Laurentian University (), officially Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Laurentian offers a variety of undergraduate, graduate-level, and doctorate degrees. Laurentian is the largest bilingual provider of distance education in Canada. The university was formerly federated with Thorneloe University, Huntington University, and the University of Sudbury. Laurentian severed the federation during 2021 insolvency proceedings, ending 60-year relationships, and triggering lawsuits.
Overview The university's campus is located on the south side of Ramsey Lake in the Bell Grove neighbourhood, just south of Greater Sudbury's downtown core. The city's Idylwylde golf course borders on the university campus to the west and the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area borders on the campus to the south. The Lake Laurentian Conservation Area contains a network of trails used for running, mountain biking and Nordic skiing.
The school has three separate student unions. The Association des étudiantes et étudiants francophones (AEF) serves the francophone students in undergraduate programs. The Students' General Association (SGA) serves mainly the anglophone students in undergraduate programs. The Graduate Students' Association (GSA) serves all students in graduate programs.
History Laurentian's historical roots lie in the Roman Catholic church. The Collège du Sacré-Coeur was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1913. According to a plaque at the entrance to the R. D. Parker Building, the school began granting degrees in 1957 as the University of Sudbury. A university federation combining representatives from the Roman Catholic, United, and Anglican churches was incorporated as a "non-denominational, bilingual institution of higher learning" in 1960. The new Laurentian University held classes in the University of Sudbury facility, as well as in a variety of locations in the city, including the Sudbury Steelworkers Hall, until its current campus was opened in 1964. The federated colleges included Huntington College (United Church), University of Sudbury College (Roman Catholic, descended from the Collège du Sacré-Coeur), and Thorneloe College (Anglican) which joined in 1963. Former federated schools affiliated with Laurentian include Collège universitaire de Hearst in Hearst, Nipissing University College in North Bay, and Algoma University College in Sault Ste. Marie.
In 2013, Laurentian launched the McEwen School of Architecture."Architecture school planned for Sudbury’s Laurentian University". Toronto Star, May 24, 2011.
In 2020, Laurentian lost a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), that sought to keep the salary of senior executives confidential.
On February 1, 2021, Laurentian University President Robert Haché confirmed that the University had filed for creditor protection. Court filings revealed that the university's liabilities amounted to million. As part of its restructuring, the university ended its relationships with the federated schools.Jim Moody, "Anxious times at Laurentian University". Sudbury Star, April 6, 2021. Two of the federated schools filed lawsuits against Laurentian which were unsuccessful. On April 12, 2021, Laurentian University announced the closure of 58 undergraduate programs and 11 graduate programs spanning a diversity of subjects. As part of these closures, 116 faculty positions were terminated. In November 2022, the Auditor General of Ontario released a report on the university's insolvency, finding that overspending on large capital projects starting in 2010 were the primary cause. It also found that the school should have sought provincial help before invoking the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, which is designed for private companies, not public institutions.
In March 2022, Ontario's deputy ombudsman and French language services commissioner, Kelly Burke, released a report on the university's cuts to French-language programs during its restructuring, finding that it failed to meet its obligations under the French Language Services Act. In response, francophone community groups have demanded the transfer of Laurentian University's remaining French-language academic programming to a stand-alone French-language university.
Administration The Board of Governors heads the university with the president. Directly to the left and right of the president is the assistant to the president, and the Laurentian University senate.
Aline Chrétien, the wife of former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, was named the university's first chancellor on September 22, 2010."Aline Chrétien named first chancellor of Laurentian University". Toronto Star, September 22, 2010. In 2013, she was succeeded by Steve Paikin, who resigned in 2021 when the university sought creditor protection."'All hands on deck' for leadership, says TVO host". Northern Life, October 25, 2013.
Presidents Père Émile Bouvier s.j. (1960-1961) Harold Bennett (1961-1963) Stanley G. Mullins (1963–1970) R.J.A. Cloutier (Acting President) (1970–1972) Edward J. Monahan (1972–1977) Henry Best (1977–1984) John Daniel (1984–1989) Charles H. Bélanger (Acting President) (1989-1991) Ross Paul (1991–1998) Geoffrey Tesson (Acting President) (1998) Jean Watters (1998–2001) Hermann Falter (Acting President) (2001-2002) Judith Woodsworth (2002–2008) Robert Bourgeois (Acting President) (2008-2009) Dominic Giroux (2009–2017)"Dominic Giroux to leave Laurentian University for CEO's job at Health Sciences North". CBC News, April 26, 2017 Pierre Zundel (Interim President) (2017–2019) Robert Haché (2019–2022) Tammy Eger (Interim President) (2022) Sheila Embleton (Interim President) (2022–2024) Lynn Wells (2024–present)
Program information
Commerce and administration Laurentian's school of commerce and administration was founded in 1960. It is modeled on the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business. The School of Management offers a wide variety of programs, from MBAs to honours degrees in Business Administration and Sports Administration (H.B.Comm in SPAD).
