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30 years ago
Grad students buy house
March 1972 — The Graduate Students’ Union purchased a house
this month, located at 112 Military Road, to provide accommodation for
graduate students. The university helped with the purchase of Graduate
House by backing the purchase loan, obtained through the Central Mortgage
and Housing Corporation. The new house offers four residence floors for
married couples and single grads, with a common room on the ground floor
open for the entertainment of guests.
In other news, at the annual meeting of the Newfoundland Section of the Geological Association of Canada, Dr. Ben Kennedy, associate professor of geology, is elected president.
25 years ago
Law school shelved
March 1977 — Memorial has decided not to establish a School of
Law in the immediate future, but will have another look in three years
time to see if such a school would then be viable. A presidential committee
undertook investigations into the feasibility and desirability of establishing
a law school at Memorial and concluded it could not be sustained at the
present time.
A symposium is held at Memorial this month to examine the impact of the 200-mile economic fishing zone in Atlantic Canada. Seven speakers look at Canada’s imposition of the 200 mile fishing zone and its economic, political and biological implications.
20 years ago
Geology and geophysics merge
March 1982 — The geology and geophysics departments at Memorial
are merging to form the new Department of Earth Sciences. The new department
will mean a restructuring of course offerings leading to a degree in earth
sciences with majors in geology or geophysics. Most importantly, the merge
will enable Memorial to take on a greater role in research in offshore
development in the future. Following the discovery and definition of the
Hibernia oil field off the east coast of Newfoundland and other important
offshore discoveries, the consolidation and expansion of the two departments
have received strong support within the university.
15 years ago
$7.7 million for Memorial
March 1987 — Under the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Development
Fund Agreement, the university has been allocated $7.7 million. The Centre
for Offshore and Remote Medicine (MEDICOR) and the Telemedicine Centre
will receive $2.7 million and $5 million has been made available to the
Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering (C-CORE). The monies for C-CORE
are linked to support from other sources and will be drawn upon according
to a formula over a five-year period. The $2.7 million for MEDICOR and
Telemedicine will be used for a number of projects over the next couple
of years. About half of the amount will go towards construction of new
space in the Health Sciences Centre, with the remainder to be spent on
new equipment for MEDICOR and the development of Telemedicine activities.
In other news, Distinguished Teacher Awards are set up at Memorial in recognition of the importance of excellence in teaching at all levels in the university.
10 years ago
Marine Institute joins university
March 1992 — The Newfoundland and Labrador Institute of Fisheries
and Marine Technology, commonly referred to as the Marine Institute, is
now a part of Memorial University. Leslie O’Reilly will continue
with the Marine Institute in the new position of executive director and
a Marine Institute Advisory Committee has been appointed.
In other news, 65 members of the university community spend
part of mid-term break developing a blueprint for the university’s
future. Two workshops, each two days in length, are held as a first step
in the strategic planning process.
And Dr. Kevin Keough is appointed to the new position of vice-president
(research). He is responsible for all activities in support of the university’s
research and technology transfer mandates.
Five years ago
Improving first-year math
March 1997 — At this month’s meeting, the Senate endorsed
several recommendations about mathematics based on a report from the Senate
Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate First-Year Math Courses. Among the recommendations
are that Memorial institute a general math exam for first-year students
in the 1998-99 academic year, that final year exams in first-year math
courses be extended to three hours, and that more resources be allocated
for the professional development of faculty and for labs and supplemental
instruction in mathematics.
And this month Memorial’s largest fundraising
campaign, The Opportunity Fund, is publicly launched. The goal is to raise
$50 million from the private and public sectors to increase scholarship
endowments, support innovation in teaching and research, and provide better
facilities for student services and physical education and fitness programs.
