The Integrated Planning Committee (IPC) has completed its third annual What We Recommend operating budget report and What We Heard report.

The What We Heard document reflects input gathered from faculty, staff and students during the November 2019 consultation period.

The themes identified in that document formed the basis for the What We Recommend report, which was drafted over winter 2020 and reflects feedback from IPC membership, as well as comments and endorsement from the Senate Planning and Budget Committee, Vice-Presidents Council and senior academic administrators.

Major budget gap

“As with the previous two annual reports, What We Recommend concludes with the IPC’s specific recommendations to help address Memorial’s major budget gap,” said Dr. Noreen Golfman, provost and vice-president (academic) and IPC committee chair.

“What we heard from the university community during consultations, and what we are ultimately recommending is, for the most part, nothing new. The difference this cycle, however, is that the need to fully address the recommendations has surpassed an urgent level.

“The main recommendations of increasing tuition revenue, increasing the deferred maintenance budget, further supporting Indigenization and building capacity to properly address needs related to equity, diversity and inclusion, must be addressed now to ensure we can maintain the integrity of academic programming, properly respond to our deferred maintenance challenges, and continue to fulfill our special obligation to the people of this province,” added Dr. Golfman.

Consultation-based

The committee’s What We Recommend report is the culmination of considerable analysis of the feedback and issues discussed through the consultations, as well as the analysis of Memorial’s past and present fiscal environment, institutional priorities and strategic direction.

The scope of the report is the operating budget of the university with the exception of the Faculty of Medicine, which receives its operating grant from the provincial Department of Health and Community Services.

Information on IPC’s role in the budget planning process at Memorial is available here.