Connecting Memorial with Communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador

Building connections and fostering collaborations is what the Harris Centre is all about — a bridge between the university and the community.

We are Memorial University's hub for public policy and regional development issues. We connect Memorial University faculty, students and staff with people, communities,  organizations  and networks locally, nationally and internationally to encourage informed dialogue, mobilize knowledge, and build collaborations to create a vibrant democracy and prosperous and sustainable society in Newfoundland and Labrador.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Cabot Martin Award Deadline EXTENDED to March 22, 2024

Great news! There is still time to apply for the Cabot Martin Award for Research in Regional Policy and Development for interested faculty, students or staff members. This new award also includes provisions for an annual public lecture to be delivered by the fund recipient in order to spark further discussion on topics of importance. More info and how to apply here. The deadline for applications has been extended to March 22, 2024.

 

 


 

Coast Lines & Coffee - Sunday, March 24 from 11 am to 1 pm @ Signal Hill Campus

Join Coast Lines Book Club at the Emera Innovation Centre to hear Allison Graves (Soft Serve, MA’17, PhD Candidate) and Donna Morrissey (Rage the Night, BSW’92) in conversation with Angela Antle (BA ’91 and PhD Candidate)!

Register here – https://mun.jotform.com/240325128124849

Come enjoy coffee and refreshments and a conversation with two writers with unique perspectives on the place we call home.

A livestream link will be provided for those who can’t attend in person.

 


Media & Democracy: The rising pressures of capacity, competition and trust

- Tuesday, March 26, from 5:30 to 7 pm, Signal Hill Campus

Local news media plays a critical role in a healthy democracy, informing citizens, ensuring transparency and accountability of people in positions of power, and fostering critical debate and the exchange of ideas. With technology changes and the rise of social media however, local media is facing increasing pressure to compete for audiences in a climate of rising distrust and dwindling capacity. Join us for a conversation with local journalists on how they are responding to these challenges.

Register HERE.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Fostering Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in the North: A Webinar - Wed. March 27 @ 2 pm NL time

Join UArctic to explore collaboration between different fields, integrating social, environmental, and economic perspectives to understand Arctic issues. Don't miss your chance to engage with panelists who are at the forefront of cross-disciplinary collaboration. Panelists are Dr. Pat Maher (Nipissing University), Dr. Ramona Neckaway (University College of the North), and Dr. Ken Coates (Yukon University). Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo of Memorial's Labrador Campus will moderate.

Register here.

 


Community planning for the future - Tuesday, April 2, 2024 from 5:30 to 7 pm, Signal Hill Campus

When it comes to community planning, balancing immediate needs with a vision for long-term sustainability can be a daunting task, and one that leaves individuals and communities feeling disempowered and buffeted by a multitude of external policies, agendas and crises.

Join Dr. Richard Shearmur, former Director of McGill’s School of Urban Planning, and Academic in Residence at Memorial’s Signal Hill Campus, as he discusses the future of long-term planning. He will consider critical questions such as how the future is envisioned, who is envisioning it and how could or should it be envisioned and offer thoughts on how the local development and urban planning space will continue to evolve and consider local alternatives in the face of global issues.

Register HERE.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Reports released

The Harris Centre in partnership with Municipalities NL, the NL Association of Community Business Development Corporations (CBDC) and the Community Sector Council of NL is pleased to release the Summary report on the Regional Economic Development (RED) workshop held on Dec. 11, 2023 at Signal Hill Campus.

Memorial has just released its first report on engagement with University of the Arctic (UArctic) and other member associations throughout the North - more details here.

The Harris Centre has received a final report from Dr. Tony Fang, Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Cultural and Economic Transformation, on improving labour force participation and labour market outcomes of under-represented groups in the NL natural resources sector. Tony Fang report


Harris Centre in the news

The Harris Centre has partnered with the Department of Political Science on the first credit course to be offered at Signal Hill Campus - more details here.

The Harris Centre is proud to launch the Cabot Martin Award for Research in Regional Policy and Development. More details here.

Throughout 2023, the Harris Centre has been connecting citizens in rural Newfoundland and Labrador to resources and information on climate change adaptation. Read more here.

One of the things we do at the Harris Centre is facilitate the David Curran Award for Regional Development to undergraduate students. Read more about this year's recipients here.

You may have heard of a writer-in-residence or an artist-in-residence, but what about an academic-in-residence?  In partnership with the Office of Public Engagement and the Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Harris Centre is happy to welcome Memorial's first academic in residence, Dr. Richard Shearmur. Read more here.

Highly respected sociologist Dr. Barb Neis is the latest senior research associate at the Harris Centre. “It’s great to have a range of different mechanisms for outreach, in order to talk about the research and get diverse perspectives on what is happening,” she said. “It’s particularly critical here in this province with only one university."  Read more here.


 

Interested in hearing about the latest news, events, reports and research funding opportunities? Sign up for our newsletter, the Regional.
Read the latest research reports.
Missed the last public discussion forum? Watch the session on our YouTube channel.

 

 

From the Gazette

What we do Learn about yaffle Videos Research and Reports