'We put our faith in them': Donations to Laurentian University rebound following financial crisis

It's convocation week at Laurentian University, where hundreds of students will be handed diplomas and a lucky few will be given scholarships and bursaries worth thousands of dollars.

And three years after it declared insolvency, the number ofpeopleentrusting their money to northern Ontario's largest post-secondary institution again is on the rise.

With revelations that some donated money was spent on other things at the Sudbury school, the amount of pledges and giftscoming indropped sharply from $2,462,955 before the financial crisisto $1,901,092 this year.

But those numbers have creptup sincethe unprecedented declaration of insolvency in 2021. While donors plummeted from 894 in 2021 to 297 the following year, they have also risen to 469.

And while many donors have pulled away, others have stuck out it out despite the troubled times at Laurentian.

His older sister, Marissa Arnold, saidthere were some anxious moments when the university went into bankruptcy protection.

"We had a lot of emails that went unanswered or that were responded to in saying 'We don't know where your money is. Just give us time,'" she said.

"Ultimately the university came good for it, the money was still there."

Arnold saidthe family thought about hiring a lawyer, but after a "long conversation" and considering that others in the community that contributed to the fund it "just didn't feel right' to pull the money out and donate it elsewhere.

"So we as a family decided to leave it there and hope for the best," she said.

"I think the university's on an upward trajectory. I think some really good decisions have been made as of late."

Dr. Christopher Doherty was around for the founding of Laurentian Universityin the early 1960s, and after he and his wife Eva died in the late 1990s, their children donated $350,000 for a memorial scholarship.

"They tried to be transparent as they could be through the bankruptcy process," their son, John Doherty, said of the staff at Laurentian.

"We put our faith in them that they would do everything that they could and luckily, we seem to have come out the other side with the scholarship program still in place."

He saidit's more important than ever to stick by Laurentian, given many colleges and universities are struggling financially.

"Post-secondary education is underfunded and they need all the support they can get," Doherty said.

"I think that was really our goal. Our family has strong roots in northern Ontario and we think a northern Ontario education system is really important for the future of northern Ontario."

One of the new donors on Laurentian University's list is Toronto-based author and urban designer Lisa Rochon, who recently gave $50,000to create bursaries for incoming architecture students, with a focus on female and Indigenous applicants.

"There was a lot of disturbing events and financial mismanagement at Laurentian in the past," she said.

"I have a lot of faith in the team that has surrounded us and supported us as we put together this idea."