As part of measures to restructure the institution amid insolvency, Laurentian University has announced that it will be axing 58 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs.
According to a release by the institution, of those programs, 34 are English-language programs and 24 are French-language.
The development leaves the university with 107 undergraduate programs and 33 graduate programs.
“We anticipate that approximately 10 per cent of undergraduate students (excluding those studying at the federated universities) will be affected in some way by these program adjustments”.
“We further anticipate that 44 graduate students will be impacted by program closures.”
The release said for most students, particularly if they are close to completion, this will mean they will be able to complete their degree making use of all or parts of the modules in terminated programs, either through course substitutions at Laurentian or through letters of permission.
It clarified that no new students will be admitted to these programs, adding that for a small number of students, Laurentian will assist them in transitioning to a related program or another institution.
An internal email from Laurentian president Robert Haché said “I write to you today with important news on the future of academic programming at Laurentian University”
“Last week the Laurentian Academic Senate voted in support of a plan to close a number of programs which have had low or no enrolment over a number of years. The full list of those programs is included below.
“We want you to know that we have also undertaken a review with respect to all continuing programs, where you may see some changes to reflect a consolidation of sections or merger of similar courses within existing programs.
“These program changes, combined with the recently-announced termination of our agreements with the federated universities, will focus Laurentian’s academic offerings on those programs which are of higher demand.
“This focus will also allow us to further align our financial resources to ensure that these programs are adequately supported. Our ongoing program offerings remain extensive, and reflect the breadth of academic pursuits that are available at Laurentian.
“We understand that this news will be difficult for those who are in programs affected by the closures, as well as programs that were administered by the Federated Universities.
“Although our Laurentian community is undergoing a tremendous amount of change, I want to assure you that students remain our first priority and that we continue to serve all our students, whether undergraduate or graduate, through our comprehensive suite of ongoing programs.”
Remarking on the development, Brett Buchanan, a professor in the School of Environment, said in a tweet that more than 100 people were let go at the university, including himself.
“This is all I’ll say for right now: Today, after 15 years @LaurentianU, I was terminated along with 100+ colleagues and friends. I’m gutted, sickened, and distraught for them, and for our students. This was utterly avoidable, and financial insolvency was a choice that was made,” (@BrettBuch tweeted.
