Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland has cut three positions at the Corner Brook university.
The positions include the director of student services, a manager with marketing and communications and a co-ordinator with the research office.
Vice-president Jeff Keshen was not made available for an interview Thursday. In a prepared statement, he said the cuts are a result of the reduction in provincial government funding for Memorial University as a whole.
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He said the university has been facing the challenge of a planned three-year reduction in funding since 2016.
For 2018-19, he said the total provincial operating grant for Memorial is $5.13 million less than what it was for 2017-18. The net reduction is the result of a $4-million increase allocated in the provincial budget earmarked to maintain the tuition freeze for Newfoundland and Labrador students, and reductions of $9.13 million in the base budget.
For Grenfell Campus, this translates into the campus making $1 million in cuts, said Keshen. He said Grenfell had to reduce its complement by three positions with a specified total minimum cost.
The statement does not say if there will be any further job cuts at the campus.
To deal with the job reductions, Keshen said Grenfell has reorganized its departmental structure where needed to ensure services to students will not be impacted, and that staff feel supported.
“We made every effort to identify efficiencies, but that has been extremely challenging," the statement read. "Throughout the review of options our goals have been to maintain academic programs, to ensure a positive student experience and to minimize job loss.”
