The University of Tromsø has played a key role in the development of the University of the Arctic even prior to its launch. The first Council (then called Interim Council) Chair was the University of Tromsø's Asgeir Brekke, who served from 1998 until the official launch of UArctic in 2001. Tromsø has also hosted Board meetings and numerous UArctic events held in conjunction with the Arctic Frontiers conference every January. In addition to being strong participants in north2north mobility exchange and Circumpolar Studies development and delivery, the University of Tromsø participates in and leads several Thematic Networks, such as that on Distance Education and e-Learning. Their Council representative Geir Gotaas has long served as Council Secretary, and now has the role of Vice-Chair.

The program for the 2012 Council meeting will include a Networking Day to engage in open collaboration between UArctic members and activities prior to the regular Council business meetings. There has been great interest from new potential members as from possible new Thematic Networks. Following the meeting participants will have opportunities for excursions in the local region.

Link to internal site for Council members. (Requires password)

Photo: From left: Krister Stoor, UArctic Indigenous Issues Committee chair; chief Gary Harrison, AAC; Jim Stotts, ICC; Lorraine Netro, GCI; Åsa Larsson Blind, SC; Lars Kullerud, President UArctic; Rodion Sulyandziga, RAIPON; Jim Gamble, AIA; Jan Henry Keskitalo, VP Indigenous UArctic. (photo: Stina Roos, UArctic)

Already, in the feasibility study phase of UArctic the (then) three indigenous peoples permanent participant organizations drafted a statement of support and a challenge to the new organization entitled, “With Shared Voices”.

Jan Henry Keskitalo, UArctic’s Vice-President Indigenous, has been working to reinvigorate this relationship by increasing communication and cooperation between UArctic and the permanent participants in the Arctic Council. This Memorandum of Understanding reflects that work, and our common commitment to work together to ensure indigenous issues and perspectives are reflected in all our activities.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the parties during the Senior Arctic Officials meeting of the Arctic Council in Stockholm, Sweden on March 28, 2012. Attending the signing ceremony will be UArctic president Lars Kullerud, representatives of the permanent participants, and some invited guests.

This agreement brings UArctic another step towards increased cooperation with indigenous peoples as formulated in the UArctic Strategy 2008-2013. The cooperation between UArctic and the permanent participants will help to ensure that higher education in the North meets the needs of the region’s indigenous peoples, as well as reflecting the significant contribution of indigenous knowledge systems.

The University of the Arctic is a cooperative network of over 130 universities, colleges, and other organizations committed to higher education and research in the North. Our members share resources, facilities, and expertise to build post-secondary education programs that are relevant and accessible to northern students. Our overall goal is to create a strong, sustainable circumpolar region by empowering northerners and northern communities through education and shared knowledge.

For more information:
Jan Henry Keskitalo
Vice-President Indigenous, University of the Arctic
+47 78 44 84 70
jan-henry.keskitalo@uarctic.org

The two universities each have collaborated with several international UArctic partner institutions to develop the programmes and, with their partners, will share the programme delivery.

The University of Lapland and its institutional partners in the Comparative Social Work Master’s programme comprise the Barents Cross Border University; partners include the Northern Arctic Federal University, Karelian State Pedagogical University, Petrozavosk State University, Murmansk Humanities Institute, Murmansk State Humanities University, Murmansk State Technical University (Russia); and the University of Oulu (Finland).

Institutional partners with Finnmark University College in the Northern Tourism programme include the University of Oulu and University of Lapland (Finland); Umeå University (Sweden); the University of Northern British Columbia and Lakehead University (Canada); and the University of Iceland and University of Akureyri (Iceland).

The UArctic Endorsement certifies that the Master’s programmes have been developed and are jointly delivered by UArctic member institutions from at least two countries, include a knowledge generation/research base, contain an integrated mobility component, are northern relevant, and provide insights into traditional forms of indigenous knowledge and perspectives. Students may receive their degrees from a partner institution or from the lead institution depending upon the programme.

