Try refreshing your browser. Unmaking a university: Laurentianâs insolvency Back to video In Sudbury, as across the country, many are puzzled at the sudden declaration of insolvency by the local university. A relatively young institution at 60 years, it had slowly crawled up from being known as a âjock schoolâ or âlast chance uâ to being a normal place of higher learning. From being at the bottom of the rankings â if you believe in that sort of crude measurement â to among the top third of small universities, Laurentian defied all the starting strikes against it: first, existing in a working-class town formerly burdened with a reputation as a moonscape; second, overcoming the difficulties in recruiting top faculty and students to an unproven institution; and third, competing with established universities that had the benefit of donations from deep alumni pockets.