Commentary Like most Canadians, I was troubled by the news that Laurentian University is laying off over 100 faculty and cancelling dozens of programs. Senior officials made the cuts after Laurentian declared itself financially insolvent earlier this year. University finances are a Byzantine and opaque affair at the best of times, and one should proceed cautiously before assigning blame for this disastrous state of affairs. But there are non-fiscal aspects to this story as well. For example, I was struck by something said by Adam Kirkwood, a Ph.D. student in Laurentian’s boreal ecology program, to CBC: “[The university is] a place of higher education where people are able to go and learn. … And if you’re running it as a business, then things become a product. And I think that, at some point, defeats the purpose of what a university is purposed to do.” (emphasis added) Kirkwood is right. His concise analysis identifies a problem that lies at the heart …