Have you ever had a burning ambition to serve on Laurentian University’s board of governors? If that's the case, the board might entertain your offer.
With only half of the board’s voting member positions currently filled, there are quite a few seats up for grabs right now, and the board is recruiting.
In early 2021, Laurentian declared insolvency and filed for creditor protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), making widespread cuts to its programs and employees in April of that year.
The university hopes to exit the CCAA in November after creditors voted in favour of a debt plan.
There has been considerable shake-up on Laurentian’s board since December, when 11 members stepped down as part of a provincial financial package, and five others were appointed.
Several more people have left and joined the board since that time.
Earlier this year, provincial changes to the Laurentian University Act reduced the number of voting members on Laurentian’s board from 25 down to 16.
Laurentian currently only has eight voting members sitting on its board.
There are two Lieutenant Governor in Council (or LGIC) vacancies — or positions to be filled by the province — as well as five vacancies to be filled by the board itself.
The position held by the francophone student association Association des étudiantes et étudiants francophones (AEF) is also currently vacant.
During the Oct. 21 Laurentian board meeting, board chair Jeff Bangs — who himself only joined the board in December — welcomed Laura Kurkimaki to the board. She was appointed to the board at an Aug. 15 in camera meeting.
Bangs said the process of recruiting new board members continues. He said to expect the announcement of new additions to Laurentian’s board this fall.
“We are still striving for more diversity and representation on our board, and following a skills matrix to ensure that we've got the right voices and lived experiences and skills around our board table,” he said.
Bangs said he wanted to give a big thank you to current board members.
“It's worth noting that we're all volunteers, and spend an incredible amount of time,” he said, pointing out that the Oct. 21 meeting was the 54th board meeting since last December.
“And, as we recruit, we're reminding people right up front that when you join the board, there's a huge time commitment. Now that being said, we look forward as we enter this next phase to a larger board as we repopulate, and a more reasonable and normal schedule.
“The one downside, and I'll acknowledge that right up front, is that of all those meetings I just described in the past year, many of them were special meetings, and many of them were closed sessions.
“If we're going to be successful moving forward, we definitely need to bring that number down. And as our board grows, and the diversity expands, we have to be doing more business in a transparent way.”
For more information on Laurentian’s board of governors, visit the board’s website.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com's associate content editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
