Memorial University says there will be “more difficult days ahead” as the institution faces a significant revenue shortfall.
MUN announced yesterday it was shuffling several staff, cutting the number of VPs from seven to three, and saving close to $1-million annually. That’s well below the nearly $20-million needed to get to where it wants to be as only one employee was let go.
Paul Dinn (VOCM News)
Just an hour before the MUN news conference, government said the university needed to cut more weight, and made good on their campaign promise to implement a freeze on tuition. Education Minister Paul Dinn says the freeze will remain in place until MUN shows that it can be fiscally responsible.
MUN President Janet Morrison says she plans on meeting with Minister Dinn.
President Janet Morrison and Board Chair Justin Ladha speak with media about the changes. (VOCM News)
“Memorial is facing a significant moment in its history,” she told reporters. “Enrollment is declining, costs are increasing and revenue overall is going down. Our infrastructure is aging and the labor market is changing. So we have an over $20 million gap to bridge from the amount of revenue we’re generating to our current expense line.”
One of the cuts included the recently-created role of vice-president of Indigenous, which has been reduced to a special advisor role.
