queen’s University student records system

[16] Queen’s student body includes first-generation students, racialized students, immigrants and children of immigrants, students with disabilities, Indigenous students, students from various socio-economic backgrounds, mature students, international students and students who identify along a spectrum of gender identities.

[17] Council of Ontario Financial Officers (COFO), 2015-16 Financial Report on Ontario Universities, Tables 5 and 6.

[18] http://www.queensu.ca/research/centres

[19] Research InfoSource, "Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities 2016”

[20] Canada Foundation for Innovation, https://www.innovation.ca/funded-projects

[21] Research InfoSource, "Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities 2016”

[22] PARTEQ Innovations

[23] Queen’s University Office of Industry Partnerships

[24] PARTEQ Innovations

[25] Queen’s University Office of Partnerships and Innovation

[26] DDQIC reports

[27] NSSE

2014-2017 Strategic Mandate Agreement, Queen’s University