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Name change reflects the UK campus’s close connections to Queen’s, its high level of academic courses, and unique on-campus experience.

Kingston, ON – Today, Queen’s University unveils a new name, Bader College, for its UK campus, currently known as the Bader International Study Centre (BISC). Following a broad consultation process and review of the Canadian and international post-secondary landscape, the name Bader College was selected to help showcase the campus’s connections to Queen’s and highlight the unique on-campus and academic experience it provides to students. The name Bader College also honours donors Alfred and Isabel Bader who originally donated the campus to Queen’s and provides an opportunity to restate their vision for the campus as a venue for educating students from different countries and worldviews, as well as showcasing research strengths, and nurturing connections to the UK and local communities.

“For more than 25 years, our students attending Queen’s at Herstmonceaux Castle have been provided with an immersive and unparalleled academic experience offering access to the UK and Europe right outside their door,” said Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane. “This new name will signal to the international community the importance of the castle to our university and its pivotal role in Queen’s new global engagement strategy.”

The updated name follows a consultation process that gathered input from a wide range of stakeholders in the UK and on main campus in Kingston, Ontario, including BISC faculty, staff, and students; main campus stakeholders; alumni groups; representatives from the local community in East Sussex; and academic partners and comparable study abroad institutions in the UK. This process was in part sparked by the recognition that much has changed in the UK and the global academic landscape since the creation of the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) campus in 1993.

Bader College also embodies the broader Queen’s commitment to advancing social impact and sustainability. The university recently ranked 7^th globally in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for its work in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Recent efforts at Bader College have focused on rewilding and naturalizing the castle estate to help cultivate and preserve the natural environment and diverse species, while providing a living lab for students, staff, and members of the public.

Following the unveiling of the new name, a new brand identity will be released for Bader College in the coming weeks.

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Twenty-seven years ago, Queen’s welcomed the first cohort of students to the International Study Centre, the UK campus of Queen’s University, located at Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex. Built in the 15th century, the castle was donated to the university in 1993 by Alfred Bader and his wife Isabel. Soon after its opening, it was renamed the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) in honour of its benefactors.

The philanthropic impact of the Bader family and Bader Philanthropies, Inc. at Queen’s is unparalleled. The Baders, the late Dr. Alfred Bader, BSc'45, BA'46, MSc'47, LLD'86, his wife, Isabel Bader, LLD’07, and Bader Philanthropies, Inc., led by Daniel Bader, LLD’21, have been among Queen’s University’s most significant donors,  gifting the 15th-century English castle, Herstmonceux, home to Bader College, providing $31 million in support of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, a lead gift of $40 million (USD) in support of Agnes Reimagined, more than 500 paintings and works on paper to the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, and funding a variety of student awards, teaching and research chairs, curatorships, and more.

Bader College provides a unique opportunity to Queen’s students, featuring small class sizes, strong student supports, a vibrant community, and close transportation links to London, the rest of the UK, and Europe.

Students who study at Bader College are on campus for up to one year as part of their full degree programs, with the majority going on to continue their studies at Queen’s. First-year programs in Arts, Science, Health Sciences, and Concurrent Education are offered at Bader College, as well as a number of specialized programs for upper-year undergraduate and professional students.  

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Queen’s University has a long history of scholarship, discovery, and innovation that has shaped our collective knowledge and helped address some of the world’s most pressing concerns. Home to more than 25,000 students, the university offers a comprehensive research-intensive environment with prominent strengths in physics, cancer research, geoengineering, data analytics, surveillance studies, art conservation, and mental health research. Welcoming and supporting students from all countries and backgrounds to a vibrant, safe, and supportive community is an important part of the Queen’s experience. Diverse perspectives and a wealth of experience enrich our campus and our community. A core part of our mission is to engage our students, staff, and faculty in international learning and research, both at home and abroad.

Queen’s University has ranked in the top 10 globally in the 2021 and 2022 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. The rankings measured over 1,500 post-secondary institutions on their work to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Media Contact

Julie Brown
Manager, Media Relations
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brown.julie@queensu.ca