The Office of the Auditor General released a performance audit report on Memorial University’s Facilities Management on Jan. 21.   

The review covers the period from Jan. 1, 2022, to March 31, 2024. The Office of the Auditor General had four objectives in its current review:   

• Whether university policies and procedures for the management of its capital portfolio are clear and complete   

• Whether the university appropriately manages its capital portfolio additions, renovations, replacements, removals and maintenance as well as its current and expected space needs    

• Whether Memorial University appropriately manages its deferred maintenance and the funding attributed to it   

• Whether the university has appropriate and effective oversight of the management of its capital portfolio.  

Memorial provided the Office of the Auditor General with all information requested and co-operated throughout the process.    

Report themes

The themes we’ve heard in the report relate to the following:  

• Policies and procedures 
• Space management including use of classroom spaces and leased spaces  
• Campus footprint and its relation to student enrolment  
• Deferred maintenance and Campus Renewal Fee administration and oversight  

The report includes nine recommendations for the university, all of which Memorial accepts.  

“This report shows the complexity of infrastructure across Memorial’s campuses,” said Dr. Neil Bose, president and vice-chancellor, pro tempore. “As the province’s only university, Memorial has dedicated spaces for teaching, learning, research, public engagement and working and living on campus, and all are underpinned by critical digital infrastructure. The recommendations from the auditor general are consistent with work that has been ongoing recently and we will continue to seek innovative approaches to address infrastructure challenges.” 

Changes since the audit

The university has implemented a number of changes since the review period; a list of some of the actions taken since the audit period is available online. The audit findings are an additional opportunity for continual improvement. 

Memorial thanks the Office of the Auditor General for its work and appreciates Memorial’s dedicated employees, who diligently and thoroughly ensured the audit team had access to the requested information. 

Now that the university has received the final report, work is underway to review and analyze its findings. As work continues, more information will be shared on the auditor general website.