St. Johns, NL – On May 20, 2026, Memorial University released its 2026-27 operating budget, as approved by the Board of Regents.  Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA) has reviewed the budget and has serious concerns about further cuts to academic programs, job losses, and a lack of meaningful consultation.

As a result of continued government cuts to the University’s capital and operating grants, the University faces another year of internal program cuts, teaching and student support staff layoffs and continued questions about the future of Memorial as a “comprehensive university.”

While University Administration has described the operating budget as a “stabilizing budget,” the result has been an across-the-board 4% cut to every academic unit on every Memorial campus and an unplanned Voluntary Retirement Program that may leave some academic programs without sufficient faculty to meet teaching obligations in September. These actions are particularly concerning given the significant increase in student applications and admissions reported by the University for the upcoming year and draw questions about the planning that informed this direction.

More worrying is the indication that this is the financial situation that Memorial’s Administration wanted. During budget estimates debates in the House of Assembly on May 21, 2026, the Minister of Education confirmed that Memorial received “what it asked for” in terms of provincial funding. If the University received the funding it requested to meet its needs, the cuts to faculties, schools, and employees demand an explanation from Administration and the Board of Regents. Members of the University community and the public deserve to understand how leadership made the decision to propose a budget that would require program reductions and job losses despite awareness of a positive change in enrolment.

MUNFA also notes that the budget overview made public by Administration is far from the standard that the University community, government and the public should expect. The budget does not actually include clear and transparent information about funding for individual units, faculties and schools. We continue to be concerned that Administration’s plans for the university are not subject to the normal public oversight that everyone should expect. In the absence of a proper, transparent budget, who is the Administration accountable to?

Amid issues with trust in senior leadership and a lack of confidence in how change is managed at Memorial, per the University’s own admission, a budget process built on genuine transparency and collegial consultation would go a long way toward rebuilding that trust. This budget, as presented, does not get us there.

MUNFA will continue to advocate for its members and for the academic mission of Memorial University. We call on the administration to provide a fuller accounting of its budget decisions and to meaningfully consult with faculty, and staff as it navigates the decisions ahead.

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For further information, please contact:

Jawad Chowdhury, Organizing, Membership Engagement and Communications Coordinator, MUNFA

Membership.munfa@mun.ca