The Queen鈥檚 community came together to celebrate the legacy of its 20th principal, Daniel Woolf, Artsci鈥80, in a ceremony at Stauffer Library on Feb. 10. The main floor of the library was named in honour of Principal Emeritus Woolf, who served as principal and vice-chancellor from 2009 to 2019.
鈥淲hen I first set foot on campus over 45 years ago, I couldn鈥檛 have imagined just how big a role Queen鈥檚 would play in my career and life,鈥 said Principal Emeritus Woolf, who is still working on campus as a professor in the Department of History.
Administrators, fellow professors, and campus leaders attended the Stauffer Library event, and the former principal thanked them all for the role they played in helping Queen鈥檚 achieve greatness.
鈥淲hen I reflect on what we were collectively able to achieve over 10 years, no one knows better than I that it was most definitely a 鈥榳e鈥 that accomplished these things, not a 鈥榤e,鈥欌 Principal Emeritus Woolf said. 鈥淚 hope everyone who was part of that decade will recognize their own labours, success, and accomplishments as well.鈥
Some of the achievements from Principal Emeritus Woolf鈥檚 decade-long tenure include:
- overseeing one of the university鈥檚 most successful fundraising campaigns (which raised $640 million), the revitalization of Richardson Stadium, the opening of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts and Mitchell Hall, and the naming of the Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business
- partnering with one of Canada鈥檚 most-prominent philanthropists, entrepreneur Seymour Schulich, to establish the
- initiating reforms to the university鈥檚 financial management, budget model, and pension plan to return the university to financial sustainability
- implementing a number of organizational and governance changes, including appointing the first Queen鈥檚 provost
- establishing the Principal鈥檚 Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (PICRDI) to help foster a campus that is welcoming, respectful and reflective of diverse identities.
- increasing Queen鈥檚 international student enrolment and promoting Queen鈥檚 abroad, through such initiatives as the Matariki Network of Universities
- chairing the Council of Ontario Universities and serving as Vice-Chair of Canada鈥檚 U-15 group of research universities
- improving mental health services for students through the Principal鈥檚 Commission on Mental Health
- supporting students through exams with the annual springtime 鈥渃ookie drop鈥 in Queen鈥檚 libraries, together with his wife Julie Gordon-Woolf.
鈥淒r. Woolf is among the university library鈥檚 strongest and most longstanding advocates. His commitment to the academy, passion for books, and enduring belief in the importance of libraries are but a few expressions of his notable legacy here at Queen鈥檚,鈥 said Vice-Provost and University Librarian Mark Asberg. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to commemorate Dr. Woolf鈥檚 service and generous contributions, and we believe it鈥檚 entirely fitting that a library space which welcomes and positively impacts users on a such a mass scale be named for such an outstanding member of our community.鈥
The naming ceremony in the library is one of several ways the Queen鈥檚 community is honouring the legacy of Principal Emeritus Woolf.
Alumni Stephen Smith, Sc鈥72, LLD鈥17, Chancellor Emeritus David Dodge, Arts鈥65, LLD鈥02, and Christiane Dodge, Arts鈥65, were among several donors to a $2-million fundraising campaign to establish the Principal Emeritus Daniel R. Woolf Professorship in the Humanities. The professorship campaign was chaired by past Queen鈥檚 Board Chair William Young, Sc鈥77, with support from Chancellor Emeritus Jim Leech, MBA鈥73. The Faculty of Arts and Science recently announced Dr. Nancy van Deusen (History) will hold the inaugural professorship.
