After 26 years at Queen’s and 12 years in her current position, as University Secretary, Georgina Moore is set to retire.

The University Secretariat offers assistance to Queen’s highest-level administrators and governing bodies, including Senate, the Board of Trustees and University Council.

Moore first came to Queen’s in 1986 as an assistant within the Faculty of Education.

In 1992 she moved to the University Secretariat and became head of the office in 2000.

“My late husband was a mechanical Engineering PhD, he was hired to teach at Queen’s,” she said. “We arrived in 1984 with two small children; I was taking care of them when I first came to Kingston.”

Looking back on her time in the office, Moore said the best part of the position has been interacting with colleagues, especially chancellors and principals.

“In my daily other life I wouldn’t necessarily have anything to do with someone like [Chancellor David Dodge],” she said.

Moore said a large part of her job is providing institutional memory to members of the administration.

“Things do change but it is a bit shocking when you look around,” she said, adding that she’s one of the few long-serving staff members able to provide advice to administrators. “[There are] a lot of new faces.” Moore prepares administrators like Principal Daniel Woolf for major meetings, including Senate.

“Part of my job is to keep him focused,” she said. “It’s very easy to criticize the Principal and say ‘Well, he didn’t do this or he didn’t do this’ but when you see what is on the Principal’s plate … you’re just aware of the incredible devotion these people have.” Moore said there are misconceptions about the way senior University officials are reimbursed for travel expenses, adding that many don’t end up submitting them when they commute to meetings like the Board of Trustees.

“They know that Queen’s can’t afford to waste money, so that’s part of their support,” she said.

As someone who sits in on all major University discussions, Moore said Queen’s has faced recurring problems over the years.

“Government-operated funding has always been the mainstay,” she said. “The difficulty is, from donors and governments, there are more and more constraints.” Moore said Queen’s is also facing new territory when it comes to the University’s Charter.

“There’s a big question for the University Council,” she said. “The Charter has been changed and it can define its own future.”

In June 2011 Queen’s Charter was changed by Parliament in order to reduce the size and composition of University Council over three years.

Moore said she approached Woolf about her impending retirement over a year ago.

“It’s time. I’m a baby boomer and I need to get out of the way so someone else can come along,” she said. “It wasn’t a sudden decision.” Moore said she plans to stay in Kingston and spend more time with her retired friends.

“I have very modest plans,” she said. “I basically can only catch [Aquafit] courses on the evenings or the weekends, so my big luxury is going to be going in the daytime.”