According to Rich Boone, UArctic Dean of Graduate Studies, “The UArctic Master’s Endorsement encourages the development of collaborative Master’s degree programmes among UArctic members who together can leverage their joint resources and expertise to offer Master’s degree programmes that will both fill a gap in graduate education in the Arctic and meet the needs of northern peoples. In particular the University of Lapland and Finnmark University College programmes will help address the need to better understand the rapid social changes underway in the Arctic and to equip northern peoples to better respond to the growing interest in Arctic tourism.”

For further information about the Comparative Social Work programme see www.ulapland.fi/csw; for information about the Northern Tourism programme contact Ola Sletvold (ola.sletvold@hifm.no). Details about the UArctic Master’s Endorsement can be found at http://www.uarctic.org/compactArticles.aspx?m=629

One aspect of UArctic is it´s Thematic Networks. That increases cooperation between the member institutions on specific topics. Among the topics are Arctic Coastal and Marine Issues, Arctic Medicine, Energy in New Time, Global Change, Northern Agriculture, Northern Tourism and others.

Each network has a leader and these leaders meet regularly to discuss what they have done, what they want to do and to get ideas and thoughts from their collegues.

The last meeting was in AKureyri, Iceland, late in January of 2012. Arctic Portal was there and captured videos of the meetings. Here are interviews with various people around the meeting.

Lars Kullerud, president of UArctic, talks about the school, the thematic network and the meeting in Akureyri:



Kirsi Latola, coordinator of Thematic Networks Office:

The Ma-Mawi meetings will take place Jan 11-12 and Thematic Networks meetings Jan 12-14. Contact the UArctic International Secretari, Thematic Networks Office, or Univeristy of Akureyri's Bjarni Eiríksson for more information.

One of the main objectives of the rector of North Eastern Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk, Russia, Dr. Evgenia Isaevna Mikhailova, is to expand and strengthen international cooperation. To improve the academic quality of education, research and development work, this is a necessary move. The University of the Arctic gives many opportunities for that, for instance the thematic networks established to implement the policies of the UArctic and the member institutions.

At a recent meeting with the rector and the director of the Institute of Finance and Economics at NEFU, Dr. Natalia Okhlopkova, several concrete education, research and development projects and programs initiated by the UArctic thematic network on local and regional development were discussed, among others, a joint applied international master program in Rural Development, currently under planning. The rector recognized the important research and development work done in rural areas, including indigenous communities, in Yakutia since 2009, by the institute and network partners from Canada, Finland and Norway. Local development workshops and business schools have been organized in 6 municipalities in four different regions of the republic, the last one in Iengra, a small Evenk community of 950 inhabitants in the region of Neringri in southern Yakutia. An impressive number of new social and productive projects have been developed and initiated in the rural municipalities and regions included in the international development project. At the business school in Iengra last week, 23 participants, mainly Evenks, developed and presented 16 proposals for new businesses in the community, from a local pharmacy to green house production of organic vegetables. To support the new entrepreneurs a local development partnership, including representatives of the municipal administration, the regional branch of Institute of Finance and Economics/NEFU, and the UArctic thematic network on local and regional development, was formed.

Highest on NEFU’s agenda for international cooperation you find the development of joint study programs. Evgenia Isaevna Mikhailova, former minister of education and vice-president of the republic, promised at the meeting last week to give the applied international master program in Rural Development all the necessary support. She wants to increase the number of bachelor and master courses taught in English, both on the university’s summer school program and in the university’s ordinary study programs. She invited international members of the thematic network, Canadian, Finnish and Norwegian scholars, to help develop new international course and study programs, including UArctic advanced emphasis courses on both bachelor and master level.

