Questions about administrative spending are understandable, particularly during a period of cost restraint. Memorial’s non-academic spending is consistent with other universities of similar size, based on data maintained by the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO).    

Non-academic expenses include administrative and operational roles that support the university’s teaching, research and student services, as well as the university's core operations. These roles span multiple employment groups and contribute essential functions that enable the university to operate effectively.  

For 2025-26, approximately 57 per cent of Memorial’s salary expenditure is allocated to academic staff, while 43 per cent is allocated to administrative staff (this calculation includes the Faculty of Medicine and benefits).  

“Teaching campuses” refers to Memorial’s campuses that house academic units, deliver degree programs and conduct research. These include the Labrador, Grenfell, Marine Institute and St. John’s campuses, all of which provide comprehensive, research‑intensive education across a range of disciplines. 

This term is used to distinguish these academic campuses from locations such as Signal Hill and Harlow Campus, which, while referred to as campuses, do not operate in the same way and do not deliver degree programs in the same manner. 

Reducing Memorial’s spending by $20 million a year was never going to be achieved through a single decision. This announcement is one step in a broader, phased approach to improving the university’s financial sustainability. It builds on our recent announcement about executive restructuring, as well as cost reduction measures introduced in July. This includes spending cuts across all units; identifying job redundancies; the merging or closing of some units and hiring restrictions.   

Next, we will be working through the implications of this decision with care and continuing the work on our new budget model, modernizing some of our systems and processes, and launching our strategic planning process. 

Contraction is part of the work ahead. But cuts alone don’t build a future – they shrink the present. If all we did was reduce, we’d end up with a smaller version of the same challenges. Evolve is here because any cuts we do make need direction and purpose. If we avoid making these decisions, the cuts get made to us instead of by us. We’re choosing a different path: Focused, honest, strategic transformation designed to ensure we don’t just survive, we become stronger. 

Because we are showing the work, action, data and results. Trust is earned, not declared. Evolve is a framework for fostering engagement, creating a safe space for difficult conversations and a vehicle for clear communication about tough choices. And if something isn’t clear? Ask. We can’t promise perfection, but we can have a conversation.  

Demographic trends show a long-term decline in the number of high school graduates in the province, which is expected to continue for the next 15 or so years. This makes it even more critical that we strengthen our efforts to attract and retain university-qualified students who may otherwise choose institutions outside the province.   

For fall 2025, the most significant shift was in lower international enrolment. This mirrors national trends affecting universities across Canada. Factors such as federal policy changes on study permit applications, evolving visa processes and changing global perceptions of Canada as a welcoming destination for international students have contributed to this reduction.   

We have been diligently working on understanding enrolment trends and data as they allow us to anticipate future demands, support student success and plan for our continued contribution to Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural, social and economic development. This involves aggressive recruiting campaigns in the province and in other parts of Canada and making the undergraduate admissions process more accessible to those students. 

Memorial’s retention rates are not where they should be. About 20 per cent of first year students don’t return in year two, and 50 per cent of students do not complete their studies after six years. This is below the Canadian average. When a student chooses Memorial, we have a responsibility to help them navigate their chosen path and graduate successfully. Retention is key to both student success and financial sustainability.  

A few initiatives underway to better support students include:   

• Using best-practice transition supports to better prepare students for the realities of university learning and life.  

• Connecting directly with students during the high-risk period between the winter of first year and the fall of second year, where we see our biggest retention loss.   

• Developing new online tools to enhance advising and make it easier for students to navigate academic pathways.  

• Reducing the number of undeclared students who have specific challenges and are less likely to continue their studies. 

• Launching a re‑enrolment campaign to support students who started with us but didn’t finish — helping them return with the resources and encouragement they need to complete their degree. 

Recruitment and retention aren’t the responsibility of one unit — it’s something everyone at Memorial influences. Whether you’re teaching, supporting labs, answering questions at a service desk, or keeping our physical spaces clean (and walkways free of snow and ice),  you're contributing to a positive student experience.   

Under the current and future budget approaches, decisions about staffing, course offerings and program delivery are made by faculties and schools based on their specific circumstances, enrolment trends and academic priorities. 

Academic leaders are expected to balance financial realities with their responsibility to maintain program quality, meet accreditation requirements and support student progression to completion. 

Memorial’s approach to financial sustainability focuses on a combination of cost containment, organizational change, improved operational efficiency and strengthening enrolment through recruitment and retention rather than relying solely on tuition increases. 

Decisions such as the recent divestment announcement, executive restructuring and a focus on recruitment and retention are part of a broader commitment to evolve Memorial into a more student-focused, research-intensive and financially resilient university.  

