April 2020: Monthly update from the President
It’s been 30 days since I started as president and vice-chancellor at Memorial University. And as you might imagine it has not been the 30 days envisioned prior to returning to Newfoundland and Labrador.
The plan was to get out and about and see the depth and breadth of Memorial’s campuses and locations. In April I planned to visit Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook, go to the Labrador Institute in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and learn about what’s happening in the world-class facilities at the Marine Institute in St. John's.
I wanted to sit face-to-face with faculty, staff, students, community partners and supporters; to listen and learn and ask questions; to see and hear and experience what makes Memorial such a great institution. I wanted to breathe it all in and become part of it. And while it hasn’t been possible to walk down hallways and into offices or sit across tables and share a coffee, I did spend the last 30 days connecting with the people who make up the Memorial community. COVID-19 has required flexibility. We adapted by virtually connecting with each of our campuses instead of the planned face-to-face visits.
This experience revealed that what was most important for Memorial before COVID-19 still remains what’s most important today—supporting our students and helping them succeed; leveraging the expertise of our faculty and researchers to find solutions to pressing problems in our province and beyond; and working with our community partners and using our world-class facilities to do our part to protect the health and safety of the broader community.
For example, PolyUnity, a company that got its start at Memorial, is protecting our health care workers through the innovative manufacturing of face shields.
Dr. Proton Rahman, associate dean of clinical research in the Faculty of Medicine, was recruited to head up the province’s medical analytics team, which is responsible for developing the province's short-term models of COVID-19 spread.
Memorial researchers are also working with TaskForceNL. In just one example, our world-class facilities in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science are being put to use for a different purpose: testing personal protective equipment.
Researchers also shared their expertise on everything from the impact of COVID-19 on sleeping habits, to the proper way to wear a mask, to the importance of employers protecting workers from online harassment.
And the big one: more than $100,000 in emergency funding has been raised to help students in need. Thank you to all those who supported the Undergraduate Student Emergency Fund and the SGS Graduate Student Emergency Fund.
I appreciate how accommodating and available everyone has been to me. Through remote technology, meetings are being held with leaders in each faculty and school. I’ve talked with Premier Ball, Minister Mitchelmore of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour and other provincial ministers. Federal Minister O’Regan and a number of our other federal members of Parliament, and St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen have all taken time for a discussion. I’ve met with community and business leaders whose commitment to this province is second to none.
Work is ongoing with the dedicated teams inside Memorial who have been managing through the academic and operational challenges of COVID-19. Thank you to all faculty, staff and students for their nimbleness and willingness to find solutions as we all manage through these difficult times.
So, while my first 30 days did not turn out as planned, I have had the opportunity to see the best of this community in ways that might not have been possible in normal circumstances. I am so grateful to have seen how Memorial’s faculty, staff, students and partners have come together—how they have worked in trying times and circumstances to make the best of a bad situation. How they have cared for the vulnerable, focused on the issues at hand and turned their attention to planning for the future. Thank you for your time, your insights and your commitment to this institution and this province.
I have often said that universities should not reflect the world in which we live; rather, they should reflect the world in which we want to live. And once a month, through a message like this, a newsletter will be shared with you to share the ways Memorial is doing just that.
All the best. Stay safe.