Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to shared governance and a bicameral system.  

Collegial governance empowers academic experts to oversee academic matters and decision-making. This ranges from having input into the hiring of colleagues and leaders, to the programs established and offered to students.  

Memorial’s academic staff are vital contributors to our collegial governance. Like most Canadian universities, we have a bicameral governance structure that reflects a commitment to openness, transparency and faculty involvement.  

Collegial governance is built into the fabric of Memorial University’s structure and is reflected in the collective agreement currently in place between Memorial University and the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA). For example, under the collective agreement, faculty members make up half of the membership of search committees for deans and university librarians and are also members of unit-level search committees for teaching term, regular term, tenure-track and tenured appointments. This gives faculty members a meaningful role in determining who is hired in an academic unit.  

Another example relates to promotion and tenure committees, which are made  of academic staff who are empowered to exercise independent academic judgement in assessing candidates and making recommendations.  

The Board of Regents and the Senate make up Memorial’s bicameral governance structure. In 2021, Memorial requested that the provincial government amend the Memorial University Act to include faculty representation on the Board of Regents. In 2023, two members of the teaching staff were appointed. 

Senate oversees all academic matters and 53 of its 91 members are academic staff (there are currently four vacant ASM seats). This ensures that scholarly expertise drives academic decision making. In addition, faculty serve on several standing committees of Senate, including the University Planning and Budget Committee. Academic staff members who are not members of Senate still can and do serve on Senate committees.  

Outside of Senate, faculty members have a seat at key tables including committees with institutional oversight such as the University Health and Safety Committee and the Sexual Harassment Board. 

The bicameral system and collegial governance are cornerstones of the Canadian university system and Memorial remains committed to both. More can be read about this topic in University Affairs.