President’s Welcome Message and Invitation to Welcome Socials
September 8, 2026Dear MUNFA Colleagues,
Welcome to a new semester, with all its joys and challenges. I am very excited to get back in the classroom after a semester of working with students in my research lab. I am very grateful to Dr. Lisa Moores (SWCC) for her leadership as President over the past term. She guided our union through a difficult period with clarity and resolve, and she leaves it stronger than she found it.
We are using that strength to protect Academic Staff Members, at the bargaining table and in our workplaces. That means negotiating a fair collective agreement that addresses workload, job security, and shared governance. It also means holding the Administration accountable when decisions are made without meaningful faculty input, and making sure your voice is heard.
We each have a role to play in fighting for the university we all care about, and for the university this province depends upon. What happens at Memorial shapes the future of health care, education, industry, and public life across the province. I look forward to engaging with you over the coming year: your ideas, concerns, and experiences will guide the work of this year’s Executive Committee. I can be reached at munfa.pres@mun.ca, and I will be hosting “office hours” throughout the week in my office at C1042, in the MUNFA boardroom (ER 4047), and online.
In the meantime, I hope you will join me at the MUNFA Fall Welcome Socials:
St. John’s: Friday, September 11, 4:30 to 7:30 pm;
Grenfell: Tuesday, September 22, 4 to 6 pm.
Come connect with colleagues, meet the new Executive, and share your hopes for what promises to be a busy semester.
RSVP for St. John’s Campus Social: HERE
RSVP for Grenfell Campus Social: HERE
In solidarity,
Prof. Erika Merschrod
President, MUNFA