To achieve this and other important goals in the internationalisation policies of NEFU the rector want to increase student and teacher exchange. Because of the reduced number of scholarships available for international students that want to follow UArctic course and study programs abroad, like the advanced emphasis course in Management of local and regional development (MLRD) at Finnmark University College (FiUC) in Alta, Norway, the new internationalization policies of NEFU are facing some problems. To solve this bottleneck, the rector suggested that the university in Yakutsk could provide economical support for up to 100 students seeking different specializations abroad. According to her, more than 20 of these students, could take the MLRD-program in Alta. Interest for northern studies is growing rapidly among Yakutian students, partly thanks to the work of the UArctic thematic network. During my last engagement at the Institute of Finance and Economics, in Yakutsk and Neringri, 110 new students have been recruited to the on-line core courses of the UArctic bachelor in Northern Studies taught at FiUC, for the spring semester 2012. Close to 40 students will come from the filial of NEFU in Neringri, where network members held lectures in business administration and regional development last week, in combination with the rural development workshop and business school in Iengra. Top management, faculty and graduate students from the university filial have been involved in the social and economic development project.

Since last summer NEFU has been sending out ‘brigades’ of graduate students of different disciplines, such as medicine, deontology, psychology and social work to law, IT-technology, engineering, agriculture and veterinary, to help rural people and communities solve their most acute problems. Next year our network partners at the Institute of Finance and Economics will try to establish cooperation with and if possible integrate the community work of graduate students with the project for local and regional development partnerships and workshops in rural Yakutia, initiated by the UArctic thematic network on local and regional development.

Since Evgenia Isaevna Mikhailova took over as rector last year she has done a lot to improve the quality and outreach of education and research at the North Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, including the challenging task of bringing education to remote, sparsely populated regions of the republic. She hopes that University of the Arctic and the thematic network on local and regional development can help NEFU implement these objectives, which include the promotion of entrepreneurship, and the establishment of small and medium size businesses. The National Government and Parliament of Yakutia have given high priority to this policy, both in urban and rural areas of the republic. Funding has also been improved.

One of the first moves to strengthen the northern dimension of education and research was to create a new department for northern studies and research at NEFU. In January next year (2012) UArctic’s main office for undergraduate studies will be moved from Saskatoon, Canada, to Yakutsk. The Institute of Finance and Economics is preparing to take over the lead of the UArctic thematic network on local and regional development. Since they joined the network in 2007 the colleagues at the institute have been the most active and productive partners.

The new federal university of Yakutsk is searching for a profile in education and research that distinguish it from the other 7 federal universities in Russia. Rural or regional development is one of the most likely alternatives, very much thanks to the good results obtained in this field of work by the institute of Finance and Economics and the UArctic thematic network on local and regional development.

Photo: Dr. Natalia Okhlopkova, Dr. Evgenia Isaevna Mikhailova, and Tor Gjertsen

Text:
Tor Gjertsen
Lead of UArctic Thematic Network on Local and Regional Development
Finnmark University College

Neringri, Yakutia, 18.11.2011

The undergraduate program Circumpolar Studies has a unique history, in which Canadians and Canadian institutions have played a key role. The curriculum was developed through the collective efforts of scientists, indigenous experts, and academics from across the circumpolar region who shared a vision that northerners should have a common understanding of the region that derives from their own perspectives, rather than from southern capitals. Much of this work to first develop, and later collective efforts to ensure update and further strengthen local input and quality, has been supported by the Government of Canada, and led by the University of Saskatchewan for UArctic members.

The value of the work done in Canada can be seen clearly across the pole in places like Bodø, Norway, Fairbanks, Alaska, Prince George, Thunder Bay and Nunavut in Canada, Rovaniemi, Finland and Yakutsk, Russia where students who live and study in the North are taught the same Circumpolar Studies Program. At the Northeastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Russia, for example, every first year student takes BCS100 – Introduction to the Circumpolar World – which resulted in over 3000 students there learning from the same material as their colleagues in Canada, Alaska, and the Nordic countries.

Bruce Forbes, Research Professor at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland has been teaching for many years in the Arctic Studies Program and has himself contributed to the development of the BCS curriculum. “It’s great to have comprehensively circumpolar course materials, which speak of the North not as some remote exotic place, but as a homeland and a region with its own growing voice. The real value though is not just a circumpolar curriculum, but a circumpolar classroom, as we have many students from Canada, Russia and elsewhere here interacting and learning together.”

