Memorial University’s Board of Regents has accepted a recommendation that will give Sir Wilfred Grenfell College a new name.

The new name will be Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Task Force on a Renewed Governance Structure for Sir Wilfred Grenfell College tabled the recommendation at its board meeting in St. John’s yesterday.

The recommendation was based on a report of the task force’s  Communications and Nomenclature Committee, which submitted its report following a spring and summer of consultations, research and careful deliberation. 

“The new name upholds considerations that were identified by the nomenclature committee at the outset: that the name should reflect Grenfell’s relationship with Memorial University of Newfoundland and that it should acknowledge the legacy associated with the name Sir Wilfred Grenfell, and I am pleased this is moving forward,” said Robert Simmonds, chair of Memorial’s Board of Regents.

In December 2009 the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced that a renewed governance structure would be developed for Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Also included in the announcement were recommendations for a separate budget, as well as the suggestion that the campus’ name be changed to more clearly reflect its status as an institution offering university education. 

“The new name will help enhance awareness of Grenfell as part of Memorial University, increase the campus’s ability to recruit students and improve its ability to secure research funding, as well as advance other key aspects of its current and future operations,” said Dr. Gary Kachanoski, Memorial’s president and vice-chancellor.  

“With the new name decided, the Grenfell Campus will now develop its positioning and marketing strategy within the Memorial University brand,’’ said Dr. Holly Pike, acting vice-president (Corner Brook). “I would like to thank the many people who took the time to contribute to the consultations on the renaming of Grenfell. The input we received was a valuable dimension of the renaming process.”

The implementation of the new name will be phased in across a range of materials and initiatives (publications, stationery, signage, official documentation and other items), in accordance with a schedule to be developed by the Communications and Nomenclature Committee, with a completion target date of September 2011.

The report prepared for The Task Force on a Renewed Governance for Sir Wilfred Grenfell College is available at http://www.mun.ca/marcomm/public_affairs/issues/NAME_SWGC_0910.pdf

BACKGROUND

After operating for its inaugural four years as the West Coast Regional College, in 1979 the campus was renamed Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in honour of the noted missionary, physician and philanthropist. Over the intervening years, this later name has presented challenges for the campus’s growth and development. There is documented confusion among prospective students, faculty and other stakeholders about the nature of the campus’s offerings due to the use of the word college. This has resulted in difficulties in student and faculty recruitment, and in attraction of research and other funding reserved for universities.

The Board of Regents of Memorial University established a Task Force on a Renewed Governance Structure for Sir Wilfred Grenfell College; in turn, the Task Force charged a six-person Communications and Nomenclature Committee to undertake a number of tasks, including recommending a new name for Sir Wilfred Grenfell College for consideration by the Board of Regents. The members of the committee, drawn from the marketing and communications personnel of the university and the college, undertook this work between April and July 2010.