Throne speech highlights university

March 12, 2008

If being mentioned right off the top of a speech is any indication, then Memorial University will be one of the main topics of discussion during the first Session of the 46th General Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The House of Assembly opened March 10 with Lt.-Gov. Dr. John Crosbie reading his first Speech from the Throne outlining the broad strokes of the new legislative agenda for the Williams government.

The speech opened with a reference to ground-breaking and internationally renowned genetics research undertaken by faculty and researchers in Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine, who were described in the speech as embodying, “… the tenacity, intelligence and fighting spirit of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”

The speech also referenced changes to the governance of Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial’s campus in Corner Brook and the search process for new university leadership. It also reiterated the government’s election pledge to continue the freeze on tuition fees for the next four years.

In the area of research, the speech focused on the new crown entity, the Newfoundland and Labrador Research and Development Council describing it as “…a groundbreaking initiative to develop and lead a provincial R&D strategy to build a stronger knowledge-based economy and plot a course toward sustained prosperity.”

The government also pledged to position Newfoundland and Labrador as an international leader in ocean technology development through such initiatives as its Innovation Strategy and an Ocean Technology Strategy.

The full text of the Speech from the Throne is available here: http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2008/exec/0310n03.htm


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