The main impact of this cut in funding is that the University of Saskatchewan, which has provided tremendous support to UArctic by hosting the Undergraduate Office first under Dean Greg Poelzer and most recently under Hayley Hesseln, is no longer financially able to continue in that role. With USask’s assistance, UArctic is now transitioning the significant work done by the Undergraduate Office to the Northeastern Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk, which will take over the hosting of the Undergraduate Office with Claudia Fedorova being named the new dean.

According to Hesseln, the root of the funding decision does not lie in any ill will on the part of the federal or territorial governments, nor certainly from any of the participating institutions, but rather from differing visions of how higher education in Canada’s territorial North should be developed. UArctic President Lars Kullerud agrees, stating that “Canada should pursue a physical university north of 60° – as exists in every other circumpolar country. The experience in other Arctic countries has shown that the best way for northern universities to demonstrate their value and deliver quality and relevant education is through cooperation in the University of the Arctic network. The vast majority of UArctic activities are led by institutions north of 60°. That some in Canada see these options as mutually exclusive has had the unfortunate effect of disrupting agreement between the territorial and federal governments that was the key to ongoing financial support for UArctic in Canada.”

The UArctic International Academic Office (IAO) at Northlands College in LaRonge, Saskatchewan has worked closely with the Undergraduate Office to track students who complete the necessary requirements to earn a ‘Confirmation of Completion’ in Circumpolar Studies. To date, 174 students have graduated with a completion document, including fourteen from Northlands College itself. Glenys Plunz, Director of IAO, has seen the impact of these graduates up close in her own community in northern Saskatchewan. Plunz notes that, “the significance of the Circumpolar Studies to a student from a small northern community is immeasurable, not only because of the academic achievement, but because the program has special relevance to them as northerners. Such offerings are equally relevant to the provincial North as for the territories.”

Key to the success of these ‘circumpolar classrooms’ is the north2north mobility program. Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Canada has helped coordinate Canadian students to go on student exchanges through north2north to Russia and the Nordic countries. Lakehead professor Chris Southcott explains, “Canadian participation in north2north is key to the whole program, as it is based on exchanges between different regions of the Circumpolar North. Without the resources to send a Canadian student to Iceland or Russia, it becomes difficult for Canadian institutions to accept reciprocal exchanges from partners in those countries.” Figures from north2north exchanges back Southcott’s assessment, with Canada being the destination of choice for a quarter of all north2north students in 2010. The elimination of mobility funding in Canada is especially unfortunate when many of Canada’s fellow member-states in the Arctic Council are making student and faculty exchanges an important part of their respective Arctic strategies.

A Canadian student who has participated in both programs directly attributes his UArctic experience to his ability to secure his current job as a research analyst in the Canadian North. Harry Borlase, originally from Labrador, explains, “UArctic programs like BCS and north2north combine classroom learning with real life northern living. It's exactly that combination that paints the big picture and prepares you for your working career in the North.”

UArctic President Lars Kullerud concludes, “The funding decision from Canada is regrettable, and means that at least two of UArctic’s signature programs – the Circumpolar Studies undergraduate program and the north2north student mobility program – now face significant challenges. However, UArctic is a circumpolar community of institutions committed to cooperation in northern higher education, and will do all it can to support education opportunities in the North. Our Canadian members remain committed with their own resources to continue to be strong partners in this work while we wait for a resolution of the funding impasse in Canada.”

Mona Johnson began her work with the University of the Arctic in 2002, bringing with her considerable experience from having adminstered bilateral student and teacher exchange programs between Russia and Norway in the Barents Region through BarentsPlus. "Norway's Ministry of Education and Research offered to support national coordination for the north2north program, and because of the Barentsplus experience Finnmark University College was first choice for this office," Johnson explains.

Finnmark University College's national coordination role soon transformed into an international one, as Johnson replaced Lakehead University's Chris Southcott as chair of the north2north program in 2003 and Finnmark University College was established as the international coordination point for student mobility in UArctic.

Johnson sees the establishment of a mobility program as a key step in building a UArctic student community: "That students had the opportunity to learn about different parts of the circumpolar world first hand meant that we began the process of creating  a circumpolar identity. Mobility was one of the first activities in the UArctic family, which complemented well the Circumpolar Studies program that was implemented at the same time."

