Thank you to everyone who submitted thoughtful feedback since our last budget update in May. 

We also appreciate the nearly 700 faculty and staff who attended the town hall on May 26 and asked questions. If you missed the town hall, we encourage you to view it through my.mun.ca.  

Since then, we’ve received many suggestions for revenue generation and efficiencies to reduce our costs.  

The suggestions, which are now summarized on the budget website, relate to administrative efficiency/process improvement; policy reform; revenue generation; cost-reduction measures; space optimization and program restructuring. All suggestions have been shared with Senior Leadership Council (SLC). The form is still open and all submissions are anonymous.  

We value your feedback and it’s clear that Memorial employees care deeply about our university and are ready to work together on the way forward. It’s very important that we support each other during these times of change and as difficult decisions are being made.  

We appreciate that many of you have visited the budget website to review the operating budget workbook and the FAQs to learn more about our budget process. Additional questions have also been submitted and responses to these questions are now posted on the budget website. We will continue to post new questions and answers as they are submitted. 

What’s next

Since our last community update on May 20, portfolio leaders have received their budget allocations. The portfolio allocations, as outlined in the operating budget workbook, are as follows: 

Based on these allocations and the more than $20 million in expenditure reduction needed, it is clear that we must change given that we are spending more money than we are bringing in. This means that we need to do things differently. 

The President’s Executive Council (PEC) has been meeting regularly to prepare a high-level summary of the actions needed to achieve a balanced operating budget. These actions have been determined through consultations within portfolios and will be presented to the Board of Regents at their July meeting. Unit decisions are being made at the unit level, with oversight from the appropriate governance bodies.

Some changes will take time. We understand this pace may feel slow for some, but it reflects our commitment to thoughtful decision making and care for our community members. We want to ensure that those who are directly impacted are informed and supported first. 

 The decisions that leaders are making, within units and at PEC, are guided by the following principles:  

• Ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of Memorial University; 

• Safeguarding both academic quality and the student experience to deliver on our obligation to students, faculty, staff and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador; 

• Ensuring a people-first approach; 

• Using established governance processes for decision making. Collegial input will help shape decisions that impact the academic mission of the university and decisions that fall within Senate’s purview will be brought to that body.  

We recognize the impact that budget reductions and associated changes have on our community. Your continued engagement and patience are deeply appreciated as we navigate this challenging time together.