July 24, 2020 Memorial has established its first academic unit based in Labrador. With Senate approval in May and Board of Regents approval in July, the School of Arctic and Sub-Arctic Studies is now Memorial’s newest academic unit.
Jan. 21, 2021 Memorial University conferred honorary degrees upon Inuit Elder and respected healer, artist and educator G. Jean Crane and upon Inuit Elder and renowned artist, author and educator Nellie May Winters in a special convocation held in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The special session of convocation was the first to be held in Labrador.
June 23, 2021 Transforming Our Horizons is released – a strategic plan that reimagines Memorial as the university for the province, for the world and for our future. It’s a path that sets out what’s required to enact a positive change for tomorrow. Its strategic themes are proactive programs, inspired learning, dynamic research, commitment to communities and promotion and pride.
Nov. 26, 2021 Memorial University held the official opening of the spectacular Core Science Facility as federal, provincial and university representatives celebrated the construction of this sophisticated research and teaching building. Primarily housing the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, the Core Science Facility was open for student use in September 2021. Already, more than 3,000 undergraduate and hundreds of graduate students are using the building each week for laboratories and seminars. The building is also home to a magnificent blue whale skeleton, stretching more than 25 metres through the west atrium of the building.
Jan. 20, 2022 The Labrador Institute transitioned to a full academic campus. The establishment of the Labrador Campus of Memorial University received Senate endorsement and approval of the Board of Regents at its December 2021 meeting.
July 8, 2022 Funding is announced for a new Centre for Artificial Intelligence on the St. John’s campus. The centre will build partnerships with industry and the province’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through collaborative projects, outreach and continuing education, particularly in artificial intelligence and computer related courses. It will also serve as a collaborative space for seminars that bring together AI-related researchers and students across campus for teamwork.
Aug. 9, 2022 Three new Faculty of Nursing satellite sites were announced for Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, adding 72 seats to the bachelor of science in nursing (collaborative) program. This is the first time the university has added new locations since the province’s three nursing schools came together to offer a baccalaureate program in the 1990s.
Jan. 10, 2023 Grenfell Campus’ Centre for Research and Innovation officially opened following an $8.9-million investment to renovate the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper former Human Resources building. The facility supports local and regional economic growth through innovation, research and training, and serves as a hub for regional innovation.
April 6, 2023 Dr. Neil Bose was appointed president and vice-chancellor pro tempore for a two-year term or until a new president is recruited. Dr. Bose is an established member of the leadership team, and is providing leadership and business continuity, ensuring the ongoing, smooth operations of Memorial.
April 28, 2023 Memorial University and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada are co-leading a global partnership to address and respond to the increase in Arctic shipping, the related environmental impacts affecting Arctic communities and to support Inuit communities’ needs for safe and cost-efficient resupply. The investment of $91.6 million in the Qanittaq Clean Arctic Shipping Initiative is the largest research grant ever awarded to either Memorial or ICC Canada.
May 3, 2023 Dr. John Haggie, minister of Education, tabled details of Bill 39 An Act to Amend the Memorial University Act. These amendments to the Act provided necessary changes to allow the provincial government to appoint faculty members to the Board of Regents as Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council appointments. Other changes in the amendments revised the Act’s language to be gender-neutral and update references to other relevant legislation.
May 15, 2023 The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University officially opened The Launch. Located in the Town of Holyrood, The Launch is a state-of-the-art marine living lab that offers a safe, reliable, near-Arctic environment to test new technology, train in harsh conditions and explore the next advancements in ocean research. The site, which includes the new $22-million Arthur W. May Building, was supported by a combined federal-provincial investment of $8.5 million announced in 2019.
Sept. 8, 2023 Memorial launched the Community Hubs program. Grenfell Campus and its partners established the Community Hubs Program in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 lockdowns. The program fills a gap in rural, remote and northern areas of the province for technology-enabled community spaces.
Jan. 8, 2024 The Harris Centre partnered with the Department of Political Science’s new Law and Public Policy Program to offer Signal Hill Campus’s first university credit course.
Jan. 15, 2024 The predecessor of the Fisheries and Marine Institute had its official opening at Memorial’s former Parade Street campus in St. John’s on Jan. 15, 1964. Today, the Marine Institute offers a range of oceans-related programs from technical certificates to doctoral degrees.
May 14, 2024 Memorial University’s inaugural International Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Conference brought together more than 200 attendees and presenters from around the world on May 14.
June 9, 2024 The Royal Canadian Geographical Society of Canada, leading an international team with specialists from Canada, the U.K., Norway and the U.S., found the schooner-rigged vessel that served as famed Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton’s expedition ship six decades after it went missing. A sonar image, captured by Marine Institute of Memorial University specialists, was the definitive proof.
Aug. 30, 2024 Faculty of Science earth scientists Drs. Duncan McIlroy and Rod Taylor publish their findings of the oldest animal fossil found on Earth: Mamsetia manunis. The discovery of Mamsetia represents a leap forward in our understanding of early life.