The international education community is quite different now than it was when the north2north program was first created, and Johnson has needed to respond to these new challenges. Johnson adds, "The focus on academic quality in student exchanges has had an increased focus, which make exchanges an integrated part of institutional collaboration. Internationalization at home has also been focused so students not able to go on an exchange can benefit of an internationalized institutions."

The number of north2north exchanges have increased from about 20-30 in 2001 to around 200 in 2011. However, there there are still geographic imbalances in the exchanges, with more students from the Russia to Nordic countries than vice versa, and more Nordic students going to North America than in the other direction. Furthermore, north2north still faces challenges in securing sustained funding in all participating countries, as well as for the long-term international coordination of the program.

Despite the challenges, Mona Johnson recognizes that the north2north program has had a tremendous impact on not only the individual students that have gone on exchanges, but for their institutions, and the Arctic region generally:

"Students from small communities, indigenous students and students from smaller education institutions have been given opportunities for international exchange where there have not been strong traditions of mobility. These opportunities are due to the strong connections between institutions that have developed, and because of north2north's flexibile approach. The focus on northern and Arctic knowledge, partners and identity creation has carried over into the institutions themselves. In their communities and societies hopefully the respect for the North and the focus on a common Arctic identity will make it more likely that students stay in the area and contribute meaningfully to its development."

UArctic warmly thanks Mona for all her contributions and success in making the north2north program what it is today. We wish her all the best in her new career!

 















Iceland's President, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson looks on as UArctic
President Lars Kullerud and NArFU Rector Yelena Kudryashova
 sign the agreement to open the UArctic Research Office
(Photo Trude Pettersen)

President Kullerud noted that many of UArctic's members in the North are perceived as smaller actors, and risk being marginalized by larger institutions from outside the region when it comes to high level research projects. The new office will help to promote the collective capacity of these members and strengthen the role of northern institutions in Arctic research.

Kullerud recognizes that other key Arctic research organizations like IASC and IASSA do a fantastic job in Arctic research, and points to the Memorandum of Understanding that was recently signed between those organizations and UArctic to increase cooperation in this area. He states that the new Resarch Office will ensure that UArctic members are well represented in these efforts. Kullerud concludes that, "for the first time we will have real capacity for the Knowledge and Dialogue strategic area (Mimir). In the past it has been a challenge to realize the potential in this area. Now there is a better opportunity to show UArctic's capacity and engage more effectively with the working groups of the Arctic Council.

Establishing the Research Office at NArFU in Arkhangeslk is a clear demonstration of the strength of Arctic science in Russia. Marina Kalinina, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at NArFU, remarks:
"It is a great honor for NArFu to host the UArctic Research office, and we appreciate the support that we have received both on national and international level. The idea itself to establish a research office of the University of the Arctic was first expressed in Arkhangelsk, during the  Council of UArctic meeting there in 2007. Since NArFU was established, the Arctic focus on research and education turned to be the main one, a new federal university in the northwest Russia has to develop new fields of research in connection with the Arctic, and we recognize international collaboration as an important resource to receive new knowledge and competence. When serving the goals of the UArctic, the research office at NArFU will no doubt serve to institutional development."

On September 22, 2011, the Research Office will be officially opened during the Arctic Forum in Arkhangelsk organized by the Russian Geographical Society The Research Office will first host a small seminar the previous day with UArctic and key external partners to discuss potential opportunities. Kalinina explains, "The Forum 'Arctic - a territory of dialogue' is going to be a great event due to the coverage of topics and representation of participants and invited guests. It is a big honor for the Northern (Arctic) Federal University to become a venue of the Forum."

UArctic is thankful for the enthusiasm and energy shown by NARFU in moving this forward, and particularly would like to express out gratitude and support to NArFU Rector Elena Kudryashova and VIce Rector for International Cooperation Marina Kalinina.

