Program changes at Memorial raise concerns

The Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA) has raised concerns about faculty cuts and changes to university programs, as Memorial University of Newfoundland continues to look for $25-million in cost savings.

The faculty association says it is concerned about proposed changes to the university’s first-year math courses, including a reduction in the number of class sections, an increase in class sizes and elimination of five contract faculty positions. The proposed plan follows an earlier announcement by the university to suspend or eliminate more than a dozen other programs, including six diplomas and certificates in the faculty of humanities and social sciences, an MBA specialization, and an accelerated nursing program, among others.

The university says that none of those programs were suspended because of budgetary decisions, but rather due to low enrollment, faculty retirements, program re-evaluation or similar reasons. However, a university spokesperson said in a written statement, “financial pressures demand that we make difficult decisions.” Changes to courses and programs at Memorial can be expected in the coming months, including the math program, the spokesperson said.

Over the past four years, Memorial has seen a drop of 1200 registrations in first-year math courses, representing a 30 per cent decline. “The demand for seats and sections is lower, so the need for teaching resources is lessened,” said the university. “While these changes would mean an increase in average class size, larger class sizes do not inherently reduce academic quality.” The statement noted that other universities successfully deliver introductory math courses with larger numbers than that proposed for Memorial.

“Even if larger class sizes seem to work out okay in other universities, there’s certainly nothing about moving to a larger class size that would be a strength,” said MUNFA President Lisa Moores. She said that a sizable number of students struggle to complete the introductory math course on their first try, even with existing support, and the changes could potentially create a high risk for attrition, which could lead to further enrollment problems. “One of the critical factors is looking at not only trying to save costs now, but also in ways that are not going to be further detrimental to the revenue that’s coming in,” she said “Is it a bit of a short-term solution that could actually create more long-term problems?”

Memorial saw a 4.6 per cent decrease in total enrollment in fall 2025 compared to fall 2024, including a 23.5 per cent decrease in international student enrollment. The university administration has indicated that they expect to see enrollment continue to decline through to 2030, a trend that is forecast to be felt across Canadian universities, according to a recent report by Signal49 (formerly The Conference Board of Canada).

In a report published in March 2026, Signal49 forecasts a gradual decline in university enrollment of 6.5 percent through 2030. Contributing factors include an ageing demographic, rising costs of full-time study, growing uncertainty about the returns from post-secondary education (PSE) and the international student cap. Universities are expected to be most impacted by the latter, said Boxi Yang, a senior research associate in education and skills with Signal49.

“For the last decade, our universities and colleges have expanded our programs, and our financial stability within the sector relies too much on international student expansion,” she said. “In Newfoundland, most of the Atlantic provinces, together with Ontario and BC, it’s not just the high share of international enrollment, it’s how much our revenue for the institutions relies on international students.”

Ms. Yang said that the sector finds itself at a point of reflection. “If we can’t chase volume for our financial sustainability and institutional sustainability, which direction should we go moving forward?” she said. “We really have to reflect on that and think about what is our value proposition for Canadian universities.”

With a provincial budget expected to be released in the spring, Dr. Moores said that she hopes the provincial government will recognize the value of Memorial to the province and increase funding. “We hope that there will be an inclination and an interest for this new provincial government in moving forward in a direction that’s actually going to strengthen the university and strengthen the province as a result,” she said.

So far, the provincial government has not provided an indication as to what the post-secondary sector can expect in the spring budget. In response to the recent changes at Memorial, Paul Dinn, minister of education and early childhood development for Newfoundland and Labrador, said in a written statement, “Memorial University is an autonomous post-secondary institution that makes evidence-based decisions in its best interests. The provincial government maintains regular communication with the university including ongoing conversations focused on long-term sustainability. The university continues to face tough financial challenges, and they have been upfront that changes are needed to reduce costs while maintaining a clear focus on students.”