1. Elections
  2. Elections to the Senate

Elections to the Senate

The Senate determines all matters of an academic character which affect the University as a whole, and is concerned with all matters which affect the welfare of the University.

Please review additional information about the Senate, including a Senator Role Description, prior to submitting an application.

All those interested in participating in any of these election processes are encouraged to review the Election Regulations for further details. 

Category Length of Term Eligibility Positions Available

Staff

 Three years All employees of the University who work a minimum of 14 hours per week and who are not faculty/librarians/archivists are eligible to nominate, to be nominated and to vote.

The next staff-at-large seat will be available in the 2026 election, and the term will run from September 2026 to August 2029.

The staff-at-large election is run by the University Secretariat.

Faculty/Librarian/Archivist

 Three years

Faculty shall be elected by their respective Faculty or School, except for three Faculty-at-Large positions.

Faculty members falling into one of the categories below are eligible to nominate, to be nominated, and to vote:

  • Tenured or tenure-track
  • Term or continuing adjunct
  • Non-renewable or special appointment, including Special Geographically Full-Time
  • Librarian or archivist
  • Joint or cross appointment

All of the above terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them, where applicable, by the terms of the Collective Agreement with the Â鶹ÍøÕ¾ Faculty Association, as in place from time-to-time. 

Those holding an appointment at the level of Associate Dean or equivalent are not eligible. Those holding an Adjunct 1 appointment are not eligible.

The next faculty-at-large seat will be available in the 2026 election, and the term will run from September 2026 to August 2029.

The faculty-at-large election is run by the University Secretariat.

If faculty members wish to be elected to a Senate seat by their Faculty/School, they should reach out to their Faculty Board.
Students

Two years*

*One year in Arts & Science

*One year in Business

 Eligibility determined by student societies Availability determined by student societies

Nomination Procedure for Staff and Faculty

Each Fall, Queen's Staff and Faculty are invited to nominate candidates for Senate. An email is sent to all eligible staff and faculty detailing the current opening(s) and where nomination forms are found on the web.

Nomination of a candidate shall be on a prescribed nomination form signed by 5 nominators. The agreement of the nominee to be a candidate for election shall be shown by the signature of the nominee on the nomination form. Any person nominated who is not available to sign the nomination form shall be permitted to notify the University Secretary by mail of the intention to be a candidate up until nominations close. The nominee may submit on the reverse side of the nomination form a biographical statement or other comments up to a limit of 90 words.

The completed nomination form must be submitted to the University Secretariat no later than the published date for the close of nominations. The University Secretary shall prepare a ballot containing the official list of valid nominations showing the name, title and department of each nominee, and a verbatim statement of each nominee as provided on the nomination form.

Election Procedures for Staff and Faculty

All eligible voters will be contacted with instructions to vote in the current election and provided with a link to the voting web site.

Requirements

Completed nominations include:

  1. The names and email addresses of 5 nominators, all of whom must meet the eligibility criteria.
  2. A biographical statement of not more than 90 words.
  3. A picture, if desired, which will be used during the election period.

Nomination Form

Nominations can be submitted  until March 11, 2026.

Questions? Email univsec@queensu.ca.

Student senators are elected by their respective student societies. Term lengths are generally 2 years but may vary by society. Interested students should contact their student society.

Arts and Science Undergraduate Student Society (ASUS)

There are 5 senators elected by , and terms for students are for one year except for two 2-year positions.

Engineering Society (EngSoc)

There are 2 students elected by , and both terms are for two years. 

Smith Commerce Students Society (ComSoc)

There are 2 students elected by , and both terms are for two years. 

Concurrent Education Student Association (CESA)

There is 1 student elected by , for a two year term. 

Law Students' Society (LSS)

There is 1 student elected by , for a two year term. 

Nursing Science Society (NSS)

There is 1 student elected by NSS, for a two year term. 

Aesculapian Society

There is 1 student elected by the , for a one year term.

Rehabilitation Therapy Students Society (RTSS)

There is 1 student elected by the , for a one year term. 

Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS)

There is one student elected by the , for a two year term. 

Active Elections

Staff and Faculty/Librarian/Archivist Elections to the Senate

The Staff and Faculty/Librarian/Archivist nominations are now open until March 11, 2026.