UArctic Research Office Contact Info

The overall objective of the Open Assembly in Hveragerði, Iceland, is to address the impact of dwindling ice - terrestrial as well as ocean bound - on the complex interface of nature and society in all climatic zones of the world, with an emphasis on the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Himalayans. In light of the man-made part of climate change, particularly meaning global warming, and the natural phenomena of ice is gradually becoming a concept of global politics - a common heritage of humankind- affecting societal life in quite dramatic ways on a global scale. This turn in the interrelationship and working of the society/nature interface is the focus of the Assembly.

More information at the NRF website.

Photo by: Jouko Lehmuskallio / NatureGate

The questions posed to speakers and panelists in the seminar was whether a 'green growth' opportunity exists for the Arctic, or whether the region shall remain largely a source of natural resources for the rest of the world. Nearly all welcomed the concept as a way to move discussion beyond the framework of sustainable development and were cautiously optimistic about finding opportunities. The freshness of the idea of green growth was demonstrated by the variety of responses - clean energy sources, models of community living and intellectual capacity itself were all seen as ways that the North can contribute more than just resources. Taking advantage of these opportunities was seen by many as the biggest challenge, however.

The current chair of the Arctic Council, Sweden's Gustaf Lind, embraced the concept of green growth and thanked the University of the Arctic for raising it. He announced that green growth will be taken up in the agenda of Sweden's chairmanship

Where available, the speeches and addresses from the Seminar will be made available at the UArctic 10 Years web pages, including those of President Grímsson and Hannele Pokka.  The University of the Arctic will follow up the successful seminar with a publication based on its content later in the year.

The occasion was marked by a special seminar organized at the University of Lapland on the theme of Green Growth and the Arctic, with keynote speeches from Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (President of Iceland), Hannele Pokka (Permanent Secretary of Finland’s Ministry of the Environment), Gustaf Lind (Sweden’s Arctic Ambassador), and J. Okalik Eegeesiak (President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association). The seminar discussions examined the question of whether a ‘Green Growth’ opportunity exists for the Arctic, or whether the destiny of the North is to remain an area of resource extraction.

The 10 year celebrations culminated in the evening of June 8, 2011 with a gala dinner hosted by the University of Lapland honouring the achievements of the University of the Arctic, its programs and its members. These celebrations were organized as part of the University of the Arctic’s 14th Council meeting, held June 6-10, 2011, hosted by the Lapland University Consortium in cooperation with the Sami Education Institute. The meetings took place in Tornio and Rovaniemi, with a follow-up meeting being held in Inari.

The Council meeting is the annual general assembly of the UArctic network, bringing together over one hundred representatives of universities, colleges, and other organizations that are committed to higher education and research in the North. During the meeting, the Council took key decisions about the University of the Arctic’s future development, including welcoming of additional institutions and organizations as Council members, which for the first time include ‘associate members’ from outside the region. The meeting also saw the creation of a new program for 'UArctic Honorary Chairs' and the addition of new Thematic Networks.

The Chair of the Council, Jim McDonald of the University of Northern British Columbia remarks, “It is only appropriate that the University of the Arctic returns to Rovaniemi to mark the first decade of its remarkable growth and development. Lapland has been the crucible for many important circumpolar processes. It should be noted that UArctic’s tenth anniversary coincides – not coincidentally – with the twentieth anniversary of the Rovaniemi process that began in 1991 with the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, which led to the establishment of the Arctic Council. The decisions taken here pave the way for our organization’s next ten years.”

Photos and other memories from the Council meeting, the Green Growth and the Arctic Seminar, and the Gala celebrations will be posted at www.uarctic.org/10years.

Among the items on the meeting's agenda are the welcoming of additional institutions and organizations as Council members, a proposal to create 'UArctic Honorary Chairs' and the addition of new Thematic Networks. The meeting's showcase will be the anniversary seminar on the theme of 'Green Growth', and the gala 10-year celebration dinner.

Detailed information for meeting participants is available HERE

Preliminary Program:

Tornio, Finland
June 6: Pre-meetings for Council committees, program teams, etc. / Ice-Breaker evening on the river Tornio for all Council participants
June 7: Meet UArctic: introduction to programs, etc. Council meeting opening

Rovaniemi, Finland
June 8: Council meeting continuation ; UArctic 10 years - Seminar on Green Growth; Celebration evening
June 9: Council meeting continuation; Closing of meeting ; Afternoon excursions ; Farewell get-together
June 10: Post conference tour departure for Inari and Utsjoki, Kevo

Inari, Finland
June 10-11: Meeting of UArctic’s management group (Ofelas)

Council members and other invitees can contact secretariat@uarctic.org for more information.

