Administration

Academics at Queen's is organized into ten undergraduate, graduate, and professional faculties and schools. The governance of the university is conducted through the Board of Trustees, the Senate, and the University Council, all three of which were established under the Royal Charter of 1841. The Board is responsible for the university's conduct and management and its property, revenues, business, and affairs. Ex officio governors of the Board include the university's chancellor, principal, and rector. The Board has 34 other trustees, 33 of whom are elected by the various members of the university community, including elected representatives from the student body. The representative from Queen's Theological College is the only appointed trustee.

The Senate is responsible for determining all academic matters affecting the university as a whole, including student discipline. It consists of 17 ex officio positions granted to the principal and vice-chancellor, the vice-principals of the university, the senior dean of each faculty, dean of student affairs, the deputy provost, and the presidents of the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty associations. The Senate also consists of 55 other members, appointed or elected by various communities of the university, including elected representatives of the student body.

The Royal Charter of 1841 was amended to include the University Council in 1874. The Council is a composite of the Board of Trustees, senators, and an equal number of elected graduates. It serves as both an advisory and an ambassadorial body to the university as a whole and is responsible for the election of the chancellor. Although it is not directly involved in operations, the Council may bring to the Senate or Board of Trustees any matter it believes affects Queen's well-being. The Council meets once per year, typically in May.

The Chancellor is the highest officer and the ceremonial head of the University. The office was created in 1874 and first filled in 1877, although it was only enshrined in law in 1882 after its amendment into the Royal Charter of 1841. The responsibilities of the Chancellor include presiding over convocations, conferring degrees, and chairing the annual meetings of the Council, and the Chancellor is an ex officio, voting member of the Board of Trustees. A person is elected to the office of Chancellor on a three-year term by the Council unless there is more than one candidate, in which case an election is conducted among Queen's graduates.

The Principal acts as the chief executive officer of the University under the authority of the Board and the Senate, and supervises and directs the academic and administrative work of the university and of its teaching and non-teaching staff. Since 1974, principals have been appointed for five-year terms, renewable subject to review. The formal authority for the appointment of the Principal rests under the Royal Charter with the Board of Trustees, although recent principals have been selected by a joint committee of trustees and senators. The office of the vice-chancellor has typically been held by the incumbent principal. In 1961, an amendment was secured by the Board to separate the office of principal from vice-chancellor if it wished. The first and only person to hold the office of vice-chancellor but not the office of principal was William Archibald Mackintosh. The current principal is Patrick Deane, serving as the twenty-first principal since 1 July 2019.

The Rector is the third officer of the University, and serves as the highest-ranking representative of the student body. Though the first Rector took office in 1913, this role has been exclusively held by students since 1969, when the student body forced the resignation of then-Rector Senator Gratton O’Leary. Unlike the executives of the various student governments, the Rector represents all students - both undergraduate and graduate - and is elected to a three-year term, though it has become traditional for student Rectors to step down after only two years. Despite standing separately from any student government, the Rector works closely with the AMS and SGPS to represent the interests of their constituent students. This allows the Rector to, both formally and informally, act as an intermediary between students and the university administration on a range of topical, sensitive, or controversial issues. The Rector serves as one of three student representatives on the Board of Trustees (the other two being the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Trustees) and is a recognized observer at the Senate. Additionally, the Rector is often called upon to represent student interests on various committees of the Board and Senate. Finally, the Rector plays a ceremonial role at events such as convocation.

Financesedit

The university completed the 2011–12 year with revenues of $947.7 million and expenses of $872.8 million, with an excess of revenues over expenses at $74.9 million. Government grants and student fees make are the two largest sources of income for the university. As of 30 April 2018, Queen's endowment was valued at C$1,084,486,000.

The university has been registered as an educational charitable organization by Canada Revenue Agency since 1 January 1967. As of 2011, the university registered primarily as a post-secondary institution, with 70% of the charity dedicated to management and maintenance. The charity has 21% dedicated to research, with the remaining 8% dedicated to awards, bursaries, and scholarships. Proceeds from the charity also go toward Queen's Theological College (as an affiliated college) and the Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceaux Castle.