Queen's University Kingston Founding Present Day Traditions

Queen's University was founded in 1841 under its first principal, Thomas Liddell, who arrived in Kingston from Scotland carrying the Royal Charter of Queen Victoria, establishing Queen's College as an educational institution. Originally affiliated with the Presbyterian church, it was established to instruct youth in various branches of sciences and literature.

The university became a secular institution in 1912 and, in that year, principal Daniel Miner Gordon oversaw the drafting of a new university constitution.

2 Present day

Today, Queen's has approximately 13,000 full-time undergraduate students and 2,500 graduate students. The undergraduate programs offer studies in a variety of arts, science, engineering, and business programs. The university has an extensive graduate program in these areas, and additionally in its medical, law, and business schools.

Queen's is regarded as one of the best universities in Canada; first year students almost always have the highest average entering marks of Canadian universities.

3 Traditions

3.1 Student Government

Student government at Queen's was established in 1858Events January 14 Felice Orsini and his accomplices fail to assassinate Napoleon III in Paris but their bombs kill 156 bystanders. Because of the involvement of French emigres living in Britain, there is a brief anti-British feeling in France but the empe in the form of the Dialectic Society , which is known today as the Alma Mater SocietyIntroduction The Alma Mater Society of Queen's University otherwise known as the AMS is the central undergraduate student government at Queen’s University in Canada. It is the oldest organization of its kind in Canada. Its roots lie in the old Dialectic S.

3.2 Hockey

Queen's University has a rich ice hockeyIce hockey known simply as " hockey" in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. It is known as the fastest team sport in the world, with players on skates capable of going high speeds along with shots of the play ob tradition. The university competed against the Royal Military CollegeDepartment of National Defence Motto:Truth, Duty, Valour Founded 1876 School type Public Chancellor Minister of National Defence Principal Location Kingston, Ontario Enrolment 1250 (approx. full-time Campus surroundings Waterfront Sports teams Paladin The on the Kingston Harbour in 18861886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) Events January 18 Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. January 29 Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile. March thus creating the Canadian national sport. Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax, however, have inception fables of their own. Queen's also competed for the Stanley Cup in 1899 and 1906, and won the Allan Cup in 1909.

3.3 Applied Science

Queen's Applied Science ( Engineering) students also have strong traditions, such as dying their leather jackets purple, the traditional colour of the British Army engineers, and spending Friday afternoons at the Clark Hall Pub, a bar on campus run by the Engineering Society.

3.4 Military

Queen's students served in both World War I and World War II. Approximately 1,500 students participated in the first world war and 189 died. Months before Canada joined the second world war, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to Queen's to accept an honorary degree and, in a broadcast heard around the world, voiced the American policy of mutual alliance and friendship with Canada. Roosevelt stated, "The Dominion of Canada is part of the sisterhood of the British Empire. I give to you assurance that the people of the United States will not stand idly by if domination of Canadian soil is threatened by any other Empire." Canada, during the second world war, had the participation of 2,917 Queen's graduates and the sacrifice of 157. The Victoria Cross was awarded to Major John Weir Foote, Arts '33, Canadian Chaplain Service.

3.5 Radio

Queen's University has one of the longest running radio traditions in the world, surpassed only by the Marconi companies. The first public broadcast of the station was on October 27th, 1923 as the football game between Queen's and McGill was called play-by-play. CFRC operates to the present day and broadcasts at 101.9 MHz.

3.6 Anniversary

Queen's celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 1991 and received a visit from Charles, Prince of Wales and his wife Diana to mark the occasion.

3.7 Rivalry

Queen's students maintain a cordial rivalry with McGill University in Montreal. This rivalry has inspired an annual boatrace between the two universities in the spring of each year since 1997. McGill has dominated in the men's and overall categories, while the Queen's women's boat has been defeated only once.

Nevertheless, the two share a successful publishing house (McGill-Queen's University Press).

3.8 Smokers

Smokers, a common term for social gatherings, occur at Queen's and serve two purposes.

The first purpose is to raise money for an event, group, or charity. The money is raised through the collection of "cover" or admission at the door. One event that money is raised for is the fourth year "Science Formal", one of the biggest events for a Queen's Engineering student.

The second purpose is to give a group a venue to gather at. For example, First Year Engineering students will gather to celebrate at Clark Hall Pub after first semester exams for the "Jacket Smoker". At the "Jacket Smoker" the students enjoy the satisfaction of finishing the exams and being allowed to wear their Engineering Jackets.

Smokers are often held at Queen's Campus Pubs (i.e. Clark hall pub), but can be held at off campus bars as well. When the Smokers are held on campus 100% of the cover (minus a fee) goes to the event, group, or charity. At off campus bars only a percentage of the money raised will go to the event, group, or charity.

4 Future

In October 2004, Queen's University announced a $200-million plan to create a sports and recreation megacomplex called the "Queen's Centre". It is expected to take over ten years from design to completion.

The plans include the building of a six-lane track, an Olympic-sized arena, 25-metre pool, eight basketball courts, vastly larger gathering and meeting space than is currently available, fitness, aerobic, locker and food space and a new home for the School of Physical and Health Education.

The university has also unveiled a slogan for the centre which is "Where mind, body and spirit come together".

5 List of former Principals

Rev Thomas Liddell 1841- 1846
Rev John Machar 1846- 1853
Rev James George (acting principal) 1854- 1857
Rev John Cook 1857- 1859
Rev William Leitch 1859- 1864
Rev William Snodgrass 1864- 1877
Rev George Monro Grant 1877- 1902
Rev Daniel Miner Gordon 1902- 1917
Rev Robert Bruce Taylor 1917- 1930
Sir William Hamilton Fyfe 1930- 1936
Robert Charles Wallace 1936- 1951
William Archibald Mackintosh 1951- 1961
James Alexander Corry 1961- 1968
John James Deutsch 1968- 1974
Ronald Lampman Watts 1974- 1984
David Chadwick Smith 1984- 1994
William Leggett 1994- 2004

6 Notable alumni

Dean Armstrong , actor
Alfred Bader , founder of Sigma Aldrich
Rob Baker , musician of The Tragically Hip
Ashleigh Banfield, MSNBC news anchor
Curtis Bartlett , co-founder of Intellectual Capital Partners
Janet Cardiff , artist
Tom Cavanagh, actor
Jock Climie , CFL player
Jane Corkin , artist
Wendy Crewson, actor
Hon. John Crosbie, former federal cabinet minister
Jim Cuddy , lead singer of Blue Rodeo
Chris Cuthbert , CBC sportscaster
David Dodge, Governor of the Bank of Canada
Gord Downie, musician of The Tragically Hip
Brad Elberg , CFL player
David Franklin , chief curator, National Gallery of Canada
Steven Heighton, author
Priscilla Galloway , author
Hon. John Gerretsen, Ontario MPP, former mayor of Kingston, Ontario cabinet minister
Sarah Harmer, singer/songwriter
Mike MacMillan , co-founder of Atlantis Films (now Alliance Atlantis)
Seaton McLean , co-founder of Atlantis Films (now Alliance Atlantis)
Hon. Peter Milliken, speaker of the House of Commons
Michael Ondaatje, author
Janice Platt , Academy Award winner and co-founder of Atlantis Films (now Alliance Atlantis)
Shelagh Rogers, CBC broadcaster
Jeffrey Simpson, political columnist for the Globe and Mail
Gord Sinclair , musician of The Tragically Hip
Peter Tharos (Peter Panopoulos), actor
Judith Thompson , playwright
Shirley Tilghman, principal of Princeton University

7 External links

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