The Declaration states: "Our belief is that building of capacity, both within indigenous communities and the societies in the North in general, is a main tool to achieve a sustainable region. Such sustainability, hence also the perspectives of capacity, must include adequate efforts that cover the totality of human and societal needs for all. Such efforts challenge higher education institutions to engage in all societal domains: the cultural, the social, the economic, the technological, and the ecological domains."

An important contribution to this year's Rectors' Forum was the parallel Student Forum that brought together students from across the UArctic network. The significance of this contribution is recognized in the inclusion of the recommendations of the Student Forum in the full  Declaration, supported by the university rectors and presidents. These recommendations include specific ways to increase UArctic's visibility and relevance to students and to develop more inclusive knowledge sharing practices in partnership with local communities.

The student declaration concludes:
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"Only through understanding can there be respect. In light of the aforementioned ideas and recommendations, we believe that increased visibility of UArctic is vital in order for the concerns surrounding education and research to be realized. Specifically, providing northerners with the adequate tools and support to guide, direct and conduct research in the Arctic. Finally, ensuring that UArctic interface is user-friendly in order for all northerners to contribute meaningfully to knowledge creation across the Circumpolar North."

Rector's Forum Page

Media Information

Video recordings of the joint seminars held during the Rectors Forum are available from the host's website:

• Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Academic Knowledge Building with Sami Parliaments

• UArctic EALÀT Joint Seminar - Ethics and Knowledge Development

The content of the meeting and related events is truly impressive, including the opening of the UArctic Institute of Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry, a Joint seminar with the Sami Parliament (Diehtosida), and UArctic students' forum. A special guest at the event will be His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. The theme of this year's Rectors' Forum is "Indigenous and non-indigenous societies in the North: Challenges for research and Education within UArctic"

Please find the UArctic Rectors' Forum Draft Program HERE

A special PhD training course, People in changing world, is also being organized at Sámi University College in cooperation with the Global Change Thematic Network.

The Rectors' Forum is open to rectors, presidents and other senior leaders of UArctic's higher education institution members. Please contact the UArctic International Secretariat for information on registration.

Information for the Media can be found here.


http://www.uarctic.org/rectorsforum
http://www.samiskhs.no/
http://www.sogsakk.fi
http://icr.arcticportal.org/

On June 12, 2001, the University of the Arctic officially came into being. At a Launch event in Rovaniemi, Finland, two hundred people gathered to celebrate the realization of this dream. The organization was established with the principles of interdisciplinarity, circumpolarity and diversity. Its strength based on support not only by institutions of higher education and governments, but also that of northern indigenous peoples. In the first years after the launch, UArctic’s core programmatic activities were established with the Circumpolar Studies undergraduate program and the north2north mobility program. Enrollments in Circumpolar Studies and north2north exchanges now number many hundred, and these first students are already making their mark in northern science and public leadership.

The UArctic International Secretariat was established at the University of Lapland, Finland, in 2001, and soon afterwards UArctic hired President Lars Kullerud to lead the activities and overall development of UArctic. UArctic’s administration was gradually distributed to offices in almost all Arctic countries. The establishment of Thematic Networks in 2005 marked a new direction in UArctic’s programmatic delivery, supporting new research and educational cooperation among smaller groups of members with common interests and expertise. This development was also supported by increased graduate-level programs including PhD networks and field schools.

The University of the Arctic’s importance as an international actor was demonstrated in the role it played in the 2007-2008 International Polar Year, helping to coordinate the education and outreach activities resulting from the IPY’s international scientific research projects. The UArctic Rectors’ Forum first met in 2007, which provided a new opportunity for the leadership of the circumpolar region’s higher education institutions to address areas of common interest. To better serve its members, UArctic developed the GoNorth program to promote student recruitment to northern higher education institutions and the UArctic Catalogue as joint listing of course and program information from all members.

