In early July, the Muse had the opportunity to interview the 13th President and Vice-Chancellor of Memorial University, Dr. Vianne Timmons, to discuss student concerns, the university’s financial situation, its relationship with the Newfoundland government, and Memorial’s future.
In the fall, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN) will welcome returning and upcoming students to the university, hoping to re-energize campus life and Memorial’s post-pandemic culture.
Like student experience during the last few years, President Timmons says, “It’s been a very different type of presidency due to the COVID-19 pandemic”.
However, as restrictions have eased across Newfoundland and Labrador, President Timmons says she is “Looking forward to doing her job in a different way, meeting people, holding functions, attending functions, and getting to know faculty, staff, and students.”
Post-pandemic re-energization
In our interview, President Timmons spoke of some of the administration’s plans to revitalize campus life and university culture.
Timmons said there would be a particular focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), as Memorial signed onto the Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in November of 2021- a charter committed to taking action to eliminate barriers for Black scholars, students, faculty, staff and others.
Transforming Our Horizons
Memorial’s strategic plan, Transforming Our Horizons, will also continue to be implemented.
When asked how the plan is progressing, Timmons said they are developing a scorecard to monitor progress.
According to Timmons, the strategic plan’s core is service to students, which has prompted a review of the registrar’s office’s focus on students. The administration will also offer workshops on service culture and how to serve students well.
‘Transforming Our Horizons’ will be implemented until 2026, recognizing Memorial’s greatest strengths as people and place.
“Memorial is a university for Newfoundland and Labrador, connected strongly to the heritage of our place and a driver of social, economic, and cultural vitality,” Timmons says. “Enabling cultures is what is unique about our plan.”
Through the integration of five themes: proactive programs, inspired learning, dynamic research, commitment to communities, and promotion and pride, the administration hopes to make MUN a university for the province, the world, and our future.
Multi- Campus Focus
Memorial has six campuses across Newfoundland and Labrador, and the United Kingdom.
The most recent development is Memorial’s Labrador Campus, which is moving into its own building in the fall of 2022— a space leased for five years with the hope of building an official campus, according to Timmons.
MUN’s Labrador Campus will offer engineering and nursing programs starting in the fall, while other new programs are in development and 50 Co-op positions are now available at Voisey Mines.
“I am excited to see the presence of Memorial there,” said Timmons, who is from Labrador.
Grenfell
President Timmons also spoke about the significance of the Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook, which received the most significant research grant ever: $15 million.
The Grenfell Campus also released its first agriculture and food research report in July 2022, highlighting agricultural sustainability and food self-sufficiency. Its biggest program is environmental science, along with a robust theatre program and an innovation hub, Genesis, designed to promote tech start-ups and encourage entrepreneurship in NL.
However, the biggest challenge for Grenfell is its need for expansion since the campus is full.
Deferred Maintenance
President Timmons had stated to The Muse that $100 million would go towards deferred maintenance over the following years in March.
● Change is in the air for Memorial University
In our July interview, Timmons said the university has a plan for deferred maintenance—however, financials remain their biggest challenge.
MUN’s deferred maintenance is one of the student body’s most significant concerns, with reports of the ceiling collapsing, hanging tarps, leaks in the university’s tunnel system collected in buckets (which students have coined “MUNNEL Juice”), mice, and more.
In our interview, Timmons described the plan Memorial submitted to the government regarding their deferred maintenance.
“When interest rates were really, really low, we proposed a plan to the government: a plan for infrastructure. Now with the university act not being realised, I am delayed until the auditor general comes in. I am still hoping the government will endorse the infrastructure plan I gave them, but I have yet to hear.”
“A lot of things will be on hold until this auditor general’s report is done, which could take two years.”
Potential Changes to Memorial University Act
Memorial’s University Act provides an opportunity for the university to have much more autonomy. However, Timmons explains, if Memorial wants to acquire a gift of a building or land, it will need permission from the provincial government.
“We are not nimble like we need to be, and it becomes cumbersome as a university; we have a large infrastructure, and we need to be nimble,” Timmons says.