Even with these efforts, Memorial must continue to reduce overall spending and make difficult decisions to ensure long‑term sustainability. Financial sustainability is not a single action but an ongoing process that requires careful prioritization, transparency and shared responsibility across the institution. 

We understand the uncertainty the community feels around job security in this time of change. However, in an institution with Memorial’s size and scope, there is a natural variability in the size of the employee complement, and this is true of teaching as well as administrative staff. Contracts can end for any number of reasons that are separate from financial circumstances. This, coupled with the fact that employment decisions are made within individual units and not centrally, makes it challenging to consolidate the data in a consistent and accurate way.  

As part of year‑end close‑out, leaders will have more complete information on changes to staffing and contract decisions and we will share that information with the university community. 

We recognize that uncertainty about job security is stressful and that Memorial’s current fiscal realities are creating anxiety for members of our community. It is of utmost importance that we contract with care, which means clear and consistent communication as we direct resources where they matter most – academic excellence, research and the student experience.  

What we can be clear about at this stage is the process: after the provincial government releases its budget, we will prepare the 2026-27 university budget. Following the Board of Regents’ approval, it will be shared with the university community. Once units have their allocation, they will make decisions around employee complement based on their budgets and supports needed.  

Employees will receive information through their units and leadership teams as decisions are confirmed. Leaders understand the importance of timely and respectful communication and will work to keep employees informed throughout this process.

Memorial is facing significant financial pressures and must reduce overall spending as part of ongoing organizational change to support long‑term sustainability. We recognize that conversations about staffing impacts are difficult and create real concern for employees across the university. 

As approximately 73 per cent of the university’s budget is tied to salaries, achieving the required reductions will likely involve impacts to staffing. These considerations are not limited to any single employment group. All areas of the institution, including management functions, are part of the overall review as the university works to align its operations with available resources. 

Staff training and development are recognized as important enablers of effective operations, particularly as the university works through organizational change. The Employee Training and Development policy is currently under development, and a draft of the policy will be released for broad consultation in the coming weeks. 

In parallel, there are opportunities to strengthen training and support related to systems, tools and evolving work processes. These efforts are intended to support employees as they build skills and adapt to change. More information will be shared with the university community as this work progresses and consultation occurs.

While there is not currently a formal, university‑wide succession planning program, succession considerations are encouraged as part of ongoing strategic and organizational planning within units. This includes thinking proactively about continuity, knowledge transfer and leadership capacity. Units can seek advice and support from their Human Resources advisor/manager or the Policy and Organizational Effectiveness team in Human Resources. 

Work is underway on several initiatives aimed at improving operational efficiency. 

With respect to travel, early policy consultations are complete and drafting of a revised travel policy is in progress, in keeping with Memorial’s policy development process. The draft policy is expected to be posted on the Policy Office website for broader community consultation in late April. 

At the same time, a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a travel management technology solution is currently in the market. Proposals will be evaluated following the close of the RFP, with implementation beginning once a solution is selected. The timing of the technology rollout will depend on contract award and alignment with the new policy, as policy decisions will inform elements of system implementation. Implementation is anticipated during fiscal 2026–27. 

Beyond travel, other process improvements and systems are being explored to support business modernization and operational efficiencies. As previously shared, early consideration has included procurement‑related systems, with additional areas to be assessed over time. More information will be shared as this work progresses. 

The determination is guided by Memorial’s strategic priorities and financial realities. Core areas are those most directly tied to academic quality, student experience, and research intensity. This process involves input from university leadership. 

There are no immediate job losses in our province associated with this announcement. Staff at Harlow have been notified their positions will end when Harlow closes in August and supports are being provided to them.   

At the Johnson Geo Centre, we hope to transition ownership so that the centre can continue operating as an exceptional museum and science centre. 

Universities evolve over time. Buildings are often acquired during periods of growth or changing academic, social or economic priorities. As those conditions shift, including enrolment patterns, program needs and funding realities, responsible stewardship means reassessing whether an asset still aligns with the university’s mission and capacity. What made sense historically may no longer be the right fit today. 

Collectively, selling these assets is expected to save Memorial $3 million in annual operating costs. We also anticipate a decrease in the university’s deferred maintenance liabilities. 

The potential revenue from the sale of each property has not yet been determined and was not the driving force behind this decision.  Work is now underway to determine the best process for divestment.  

Academic quality, student experience and financial sustainability are our primary focus. Because there is some academic programming that occurs at Harlow Campus, it was important for the academic community to have opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback. The other facilities do not offer academic programming in the same way.   Nonetheless, there were conversations with specific groups in relation to each of the other properties.   

As Memorial works to reduce spending across all areas of the institution, every dollar spent is being critically assessed to ensure sustainability and alignment with our academic mission.  

