Where you are does more than define who you are: it becomes part of your essence, part of what makes you unique. For Memorial University of Newfoundland, the rare location and the culture in which we have grown up have helped to weave a rich institutional fabric that makes us distinct. A rugged environment has helped us become resilient — and some say it keeps us grounded. Being on the edge of Canada has fostered leading-edge ingenuity and resilience, and has helped us become independent and creative. The powerful forces of nature and our innate drive to solve the problems that confront us have shaped a university recognized as a world leader in such diverse fields as archaeology, naval architectural engineering, linguistics, recreation, rural health care, ocean and natural sciences.

Memorial University of Newfoundland, positioned on the edge of the North Atlantic, is the home of 21st-century explorers keen to develop their innate creativity and ingenuity. On four campuses and via distance technology, about 19,000 students and 5,000 faculty and staff from more than 90 countries learn, teach, research, create and engage. The Memorial University experience goes beyond pure academics and invites a discovery of self, community and place. At our university, we celebrate our unique identity through the stories of our people — the work of our scholars and educators, the ingenuity of our students, the achievements of our alumni — and the impact we collectively make in our province, our country and our world. Memorial is the natural place where people and ideas become.

FaceForward is created and managed by the Division of Marketing and Communications for the Office of the President. This online publication highlights some of the important events, activities and developments happening at Memorial University that support the three planning frameworks and align with our new vision, mission and set of core values.

FaceForward: President’s Report 2013 is the annual report of Memorial University for 2012-13*. Next year, FaceForward will evolve into a thematic periodical, regularly sharing current events and stories representing the people and work happening at Memorial University. FaceForward will publish its inaugural feature in early 2014. The compilation of those features will form the basis of the President’s Report 2014. We encourage you to check back in the new year to view our new content.

* This report covers the fiscal year April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013, and the academic year Sept. 1, 2012 to Aug. 31, 2013

Memorial would like to take this opportunity to thank the countless students, faculty, staff, partners, alumni, volunteers and other supporters who helped make this report come to life. Your overwhelming participation was critical to the development of this report.