The Memorial University Presidential Search Committee (PSC) held a consultation session at Grenfell Campus on September 23 at 12:30 pm. There was a turnout of around ten people in person and 14 online via WebEx.
The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Natasha Hurley, gave opening remarks and said that while the notice for the consultation session was short, the committee needs to move forward quickly.
Student Matt Barter said that the process for the search for a new president began in January, and the short notice for the consultations is not acceptable and does not suggest confidence in the committee.
Professor Robert Scott said that we need someone who will stay.
There was discussion around whether the search should be open or closed and whether the short-list candidates should be required to give public presentations. Hurley said that those who are currently in Vice-Presidents jobs would be in peril if the search were open.
A person said that the next president needs to acknowledge the disconnect between the St. John’s Campus and Grenfell Campus and that across multiple departments, there are many inconsistencies in the processes that are used. They said it would be ideal to have a president who can identify why this disconnect exists and work towards addressing it by listening to perspectives from both campuses and not just the St. John’s Campus.
Barter said that there are likely some people who do not want to apply because of the controversies in the past few years, including the Board of Regents not having much involvement and not knowing what is going on, as evidenced by the Auditor’s General report. He asked what the committee was going to do to help this.
Hurley responded that issues with the Board of Regents exceed the mandate of the presidential search committee.
Another person said that the next president should be focused on fund development, broader fundraising, government relations, and public relations.
Scott said that morale, in general, has taken a hit with the faculty strike, pandemic, and cyberattack. He said that when one gets a sense that the president cares about the campus, they want to come to work. He said that people will feel better about working at the place.
A person said that international recruitment at Grenfell has not been diversified, and they’ve been pulling from just a few countries. Instead, they suggested that Grenfell needs to “spread the love.” They brought up the example of a political disagreement between countries, like when India shut down visa offices and the impact it had on Grenfell.
A person brought up building a “Thrive Centre” to unify all units in one place, including student services and student housing.
A person said that support for graduate students was lagging behind and that Grenfell doesn’t have the space, resources, and funding. They also said Grenfell was lagging behind on the rate of uptake and that services are not keeping up with the programs.
A person said that there needs to be partnership building/development for research and that infrastructure funding comes with some of these partnerships.
A person brought up Indigenous reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and that it is challenging for students to be heard. They said the next president should be empathetic to students.
Barter asked if there would be government involvement. Hurley responded that, to their knowledge, the president is hired by the Board of Regents. However, she said that the government is a stakeholder, and the committee will not be turning away input from any stakeholder.
Matt Barter is a graduate of the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, holding a degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, taking walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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