Timeline
This timeline details the work and consultation completed to date which informs the proposal for a Faculty of Law currently under development.
December 2012
The Board of Regents approved the proposed review of the feasibility and desirability of establishing a Faculty of Law at Memorial with the following considerations:
- That the President establish a university task force to carry out a formal review of the feasibility and desirability of establishing a Faculty of Law at Memorial.
- That fiscal and other resources needed to support the review be determined and assigned in advance of the review.
- That a communications plan be developed to announce and publicize the proposed review.
February 2013
The task force to explore the feasbility of a law school at Memorial was officially established.
Read the news release here.
December 2013
A report on the on the feasibility of a law school at Memorial University was completed by the task force and submitted to Memorial's president and vice-chancellor for consideration, who shared the report with Memorial's Vice-Presidents Council for review. The Council invited feedback from the university community on the possibilities proposed in the report, which resulted in significant consultation with more than 90 individuals, including union representatives, academic staff members, staff, students and external stakeholders.
Read the news post here.
March 2014
Then provost and vice-president (academic) and chair of Vice-Presidents Council Dr. David Wardlaw established a second internal committee tasked with drafting a law program proposal and following up on the report of the task force, researching and reporting on size, tuition, structure, faculty complement and other operational considerations.
October 2015
The committee delivered a report to Vice-Presidents Council for consideration. Vice-Presidents Council supported the submission of a proposal to Senate and the Board of Regents pending consultation with Deans Council and the Planning and Budget Committee (PBC) of Senate.
September 2016
A presentation was made to Senate seeking input on the concept of a law program at Memorial, following up on the work of the committee established by Dr. Wardlaw. The Senate minutes on this topic are available here. In late 2016, a budget group was established to further explore options for a law faculty.
November 2018
Senate approved a renewed proposal for a law faculty at Memorial subject to cost neutrality and pending further environmental analysis.
Read the news post here.
December 2018
The proposal was presented to the Board of Regents for information. At this time it was determined that prior to seeking approval from the Board of Regents to create a faculty of law, administration will further develop its proposal, which will include financial and resource implications and a detailed timeline for next steps.
Winter 2019
The proposal for a faculty of law at Memorial is being further refined since receiving Senate endorsement in mid-November, and now focuses solely on program and curriculum development, operations, enrolment and complement planning. Space and infrastructure needs are being considered separately from the operating budget of the faculty.