In May, a professor at MUN reached out to the Muse after hearing that the government is revising the Memorial University Act under the cabinet secretariat, which is outside the ATIPP (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy) process for cabinet confidentiality. While the accusation can neither be confirmed nor denied, the administration allegedly supports such revision. As a result, I asked what the revision would mean for students and if the revision would be positive.
President Timmons stated:
“This revision would be positive. We would be a university that would be much more responsive, could be nimble, accept gifts from donors in an easier way, work closely with the federal government on projects with no input from provincial government, smaller board of regents based on skills rather than government appointees, elected alumni, we have over 30 people in the board of regents right now and it’s not good governance. So the revision would give the university much better governance and domino back down to be more positive for students.”
Later in the interview, President Timmons said it is not a matter of ‘if’ Memorial’s University Act will be changed but ‘when.’
Financials
Memorial’s finances continue to be the biggest challenge the administration faces.
Since 2015, Memorial has faced significant cuts and losses to personnel. “We are 400 people less than we were while enrolment reached record highs”, Timmons said.
When Budget 2022 was announced, President Timmons described the government’s cuts as tough on the university. As a result, Timmons describes her biggest challenge as trying to keep people positive during a difficult financial time.
In a media advisory with the Premier’s Youth Council (PYC), Premier Furey stated, “MUN can stand on its own merit,” although Memorial admits to its financial challenges.
● A Newfound Crisis: Tuition Hikes, Inflation, & NL Youth Retention
In reaction to this statement, Timmons says, “we can stand on our own merit, but I also believe we need adequate funding to serve our students well. The cuts are significant, $8 million over 5 years.”
Timmons also stated that MUN had faced cuts since 2015. “This is not a cut for five years; this is ten years of cuts, so we have to figure out how to manage that. My hope would have been to have more flexibility around the tuition and not get cut; that was a recommendation of the postsecondary review – lift the tuition freeze but no cuts to the university because they recognize the financial challenges– that didn’t happen.”
However, MUN does have plans to help alleviate its financial situation through revenue generation on scholarships for students.
Timmons said, “We have many resources put into entrance scholarships. It is our focus to build a robust scholarship program for students to help them with tuition increases and manage through.”
New Competitive Advantage?
Many students have expressed that their reason for attending Memorial was affordable tuition, which gave it a competitive advantage over other universities.
However, one could question Memorial’s current competitive advantage, with tuition increasing by 235% for upcoming Canadian students.
Timmons, however, believes Memorial has many other advantages, such as the quality of its degree programs and the opportunities for a small intimate campus experience through Grenfell, Marine Institute, and Labrador Campus.
She also emphasizes that Memorial is still the most affordable university in Atlantic Canada.
In addition, the focus on this place is crucial through the folklore and oceans programs for Newfoundland and Labrador students.
“Overall, there are many areas that we shine,” said Timmons.
However, there are significant concerns about Memorial’s international student population as they face drastic tuition increases.
While Memorial offers scholarships and part-time work opportunities for its international students, President Timmons says Newfoundland taxes pay for students’ education.
Therefore, subsidizing other students is a cost to Newfoundland and Labradorians.
“We will support international students, but I also feel we need to recognize that the subsidy of international student education cannot be borne on the shoulders of Newfoundland and Labradorians,” Timmons said.
Memorial intends to attract more undergraduate international students, so Timmons believes if we lose some numbers of international students due to tuition increases, it won’t be for long as the university implements and updates new degree programs.
“I do not want my legacy to be tuition increases. I want my legacy to be the implementation of our strategic plan with a real focus on students,” said Timmons.
Why Memorial?
For incoming students starting MUN this fall, President Timmons wants to remind them that a university education is the best investment you can make.
Additionally, Timmons says, Memorial is the most affordable university in Atlantic Canada.
She also wishes to thank incoming students for choosing Memorial University. “I know we have challenges with infrastructure, but there is so much going on here. Hopefully in September, we will see almost three years of students having that first-year experience,” said Timmons, due to the pandemic closures.
President Timmons also encourages students to get involved and be part of the campus culture, stating that “for a university education, what you get out is what you put in.”
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Memorial University’s administration and President Vianne Timmons for taking the time to speak with The Muse.