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The Queen’s Renew Program is a long-term initiative aiming to enhance the effectiveness of professional services in their support of the university’s academic mission. It will be carried out over several years and include work to ensure professional service staff are equipped and supported with the right tools, systems, and processes as well.

Principal Patrick Deane established the Professional Services Working Group (PSWG), co-chaired by the Provost and the Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration), to lead the program. The PSWG’s work is supported by international consultancy Nous Group (Nous and NousCubane), whose sector benchmarking tool UniForum will help assess and compare how our professional services are delivered in comparison to our post-secondary peer institutions. UniForum findings will be part of a larger set of considerations—including the university’s own strategic priorities—that Queen’s leadership will use to inform ongoing renewal efforts.

Service Effectiveness Survey

The first part of a Service Effectiveness Survey was issued in February 2024 and participation from selected employees was strong across the university. The second part of the survey, covering services not surveyed in part one, will take place soon, in April/May 2024.

Activity Data Collection

Alongside ongoing surveying, select members of the Queen’s community —typically managers—will begin work on a two-part Activity Data Collection exercise using the UniForum benchmarking tool to capture information on how support services are delivered across the university. The first portion of this work will take place in March—beginning March 7—and another will follow mid-2024. Selected participants will be contacted directly with more information in the coming days.

Looking ahead, these activities—both the service effectiveness surveying and the activity data collection—will occur once per year.