UArctic has accomplished much to date in creating an empowered and sustainable North. It is telling that the organization’s original vision, goals and values remain valid today, while it has grown to meet additional needs and serve more areas of the Circumpolar North. The success of the organization can truly be seen, however, in the large numbers of students who have benefited from educational opportunities that would not have been possible without the University of the Arctic and the collective efforts of its members.

Key 2011 Dates
14th Council of the University of the Arctic Meeting
Lapland University Consortium

June 6-7, 2011 Kemi-Tornio
Pre-meetings, Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences

June 8-9, 2011 Rovaniemi
University of Lapland & Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences

June 10-11, 2011 Inari
Ofelas meeting, Sami Education Institute

Make a Donation today and become a UArctic partner in education.

Learn more about the UArctic Fund and how to Support UArctic.
 
www.uarctic.org/support

The occassion will also kick-off the University of the Arctic's 10 year celebrations which will culminate with the anniversary event in Rovaniemi held in conjunction with the upcoming Council meeting in June.

The Thematic Networks program team will meet in Kilpisjärvi, Finland before the conference, before many of their representatives travel to Tromsø. UArctic is also helping to support the Young Scientists Forum, Jan 20-28, where early career scientists are invited to use the open programme of the conference for networking, career development and training. On Sunday Jan 23, UArctic's senior management team Ma-Mawi will convene a planning meeting in Tromsø to address the development and implementation of our programmatic activities for 2011 and beyond. On Monday and Tuesday (Jan 24-25)  Jarle Aarlebakke, rector of the University of Tromsø will host a UArctic mini-seminar, "Structural Changes in Higher Education across the Circumpolar North" for university leaders. UArctic's Membership and Nominations committee will also organize a meeting during the conference.

The University of the Arctic will have an information booth in the conference area together with the poster exhibits. Be sure to stop by to learn more about current UArctic activities.

The three main issues of the conference were: Sustainable Management of Living Resources in the Arctic; Cooperation on Education and Research - the legacy of IPY; and the Consequences of the Melting Ice.

The 9th Conference of Arctic Parliamentarians was attended by over 130 representatives from the national parliaments of the Arctic states and the European Parliament; observers from governments and inter-parliamentary organizations; as well as representatives from Indigenous organisations, the University of the Arctic, and other relevant international organizations.

In the Final Conference Statement, the elected representatives of CPAR have given UArctic their support to strengthen education, enhance understanding of traditional forms of knowledge, help open dialogue between th science community and policy makers, and increase circumpolar student and staff mobility.
© Photo European Union.

For example, in discussions on the Sustainable Management of Living Resources in the Arctic; Danish MP Sofia Rossen (Inuit Ataqatigiit party), noted that the sustainable hunting of seals and whales is "an essential part of Arctic society which attracts international attention" and urged that hunters and researchers work together on this issue. Thus leading to the adoption of statement clause #4 [Commissioning the University of the Arctic to strengthen education, including traditional knowledge, related to the sustainable hunting of marine mammals and establish a network between educational institutions in this field, as well as increase the number of grants to PhD fellowships and research into marine mammals].

In his presentation to conference participants, UArctic's President, Lars Kullerud highlighted the important role that education and outreach have as IPY legacies, while  underlining the challenges in disseminating the knowledge from IPY out to a broader audience, including northern communities.

Furthermore, he urged all Arctic parliamentarians to actively engage their respective governments in supporting education and research activities that will help address the needs and challenges facing the peoples and communities in the north.


Participating in the conference were members of UArctic's Board of Governors, who's Chair, Barry Scherr, said that "UArctic has had well functioning partnerships with Arctic governments’ right from its founding, and these strong links were in evidence here. This conference and its final statement demonstrate that Arctic Parliaments are committed to supporting higher education and research in the Arctic. We are extremely pleased with these partnerships and the outcomes of this conference, but must continue to generate the support needed to create capacity building instruments that will help give the region a sustainable future."

© Photo European Union.

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