Executive Council
January 30, 2014

Premier Expresses Condolences on Passing of Dr. Arthur May

The Honourable Tom Marshall, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, expressed condolences to the family of the late Dr. Arthur May, a former President and Vice-Chancellor of Memorial University, who passed away earlier today.

“Dr. May served as President and Vice-Chancellor of Memorial from 1990 to 1999 where, under his leadership, the university experienced significant growth in student enrolment, saw the expansion of Grenfell College to offer multiple full degree programs, and the Marine Institute joined the university,” said Premier Marshall. “Today, as we mourn his loss, we recognize the outstanding contributions Dr. May made to Memorial University, post-secondary education, the youth of Newfoundland and Labrador and to our province and country.”

Dr. May was educated at Memorial University, where he received Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Masters of Science degrees, and McGill University, where he received a PhD in marine sciences. His professional career included pioneering work as a fisheries scientist, a fisheries manager and an international negotiator. Dr. May was Deputy Minister of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans from 1982 to 1985 and president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada from 1986 to 1990.

Following his retirement from Memorial in 1999, Dr. May served as chair of the ACOA Atlantic Innovation Fund Advisory Board, was a member of the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, helped organize many successful Memorial Alumni events, and he contributed directly to the broadening of educational experiences of Memorial University students by sponsoring, with his wife Sonia, an annual scholarship.

In recent years Dr. May’s contributions to fisheries management and science continued through his roles as chair of One Ocean, a liaison organization established by and for the fishing and petroleum industries of Newfoundland and Labrador, and as chair of the Centre for Fisheries Ecology Research Advisory Board.

Dr. May was named Memorial's Alumnus of the Year in 1983, received an honorary degree from Memorial in 1989, and was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in  1995. In 2003 Dr. May was honoured with the designation president emeritus of Memorial University.

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2014 01 30                                        5:00 p.m.