Memorial University eliminates 107 positions as part of $12.7M cost-cutting plan

Memorial University is eliminating 107 positions as it moves forward with cost reductions aimed at addressing declining enrolment and ongoing financial pressures.

The university says the workforce changes are expected to reduce annual costs by approximately $12.7 million.

The changes are part of Memorial's 2026-27 budget process and broader efforts to improve its long-term financial sustainability.

Memorial says it prioritized measures that would reduce the need for involuntary job losses wherever possible.

Of the 107 positions affected, 51 are being vacated through retirements, including 47 through the university's Voluntary Retirement Program. Another 37 vacant positions are being eliminated, while 19 involve involuntary position closures.

The positions span leadership and management, professional employees, unionized staff and faculty.

Memorial says affected employees have been contacted and will have access to support services, including career transition and job-search assistance, resumé and interview coaching, retirement planning and mental-health counselling.

The university says the reductions follow months of planning and analysis. As part of the budget process, academic units were asked to identify reductions equal to four per cent of their budgets, while administrative and support units were asked to identify reductions of six per cent.

Memorial President Janet Morrison says the changes are difficult but necessary to ensure the university remains financially sustainable.

“These choices are difficult because they affect people who have contributed meaningfully to the Memorial community,” Morrison says. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure the university is financially sustainable and aligned with the students and communities we serve.”

The university says it does not anticipate interruptions to students as a result of the workforce changes.

Deans have been encouraged to add course sections where there is sufficient demand to accommodate students on waitlists. Memorial has also allocated special funding for contractual teaching during the 2026-27 fiscal year to help maintain course delivery following voluntary retirements.

Enrolment pressures

Memorial says declining enrolment is a major factor behind the restructuring.

Although the university expects new student enrolment to increase this fall, total enrolment is projected to decline again in 2026-27 because the increase in new students is not enough to offset previous declines and graduating students.

Long-term projections indicate undergraduate and graduate enrolment could fall another 12 per cent by 2030, on top of declines already experienced.

The university says fewer university-aged people in Newfoundland and Labrador, rising operating costs and changes to the post-secondary financial environment are creating longer-term pressures.

Salaries and benefits account for approximately 73 per cent of Memorial's operating budget, meaning workforce measures are necessary to achieve significant long-term savings, according to the university.

Memorial says no further broad, university-wide workforce reductions are planned for the current fiscal year. Any additional changes, if required, are expected to be localized and tied to specific operational needs.

The workforce reductions are part of a broader initiative known as Memorial Evolve, which also includes reducing the size and cost of the executive team, reviewing faculty and school administrative structures, divesting real estate that is not closely aligned with the university's core mission and modernizing systems and processes.

Memorial says the measures are intended to position the university to continue investing in student recruitment, student success, teaching and learning, research and other areas it considers priorities.