Laurentian University announced this week that its board of governors has approved the school’s transformation plan, the latest step forward as the facility reimagines itself in the wake of its 2021 insolvency declaration.
“We believe this Transformation Plan, along with the upcoming Strategic Plan, will lay the foundation for a sustainable future where Laurentian University fosters growth and opportunity for all,” Dr. Sheila Embleton, the university’s interim president and vice-chancellor, said in a news release. “While there is still a lot of hard work ahead, we emerge confident that we have the right plan for a vibrant future.”
While the board of governors has approved the plan, it still awaits the approval of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Laurentian said.
The drafting of the plan involved “months of consultation and engagement sessions with faculty, staff and the community” by Deloitte, the consulting firm contracted by the university to put the transformation plan together.
The plan focuses on four key areas, Laurentian said: Information Technology (IT), Finance, Human Resources (HR) and Registrar Services and Student Affairs (RSSA).
“This Transformation Plan is informed by earlier recommendations from the NOUS Group and the Auditor General’s report on Laurentian University,” the release states.
The NOUS Group report, released in 2022, found poor financial management at Laurentian was at least partially to blame for its financial troubles. You can read more on that here. The report by Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk, released in November, 2022, included several findings, including the school seeking to declare insolvency when other options were available, an ill-conceived expansion of the university, a bloated administration and poor management from upper-level decision-makers. You can read more on that report here.
Laurentian said more than 120 people, representing a mix of faculty, staff, students and alumni, were part of the consulting group that participated in engagement sessions over the spring and summer this year that helped inform the transformation plan.
“Next steps are already in motion as the Transformation Plan Implementation Office (TPIO) is in the process of building its team, which will be made up of members from each of the four workstreams, along with supporting resources,” the university said.
Deloitte has been retained at a cost of no more than $972,920 to serve as a third-party consultant to the plan implementation office, as required by the Laurentian Plan of Arrangement.
“Together, they will be responsible for prioritizing tasks outlined in the plan and overseeing the delivery of each milestone within established timelines,” Laurentian said. “As we progress through implementation we look forward to continuing to work with our labour partners as key stakeholders.”
For more information on the Plan of Arrangement, click here. And for an explainer on what exactly a plan of arrangement is, click here.
In the coming weeks, Laurentian said it will launching a website to serve as “a hub for all information and communication pertaining to the Transformation Program and its progress, tracking the work being done according to the timeline provided.”
