Changing the narrative - regreening a community | Lynn Wells
Loading player...
Leading through renewal and reinvention.
What does it take to lead after an institutional trauma and how to do this work without making it about you?
Dr. Lynn Wells, President and Vice-Chancellor of Laurentian University, traces a steady path from crisis to renewal: changing a damaging narrative, rebuilding trust, and putting “student-first” at the centre of every hard call.
Drawing on her earlier chapters at other institutions, from reconciliation work at First Nations University of Canada to student-centred leadership at MacEwan and pandemic decision-making at Brock — Lynn shows how process, patience, and humility become anchors when the ground keeps shifting.
Lynn is candid about the human work beneath the headlines: helping a community heal, rejecting doom language, and choosing to lead alongside rather than from the front. She unpacks Laurentian’s tricultural identity, the deep bond with the city of Sudbury, and a powerful metaphor for recovery is the city’s decades-long “regreening,” a science-led restoration that mirrors the university’s rebuild.
Along the way Lynn addresses why good governance beats quick fixes, how to keep purpose intact under political and financial pressure, and the disciplines that keep leaders steady: clear boundaries, exercise, and grace for human fallibility.
This conversation is a grounded reflection on hope, discipline, and the long game of rebuilding step by step: one honest process, one student-first decision, and one reframed story at a time.
What does it take to lead after an institutional trauma and how to do this work without making it about you?
Dr. Lynn Wells, President and Vice-Chancellor of Laurentian University, traces a steady path from crisis to renewal: changing a damaging narrative, rebuilding trust, and putting “student-first” at the centre of every hard call.
Drawing on her earlier chapters at other institutions, from reconciliation work at First Nations University of Canada to student-centred leadership at MacEwan and pandemic decision-making at Brock — Lynn shows how process, patience, and humility become anchors when the ground keeps shifting.
Lynn is candid about the human work beneath the headlines: helping a community heal, rejecting doom language, and choosing to lead alongside rather than from the front. She unpacks Laurentian’s tricultural identity, the deep bond with the city of Sudbury, and a powerful metaphor for recovery is the city’s decades-long “regreening,” a science-led restoration that mirrors the university’s rebuild.
Along the way Lynn addresses why good governance beats quick fixes, how to keep purpose intact under political and financial pressure, and the disciplines that keep leaders steady: clear boundaries, exercise, and grace for human fallibility.
This conversation is a grounded reflection on hope, discipline, and the long game of rebuilding step by step: one honest process, one student-first decision, and one reframed story at a time.
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to Messy and Lynn Wells
- 02:22 Lynn's early life and career beginnings
- 06:53 Frist Nations University crisis and leadership development
- 09:12 Student-centred leadership at McEwen University
- 12:00 Returning to Ontario and leading through COVID
- 14:20 Taking on the Laurentian University Challenge
- 19:39 Laurentian's tricultural mandate and community connection
- 20:46 Addressing institutional trauma
- 24:44 Changing the Laurentian narrative
- 33:11 Leadership philosophy and personal approach
- 38:22 Learning from failures
- 41:43 Personal wellbeing and interests
- 43:50 Advice for aspiring leaders
- 46:23 Final thoughts on university leadership
