The Faculty of Arts and Science and the School of Policy Studies are pleased to announce that Dr. Jim Farney will be joining Queen鈥檚 University as the Director of the School of Policy Studies and Stauffer Dunning Chair effective July 1, 2026.
Dr. Farney joins Queen鈥檚 with a distinguished record of senior academic leadership. Most recently, he served as Professor and Regina Director at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Regina, where he was responsible for academic oversight, strategic planning, faculty development, and administrative operations for a vibrant unit providing both graduate training and executive education. Prior to this role, he served as Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Regina, where he focussed on the undergraduate experience.
Throughout his career, Dr. Farney has demonstrated a strong commitment to strengthening academic programs, supporting high quality teaching and research environments, and fostering collaborative relationships inside and outside the academy. His leadership has contributed significantly to policy scholarship, faculty mentorship, and capacity building within the departments and schools he has guided.
Holding a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto and an MA and BA in Political Studies from the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Farney has built a national reputation for his contributions to the study of political development, provincial politics, education policy, and conservatism in Canada.
His current research program focuses on school choice, including religious and independent schools, and the governance of education systems. He is the principal investigator on a SSHRC Insight Grant examining the financial, governance, and public opinion dimensions of parental and school choice in Canada. Dr. Farney is also the co-author (with Clark Banack) of Faith, Rights, and Choice: The Politics of Religious Schools in Canada, which received an honourable mention for the Seymour Martin Lipset Book Award from the American Political Science Association in 2023. Previous work on conservative party politics resulted in three books: Social Conservatism and Party Politics in Canada and the United States, Canadian Conservatism (edited with David Rayside), and Open Federalism Revisited (edited with Julie Simmons) as well as a number of scholarly articles.
Committed to public engagement, his media commentary has appeared on CBC Radio and CBC TV, CTV, and CNN, and BBC Radio as well as in The Regina Leader Post, The Economist, The London Times, The Guardian, Agence France-Press, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Policy Options, and The Conversation. He has served as President of the Prairie Political Science Association, Senior Saskatchewan Social Scientist for Elections Saskatchewan, and is a member of the board of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Farney to Queen鈥檚 University and look forward to his contributions to our academic community, teaching, and research excellence.