Sports Administration (H.B.Comm in SPAD) Laurentian's Sports Administration program is the only undergraduate sport management program in Canada that offers a business degree. In recent years, the program has achieved international accreditation which allows for more international opportunities. These opportunities include a two-week course in China, a semester abroad in Austria or France, International destinations for the final consulting trip, as well as many international internship opportunities.
Education (B.Ed.) Laurentian has both English and French language education programs for teacher training.
École des sciences de l’Éducation (Consecutive Education, French) In the Alphonse Raymond building, at the east end of campus, is the school École des sciences de l’éducation de l’Université Laurentienne. Named after Father Alphonse Raymond, and opened in 1974, the building houses classrooms, a cafeteria, an auditorium, a small gymnasium, and offices for more than a dozen professors, offering a variety of programs. The school offers a traditional consecutive post-grad Bachelor of Education and a newer concurrent Bachelor of Arts Education degree that can be taken full or part-time.
School of Education (Concurrent Education, English) In September 2003, Laurentian began offering an English Bachelor of Education. This concurrent B.Ed. is a five-year program taken at the same time — concurrently — with an undergraduate degree commonly in Arts, Sciences or Sport and Physical Education. The primary goal of the English-language Bachelor of Education program is to foster the development of a new generation of reflective educators who employ holistic teaching approaches. The curriculum features an emphasis on equity and diversity as well as the infusion of Indigenous issues and content. At the moment, the program is offered in just two of the three areas of potential concentration: the primary/junior and junior/intermediate divisions. A new School of Education building - based on sustainable environmental principles and located across from L'École des sciences at the east end of the campus – was completed in the summer of 2008. The program requires a 75% average over one's first four years in order to progress to the final (or Pro Year). The 75% minimum average required for entry in the final year means a nearly 80% entering grade in reality, so the annual Pro Year class (ranging from about 65 to 95 students) constitutes a rather elite cohort compared to most other Ontario concurrent programs. Many graduates have gone on to employment with both the local Sudbury boards, with other school boards across Ontario, while many others have acquired employment in Alberta, B.C., and Saskatchewan, with a significant number working overseas (particularly in Britain).
Partnerships Located in a city where the major industry is mining, Laurentian has strong ties with the mining industry, and offers a program in mining engineering. The Willett Green Miller Centre, a provincial building located on campus, houses the Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO), a not-for-profit applied research and technical service company formed through collaboration between Laurentian University and the private and public sectors, and the Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC), a semi-autonomous research and teaching centre whose focus is field-based, collaborative research on mineral deposits and their environments.
The university is a member of L'Association des universités de la francophonie canadienne, a network of academic institutions of the Canadian Francophonie.
On April 1, 2021, Laurentian terminated its federation agreement with Huntington University, Thorneloe University and the University of Sudbury as part of the CCAA process.
Laurentian's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is taught in colleges across Ontario as part of one of three agreements between colleges and the university. Graduates of these collaborate programs receive Laurentian degrees upon graduation. The Northeastern Ontario Collaborative Nursing Program (NEOCNP) is a partnership between Laurentian University, Cambrian College, Northern College, and Sault College. St. Lawrence College offers Laurentian's Nursing Program through an agreement called the Laurentian–St. Lawrence Collaborative Nursing Program. Finally, Collège Boréal provides the Nursing program through an agreement with Laurentian University's French-language "sciences infirmières" program.
St. Lawrence College also offers Laurentian's Bachelor of Business degree, a four-year program.
Laurentian opened a campus in Barrie, Ontario, in 2001 in partnership with Georgian College. The university shut down its Barrie operations in 2019. In 2005, Laurentian and Lakehead University jointly launched the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. However In 2021, the provincial government passed legislation severing the medical school's ties with Laurentian and Lakehead, making it an independent university and Canada's first stand-alone medical school.
Student life + 'Demographics of student body (2015–16) Undergraduate Graduate Male 37.5% 35.1% Female 62.5% 64.9% Canadian student 94.5% 87.3% International student 5.5% 12.7%
Students' General Association/Association Générale des Étudiants The SGA-AGÉ is the largest student union at Laurentian. It offers services in both English and French. The association is presided over by a board of directors.
In 2016, the SGA-AGE became a member of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.
Association des étudiantes et étudiants francophones/Francophone Students Association