Laurentian University hiring 10 new professors

As Laurentian University in Sudbury works to rebuild after emerging from insolvency -- which saw the elimination of more than a hundred staff -- funding has been approved Monday to hire 10 new tenure-track faculty members.

"We are eager to bolster so many of our successful programs with additional professors. This is a key priority for our leadership team," Dr. Sheila Embleton, interim president and vice-chancellor of the university, said in a news release.

The permanent positions span all faculties and include:

• Psychology
• Indigenous social work
• Mining engineering
• Computer science
• Accounting
• Library and archives
• Architecture specializing in Indigenous architecture
• Two French courses: droit et justice and sciences infirmières

"These tenure-track roles will bring exceptional talent to Laurentian which will enrich our academic offerings and strengthen our research capacity," said Dr. Brenda Brouwer, the university's interim provost and vice-president academic.

"We’re pleased the university is now in a position to make this significant investment and it’s one of the many steps we’re taking to chart a new course for Laurentian."

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The university said it intends to "invest in the long-term sustainability of academic programs and strengthening our bilingual and tri-cultural mandate" and anticipates approval for additional faculty positions after the 2023-24 budget planning, currently underway, is completed.

"It’s about rebuilding and part of that processes is faculty renewal which is absolutely critical to supporting our mission and all that we do," said Brouwer.

Faculty Association President Fabrice Colin said this should only be the start.

"These 10 positions are not filling all the gaps ... we can expect after the 2023-2024 budget processes is over that many other faculty positions will be announced," he said.

Colin said the moral on campus has been low amongst staff over the last few years but they’re starting to see a shift with the new administration.

"It’s critical that we see a change in the culture at Laurentian University towards more transparency, more college governance, so more consultation in the future," said Colin.

Laurentian filed for creditor protection -- the first public institution to do so -- in February 2021 and emerged from insolvency in November. Dozens of programs, including mathematics, midwifery and physics were cut along with 110 jobs.

With files from CTV News videojournalist and weekend anchor Ashley Bacon in Sudbury.