Ideas received

Cost-saving and revenue generation suggestions from the community

Below is a summary of suggestions received anonymously from the Memorial community. It is not indicative of planned actions. Any actions to be taken will include the appropriate decision making processes within Memorial's bicameral system of governance. Suggestions will be added as they are received.


Administrative efficiency and process improvement

  • Streamline travel approvals and reimbursements using third-party software
  • Automate repetitive administrative tasks
  • Implement a better system for direct deposits or EMTs
  • Standardize organizational terminology and hierarchy to reduce confusion and inefficiencies
  • Increase articulation and other partnerships with CNA, NSCC
  • Upgrade technology and systems such as banner finance and HR 
  • Provide low-cost or free software training to employees on commonly-used software to improve employee efficiency and foster innovative solutions to administrative roadblocks. Leverage and better utilize the Gardiner Centre's to provide training to Memorial employees.
  • Utilize the university auditor's office to identify and act upon recommended areas of efficiency 
  • Marine Institute should invest in strategic hiring so it becomes feasible to propose and execute more projects, which would generate additional revenue.
    The Reserarch and Technical Personnel position also needs to be reviewed and reclassified. At present, they cannot apply for most research grants because they are not considered faculty. This change would be fair, given the role RTPs play, but it would also allow them to apply for more and larger grants to help generate more revenue
  • Reduce admin for Grenfell and  MI
  • Consider a strategic reallocation of administrative staff functions to enhance operational efficiency. Explore opportunities for job-sharing, role adjustments, and cross-departmental collaboration
  • Reduce manual data entry ("keying") by using online forms that integrate directly with systems. While keeping the approval process intact, tasks like travel requests could be streamlined by replacing PDFs or Excel forms with smart online forms that validate and route data automatically. This approach is already in use for tools like OnBase and IT equipment returns, and the suggestion is to explore expanding it to other areas.
  • Make PDTER a non-taxable benefit, issued like a sabbatical research grant, to eliminate administrative overhead.
  • Streamline student registration by allowing it once in the fall for the full academic year, rather than repeating the process three times. Alternatively, consider a two-part system with spring as a standalone. 
  • Implement a university-wide digital signature solution compatible with default MUN software. Currently, HR and FAS use Adobe, but most units lack the tools, training, or budget to support it.
  • Implement industry-standard data reuse and system interoperability across Memorial’s administrative platforms to reduce reliance on emails and memos to transfer information between units
  • Use a "Service Design" informed approach and methodology to reworking and restructuring administrative systems and processes
  • Finalize and release the mandatory financial policies for research funding for Tri-Agency money to reduce email traffic between researchers and FAS, and workload for dept staff. 
  • Make a universal personal calendar system like Outlook Calendar mandatory to save thousands of scheduling hours spent on Doodle, email correspondence, etc. 

 Policy and governance reform

  • Develop a formal Cell Phone Eligibility Policy with cost limits and allowances
  • Strengthen oversight of carryover use and deficit spending
  • Review and modernize course cost recovery models
  • Strengthen financial accountability for Separately Incorporated Entities (SIEs)
  • Reevaluate shared services and funding arrangements with the Faculty of Medicine
  • Return to a main campus and satellite campus model, while still recognizing each campus’ unique contributions.
  • Ensure all vice-presidents hold pan-university mandates.

 Revenue generation

  • Rent out campus facilities to external organizations
  • Develop Johnson Geo Centre assets, including pay-per-use parking
  • Negotiate reserved-seat agreements with provincial (non-NL) and international governments for program access
  • Encourage voluntary faculty contributions (monetary or in-kind)
  • Explore micro-credentials and stackable credentials for adult learners
  • Improve access for local community and high school students 
  • Expand online course/program offerings
  • Increase enrollment by building student-centred culture with supports, streamlined application process, etc.
  • Grow endowments 
  • Increase parking fees 
  • Increase bookstore offerings and improve access
  • Introduce lab fees for students
  • Campus run café on campus vs. outside vendor 
  • Sell campus digital signs as ad space  
  • Increase costs for accommodations and space rentals
  • Increase residence fees 
  • Elevate our marketing strategy to better attract students from across Canada and internationally with unique strengths—in harsh environments, proximity to the ocean, and leadership in marine and Arctic research. These should be core features in our promotional campaigns. We should invest in targeted, professional marketing that highlights these differentiators.
  • Increase professional program tuition to be more in line with other universities across the country
  • Provide virtual tours of rentable space on the MUN website so that community members can visualize the rooms/lecture halls/dining halls etc.
  • Improve student campus culture. Beautify the campus so it does not look like one huge parking lot. This will make it more attractive for student recruitment
  • Strengthen course material policies to compel faculty to direct students to the bookstore for paid course material or the library for open educational resources
  • Reduce red-tape to encourage more businesses to rent on-campus facilities that are underutilized. Create rentable space on the ground floor of most buildings.
  • Monetize campus card operations so commissions are collected when students use their campus card as payment at off campus vendors
  • Require more staff, faculty and students to be on campus instead of remote/flexible work, so our facilities are used to their full potential and vendors on campus make more money, returning more commission to the university
  • Endowment grown and investment returns; Plan a multi-million dollar capital campaign to grow the current $184M endowment closer to peers; Expand legacy giving tools (e.g., gifts of securities, wills, property); Create a Memorial Endowment Investment Committee with expertise in ESG/impact investing
  • For international student recruitment: Scale the mandate of the Student Recruitment Committee to include international partnerships; create Memorial Global with regional recruiters, branded pathways, and admissions incentives; offer guaranteed housing or micro-scholarships to reduce friction for applicants.
  • Microcredentials & Lifelong Learning: Expand Lifelong Learning & Online Education with microcredentials in marine safety, Indigenous governance, climate resilience and data literacy; launch a Memorial Professional Academy (fully online, asynchronous short programs); Ppartner with employers to co-create curriculum and offer employer-funded seats
  • Build on RIO's foundation by creating a Memorial Innovation Fund as seed capital for startups emerging from RIO and Genesis. Introduce faculty equity incentives and clearer revenue-sharing models
  • Establish a Corporate & Government Engagement Office, leveraging Memorial’s success ($58M+ corporate income in 2020) to attract partner-led R&D in ocean tech, energy, and climate resilience 
  • Scale the Signal Hill model to other assets (GEO Centre, parking, summer residences). Formalize asset rental strategy to include public events, tourism and film sector partnerships
  • Sell old buildings to developers to build student housing 
  • Establish preschool-age childcare centres at the Botanical Garden and Geocentre (nature and science-focused to align with each site's educational mandate). This would optimize space, generate revenue, and, if students/employees were given preference for childcare spots, increase student and employee retention and morale
  • Allow differential undergraduate tuition, enabling higher rates for professional programs and those with higher delivery costs (e.g., lab courses)
  • Increase tuition for programs with a Harlow Campus component
  • Highlight Grenfell's connectivity to community and leverage this for research funding. 

