The message below is being shared on behalf of the Faculty and School Structure Review Working Group at Memorial University.

In May, the university shared that the Board of Regents directed a review of our faculty and school administrative structure to identify opportunities to reduce administrative costs and ensure our structure is aligned with the university’s current and future needs. 

The Faculty and School Structure Review Working Group, which will lead this work, is now in place, and we are beginning engagement with the university community. We have had two productive meetings and several dedicated subgroups have been established to advance key areas of work. The subgroups will focus on topics including survey development, student feedback and engagement, academic instructional requirements, standard definitions and glossary terms, faculty consultations and reporting. 

We are excited to engage the broader university community in the next steps as we work together to build a resilient, innovative and vibrant university that continues to serve its students, faculty, staff and the province with excellence.   

It does not address individual academic programs or course offerings, but rather how the university’s academic units are configured overall. Students can be confident that their academic paths and progress toward their degrees will not be affected. 

We plan to bring recommendations to Senate and the Board of Regents for consideration in October, with a final proposal ready for the February meeting of the Board.  

Engagement now underway

Beginning now and continuing throughout the summer, we are inviting the university community to help shape this work. 

Over the coming weeks, there will be multiple ways to stay engaged, including the following:   

• A short survey open to all members of the community, open now until July 14

• A town hall to share information and gather input in late July 

• Small-group engagement sessions with specific communities within the university 

• Regular updates on the work of the Faculty and School Structure Review Working Group 

• A Brightspace shell where documentation and updates will be shared; use your MUN Login to join today 

Respectful and constructive

The review is an opportunity to think strategically about how we can best support the university’s academic mission. Questions and perspectives about roles, workloads, unit identity and how this work aligns with other institutional initiatives are an important part of the conversation and will help shape the process. No decisions about future structures have been made at this stage. We are committed to a transparent and collaborative approach that creates space for open, respectful discussion and helps us build a stronger, more resilient university together. 

The Faculty and School Structure Review Working Group will provide regular, clear updates, including summaries of what we are hearing and how that input is shaping our work. As a working group, our commitment is to proceed with openness and humility. This is a community-based process, and your perspectives are essential to ensuring that our future structure supports both the people who work at Memorial and the students we serve. We encourage you to take part in engagement opportunities over the summer.