Memorial University is Newfoundland and
Labrador's only university. It was
established in 1925 as Memorial
University College in memory of the
young men from this province who died in
the First World War. When Newfoundland
joined Canada in 1949, one of the first
pieces of legislation passed was the
Memorial University Act making the
two-year college into a university
offering full degree programs. This act
set forth the unique governance of the
university designed to ensure its
accountability and its autonomy. The
university has a bicameral system of
governance. This means that two bodies-- a
Board of Regents and a Senate - oversee
the administrative and the academic
matters of the institution. The Board of
Regents is charged with the management,
administration and control of the
property, revenue, business and affairs of
the university. The board which is
appointed by the provincial government
and usually meets six times a year, is
comprised largely volunteers: the
chancellor, 17 members selected and
appointed by government - including the
board chair, six members elected from and
by the alumni, four members nominated
from and by student bodies, plus the
president and vice-chancellor, and the
provost, who is also the vice president
(academic), who are members by virtue of
their positions. The board has eight
regular committees, with student and
employee representatives, senior
university administrators, and external
experts, which consider a wide range of
matters and make recommendations to the
board for decision. Audit and risk, Campus
Planning and Development, Executive,
Finance, Governance, Human Relations
University Benefits, University Pensions.
The Senate is responsible for academic
matters. It's 89 members represent: all
academic units on all campuses, the
libraries, student bodies, senior
university administration and the
provincial government. With about 30
standing committees and councils that
report to it, the Senate oversees such
things as the development of new or
revised academic programming, formulating
academic regulations and handling
appeals, and providing input into
university planning and budget. The
faculties and schools, as well as the
university library system and the Marine
Institute campus,
each have an academic council reporting
to Senate. The ongoing administration of
the university is led by the president
and the provost, who sit on both the
Board of Regents and the Senate. The
president is recruited in the
competitive process conducted by the
Board of Regents. The president's
responsibilities are largely governance
and external relations. As the chief
executive officer, the president also
serves as the university's chief
spokesperson and is the final
institutional authority on a wide range
of matters. The provost, who is also the
vice president (academic), oversees the
intersection of academic and
administrative matters. The senior
leadership team of the university is the
Vice-President's Council.
This team is chaired by the provost and
includes the vice-president (research);
vice-president (Grenfell Campus); vice-
president (Marine Institute) and vice-
president (administration and finance).
This group is the decision-making body
responsible for pan-university
operations, for matters that cross over
vice-presidential portfolios, and for
making recommendations to the president
on matters within his or her sole
authority. The university's 15 deans
each report to a vice-president. The
deans work with academic councils,
comprised of faculty, students and
administrators in the various schools,
faculties and campuses, to ensure
collaboration and transparency across
the institution. The deans, along with
senior administrators of the various
campuses, comprised the Deans Council.
Chaired by the provost, Deans Council
provides academic leadership to the
university, as well as strategic and
policy advice to the provost. While
Memorial receives the majority of its
operating funding from the provincial
government via an annual operating grant,
it is not a department or agency of the
government. Its autonomy as enshrined in
the Memorial University Act ensures the
academic freedom of its faculty and
protects its pursuit and sharing of
knowledge free from external influence.
Nevertheless, the university is
accountable to the government and the
people of the province for the public
funds it spends. It provides detailed
financial and activity reports to
government and other stakeholders. This
reporting, combined with the governance
provisions we have just explored, ensure
that Memorial University is a wise
steward of resources.