 Cost reduction measures

  • Reduce employee travel and professional development budgets
  • Encourage virtual meetings to cut travel costs
  • Limit university spending on personal office supplies
  • Review software licensing to eliminate unused subscriptions
  • Decrease hosting and gifts 
  • Eliminate where possible outsourcing contracts and consultants 
  • Allow unpaid leave to reduce costs without eliminating jobs
  • Reduce the number of senior admin positions
  • Contract out certain facility services in key areas, such as cleaning and ground work, or, strengthen service level agreements in these areas
  • During the summer semester when student enrollment is minimal, minimize staffing, especially those who are student facing. Offer staff the option to be laid off, or to have 9 months of salary paid out over 12 months, or some other mutually beneficial option. 
  • Senior administrative costs can be reduced by combining some existing portfolios, as was done with finance, administration and advancement. For example, the portfolios of equity, diversity, inclusion and indigenization can be combined (EDII). Eventually, even a combined portfolio should not be needed, as, through strategic planning, this work can be solidly done at the faculty level and overseen at the senior administrative level.  
  • Ensure cuts are strategic, not across the board 
  • Advocate to government about getting larger sum in advance to tear down old buildings to save money 
  • Sell university property/campuses
  • Reduce grad programs at Grenfell Campus 
  • Conduct a comprehensive analysis of event-related expenditures—including things like catering, rentals, and support services—to identify opportunities for cost savings 
  • Fill more administrative position vacancies internally
  • A thorough review of Facilities Management could identify efficiency improvements and streamline processes, especially those that could be handled at the unit level.
  • Close Harlow Campus

 Space and infrastructure optimization

  • Establish a Space Optimization Working Group to review and repurpose underused space
  • Promote remote work to reduce utility and maintenance costs
  • Integrate room bookings into a centralized system like Outlook 

 Academic program and unit restructuring

  • Centralize administrative functions (HR, Finance, IT) across faculties
  • Review and merge/consolidate administrative departments with overlapping roles
  • Centralize procurement and student recruitment and other services for cost saving and efficiencies
  • Conduct a strategic program review based on enrollment, cost and relevance
  • Align academic offerings with provincial and national labor market needs
  • Merge housing operations between St. John’s and Signal Hill campuses
  • Review the role of vice-presidents and consider making them associate vice-presidents or deans. Also review associate vice-presidents roles and if they are necessary
  • Merge the School of Music with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Suspend or eliminate low-enrollment programs
  • Take a regional approach to program offerings. The Atlantic region universities could effectively work together to consolidate academic programming into specific sites. 
  • Look to the colleges for examples of successful and growing enrolment programs. e.g. Allow students to sign up for and achieve a credential for a year at a time.  
  • Merge Social Work, Education, and Business into a single faculty with three schools
  • Merge the School of Fine Arts with the School of Arts and Social Science at Grenfell Campus.
  • Merge Pharmacy, Kinesiology and Nursing into a single faculty with three schools

 Employee engagement and morale

  • Offer tuition discounts for children of long-term employees
  • Increase visibility and community engagement with SeaHawks sports
  • Provide earlier employee recognition gifts (e.g., at 5 and 10 years)
  • Promote “Team Memorial” spirit through events and merchandise
  • Review remote work effectiveness
  • Better access for employees to recreational facilities to support physical health, connection, workplace morale and a meaningful investment in employee well-being. 
  • Improve chronic absenteeism by increasing employee accountability, and Reassess Memorial's leave policy to provide reasonable amounts of sick leave that are in line with other public institutions and use software that provides a visual calendar tracker
  • Reduce the number of stat holidays and provide greater flexibility to employees instead 
  • Establish an efficiency ombudsman or a red tape reporting system to let employees safely share concerns or suggestions about issues outside their own office. Frontline staff often see problems but hesitate to speak up due to workplace dynamics. A dedicated channel would empower them to contribute to improvements

 General improvements

  • Increase Indigenous programming/partnerships
  • Improve employee and student retention through mentorship program
  • Improve how faculty interact with students with more in-person and overall access
  • Increase awareness of (and possibly income for) Memorail research with more public signage (e.g. along Prince Phillip Drive)
  • Employ more students