Members of the Memorial community are invited to provide feedback on a draft university-wide policy.

The Establishment of University Institutes and Centres is undergoing revisions, including a proposed new title of University Centres: Establishment, Operation, and Termination.

In accordance with Memorial’s Policy Framework, the revised policy-draft and its related procedures are available for comment. The documents are available here.

The policy is being developed jointly through a partnership between the University Planning and Budget Committee of Senate and the Office of the Vice-President (Research).

Key new features

The draft policy proposes that:

• Centres are to operate on renewable five-year terms. Annual reports will be required and will form part of the continuous evaluation process.
• Centres must develop a strategic plan and provide annual reports of the progress towards meeting the objectives set out in that plan. The Strategic Plan and subsequent annual reports must be filed with the assigned vice-president. Since centres are to operate on renewable five-year terms, the strategic plan must be updated every five years.
• Templates will be developed following consultations. The following templates are being planned.
  • Template for the Establishment or Renewal of University Centres — Notice of Intent.
  • Template for the Establishment or Renewal of University Centres — Full application
  • Template for the Annual Report of University Centres
  • Template for the Termination of University Centres
• The university will maintain a list of all centres.

In accordance with the university’s policy framework, a revised university centres policy is provided for consultation.

Members of the university community are invited to review the documents and forward comments via email to the Centre for Institutional Analysis and Planning or the Policy Office by Wednesday, Sept. 15.

After consultation concludes, it is expected that a recommendation for any required amendments to the policy will go to the Board of Regents later in 2021.