A Solid Foundation

A lot has happened in the last 100 years, not the least of which includes two wars that shaped the world as we know it today. Our story begins with the end of the Great War.

By the end of the war nearly 1,500 of our brave soldiers had died in battle. This tragedy would be mourned for generations to come, therefore it was decided that a school would be established as a memorial to those Newfoundlanders who had died in active service. After all, it was because of those soldiers’ valiant efforts that the people of this province now had a solid foundation on which they could build a brighter future. Everyone agreed that a university would be a truly befitting tribute with which to honour our fallen soldiers and their great sacrifice

On September 15, 1925, five faculty members and 55 full-time students opened Memorial University College at Merrymeeting Road and Parade Street in St. John’s. This would become an institution of scholarship and quality, opportunity and equality. Over the next two decades enrolment would increase and the college would grow to offer two year pre-agriculture, -medical, -dental and –engineering programs in addition to teaching training, chemistry, physics, mathematics, history, English, French, German and of course, the Classics.