Janet Morrison named new Memorial University president

Memorial University announced Wednesday that Janet Morrison will be taking over as president and vice-chancellor, succeeding interim president Neil Bose. 

Morrison was previously president and vice-chancellor of Ontario's Sheridan College, where she oversaw major cuts to staffing and student programming.

In November, the college put 40 programs on hold and laid off staff to account for a projected 30 per cent drop in enrolment that would result in a $112-million drop in revenue.

An additional 27 programs were placed under an "efficiency review."

At the time, Morrison told CBC reporters in Toronto the cuts were required for Sheridan to remain a "financially sustainable and vibrant community in response to chronic underfunding, changing government policies, and social, technological, and economic disruption."

As Morrison prepares to take over Newfoundland and Labrador's only university, Memorial finds itself in similar financial troubles.

The search for a new president started in 2023 when former president Vianne Timmons was removed from her role following a CBC News investigation into her statements on her Indigenous ancestry and past membership in an unrecognized Mi'kmaw First Nation group.

On top of Timmons's controversy, her tenure saw major tuition hikes for students in 2022 following the end of the institution's tuition freeze, which started in 1999. 

In December, MUN launched a hiring freeze following a 5.4 per cent drop in enrolment and a loss of more than $9.5 million in tuition fees.

At the time, Bose told reporters that he would meet with faculty deans to discuss student enrolment to determine what programs should be placed under review.

Changes in course and program offerings have yet to take place, but the university is bound by legislation to maintain a balanced budget. 

To keep in line with this policy, Memorial changed its budget model to analyze expenses and budget allocations based on the university's needs, goals, and priorities rather than previous spending patterns. 

Morrison said the university's budgetary challenges are not unique to MUN — and it's a topic she won't shy away from.

"You'll hear me talking very frankly about the challenges that we're facing," she said.

Despite MUN's financial situation, Morrison is optimistic about the institution's future and her tenure. 

"I will be Memorial's staunchest champion, provincially, nationally, globally," she said in a speech at the school's Marine Institute on Wednesday.

She could not comment on whether or not she plans to further raise tuition.

"I'm brand new," Morrison said. "I'm going to ask folks to give me a minute to get my legs under me and really understand the community better."

Morrison will begin her first term as president on Aug. 11, with an annual salary of $485,000. 

She is appointed for a six-year term, subject to renewal for an additional four years, a university media release said Wednesday.

Morrison holds a PhD in higher education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a master's degree in history.

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