MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
Shaping our future : Memorial launches strategic planning process

Memorial University is taking the next step in shaping its future with a new strategic plan.  

The initiative responds to calls from across the university community for a clear institutional vision and priorities to guide Memorial's future. 

The new plan will succeed the current strategy, Transforming our Horizons, which concludes in 2026, and will help guide Memorial through its next chapter as it enters its second century.  

The initiative is intended to create a university-wide framework that will establish priorities, strengthen accountability, support decision-making and help Memorial respond to an increasingly complex post-secondary landscape.  

It will also build on the momentum of Memorial Evolve and help position the university for long-term success.  

What the plan is expected to achieve

The next strategic plan will provide a bold and unified vision for Memorial's future while recognizing the unique strengths of its multi-campus community.  

Key outcomes include strengthening student success, supporting research excellence and innovation, advancing equity, accessibility, anti-racism and belonging, enhancing financial resilience, improving organizational effectiveness and accountability, and fostering stronger connections across the university and beyond.  

The process will also examine Memorial's mission to ensure it remains relevant in a changing environment.  

Commitment to engagement and transparency

A central objective of the project is meaningful engagement. The strategic plan will be shaped through an inclusive consultation process that reflects the university's multi-campus structure and diverse communities.  

The process will include opportunities for broad participation from students, faculty, staff, alumni, Indigenous communities and external partners.  

To support engagement and planning activities, Memorial has issued a Request for Proposals to engage an experienced consultant. The consultant will help design and facilitate the consultation process, conduct environmental scans and research, review existing plans and institutional initiatives, support the development of the strategic plan and develop an implementation and evaluation framework.  

Community input and the university's established governance processes will play a central role in shaping the final plan. 

The process will be guided by the importance of culturally appropriate engagement, responsiveness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action and Memorial's ongoing work in Indigenization, as well as reaching groups whose voices have not always been fully represented in institutional planning. 

Expected timeline

Following proposal evaluation and interviews, the university expects to select a consultant early in 2027, with project initiation anticipated shortly thereafter.  

The planning process is expected to unfold over multiple phases. Throughout the process, the university is committed to keeping the community informed and providing opportunities for meaningful input as the next strategic plan takes shape.