Some commitments fade with the passing of a day. Others last through seasons and stand the test of time, until they come to define much of what we do and stand for.

Dr. Donna Hardy Cox’s commitment to Memorial University began when she was an undergraduate student in the school of social work in the early 1980s.

In 1983, she helped create the Student Volunteer Bureau and became its first coordinator. The bureau was a nerve centre for student volunteering on campus and in the community. At the time, there was no other university organization of its kind anywhere else in Canada.

Dr. Hardy Cox graduated from Memorial that year and went on to complete her master’s degree in social work at Carleton University in Ottawa.

But by 1985, she was home again, master’s degree in hand, and working with Student Affairs and Services. She’s been here ever since.

She was instrumental in establishing the Glenn Roy Blundon Centre, which opened in 1992, and its mission to provide and coordinate programs and services that enable students with disabilities.

Dr. Hardy Cox was the first director of student development and has held positions as associate vice-president (academic) and dean of students.

A registered social worker and full professor in the School of Social Work (where she served as dean for six years), she also holds a doctorate in education from the University of Maine.

In her cross-appointment with the Faculty of Education, she designed and launched the first graduate program in post-secondary education services in Canada.

And long before the Covid-19 pandemic, she was a trailblazer for online learning and the opportunities it provides for both students and professors, primarily because it can accommodate different learning styles.

She has more than two decades of experience designing and delivering social work, higher education and professional development curriculum in online, distance and on-campus classrooms.

When Covid-19 arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Hardy Cox was at the helm, figuring out how to support students during the crisis. Whether it was virtual counselling, finding ways to provide services to students across time zones, implementing services for international students, or introducing same-day sessions so students could meet with a counsellor without having to wait – the well-being of students was always her priority.

 

Dr. Donna Hardy Cox in 2024. Photo from Memorial University Archives.

 

As of late, she’s become somewhat of an historian as well.

She’s studied the First World War and the impact it had on the history of social work in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2024, she and Dr. Michelle Sullivan, a retired professor of social work, helped tell the School of Social Work’s history and the evolution of social-work practice in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Now that history has been digitized and is held in Memorial’s Digital Archives Initiative.

And to celebrate Memorial’s 100th anniversary, she is working on a 100 Years of Student Life project that will visually honour a century of student life and serve as a reminder of our resilience, creativity and community spirit.

Dr. Hardy Cox received the Atlantic Association of College and University Student Services Award for Excellence in Student Services in 2021. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to student services within Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institutions.

Her career reflects a deep commitment to advancing student affairs and higher education in Canada. She is a pioneer in the professionalization of student affairs and services and has brought to focus the knowledge, research and care that’s required to help identify student needs and provide the services they deserve.

Hers is a commitment that has indeed stood the test of time. For over 40 years, Dr. Hardy Cox has dedicated herself to the students of Memorial, and in doing so has woven something of herself into the very fabric of our university.