If this process leads to contemplation of other areas of the university, it will be approached with transparency and a commitment to minimizing impacts on people and programs. 

No, this decision was not directed bygovernment. It was made by Memorial’s Board of Regents, based on the university’s financial realities and our responsibility to manage public and student dollars appropriately.

The challenges we are facing – decreasing enrolment, decreasing revenue, increasing costs, aging infrastructure, changing labour market needs and a world increasingly defined by disruption – are being experienced across our sector. Universities across Canada are facing very similar issues.

Students have assurance of being able to stay until Aug. 31, 2026 or until building is sold thereafter. All students will be required to move out on or before until April 30, 2027. All students have been contacted directly and assured that the campus is not closing immediately, and there are no immediate changes to their housing. If they choose to move before the building closes, or when the time ultimately comes to relocate, we will help them find alternate accommodations on the St. John’s campus where there is capacity. They will receive regular updates as these processes move forward. 

Supporting students is core to our mission. The change is where housing is provided, not whether it’s provided. Students will be kept informed as the process unfolds and support will be available to help them to them find alternative accommodations on the St. John’s campus, where there is capacity.     

Events booked at the Johnson Geo Centre between Jan. 30 – Dec. 23, 2026, will proceed as scheduled. Events booked at the Johnson Geo Centre after Dec. 23, 2026 will be cancelled and full refunds issued. All event organizers who are impacted by this are being contacted directly. Events booked at the Emera Innovation Exchange between Jan. 30 – Aug. 31, 2026, will proceed as scheduled.  

We anticipate events booked at the Emera Innovation Exchange between Sept. 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027 can continue as planned. However, in the event the building is sold or operations cease before April 30, 2026, event organizers will be contacted with as much notice as possible. 

For more information, contact Conference and Event Services. 

Multiple initiatives to revitalize interest have yielded limited success and there are some decisions that need to be made now to avoid future budget shortfalls for the university.  

Overwhelmingly, we heard that Harlow is a transformational learning experience for those who get to experience it, and we recognize that there are real feelings of grief associated with this decision. However, enrolment has declined significantly below capacity for the past decade and even at full capacity (153 students per year, less than one per cent of our student population), it is no longer sustainable. 

Memorial remains firmly committed to international experiences for students. Students have access to global learning through partnerships with 180+ universities in over 50 countries. To help mitigate barriers to access, we will be reinvesting any net proceeds from the sale of the property to make global learning opportunities more affordable for students from Newfoundland and Labrador. 

The theatre program is unchanged by the decision over Harlow Campus. Theatre students will be able to proceed through their program as planned and have the opportunity to take part in teaching and learning activities about theatre in London. Academic leaders have identified alternative accommodation in London to ensure that students have secure spaces to stay with high quality facilities. 

Students in the visual arts program who are taking art history electives will be travelling to Harlow as planned in summer 2026. After that, visual arts elective courses will go to the U.K. but will stay at student accommodation that is currently being organized in partnership with other organizations in London. 

If you have specific questions about the Fine Arts program, please contact Dr. Peter Ride, dean, School of Fine Arts at pride@mun.ca.  

While we value the good work of the Geo Centre, both culturally and educationally, the university is not the appropriate home for the Geo Centre due to lack of alignment with our academic mission. Our hope is that a new owner can be found and the centre will continue to be the wonderful public educational centre that it always has been. 

Yes. The university holds a registered deed for a 99-year Crown lease. The intention with divesting this property is to transfer it to a new owner/operator that will continue it  

Vice-presidents are executives with ultimate responsibility for the areas within their portfolio. They are eligible for executive-level compensation. Deputy provosts are academic administrators; they are paid on the professor salary scale, with additional compensation that reflects the responsibilities of their role. 

Deputy Provosts are the most senior leaders on the provost’s team. Specifically (and unlike vice-provosts or associate vice-presidents), Deputy Provosts act for the provost in their absence, and have designated seats on the President’s Executive Committee.  They have broad authority over a prescribed space within the academic division.    

The work done by the office of EDI-AR, and the work to support Indigenous members of our community, is exceptional and will continue unabated.  There has been no diminution in funding or resources for either area.   

The Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs report directly to the president, ensuring the priorities of Indigenous students, scholars and community members at Memorial are firmly anchored within the President’s Office. The work administered by the Office of Indigenous Affairs, including the resources and funding that support it, remain unchanged. 

The Office of EDI-AR is reporting on an interim basis into Dr. Amy Warren while work is underway to determine the optimal organizational structure, reporting and mandate to ensure that EDI-AR and human rights are resourced for long-term success.  See Jan. 8 Gazette update for more information. President Morrison has committed to an update in March 2026.