University of the Arctic

The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is an international network of universities, colleges and other circumpolar organizations with an interest in promoting coordination regarding education and research in the North. UArctic was launched on June 12 2001, endorsed by the Arctic Council and in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Rovaniemi Process and the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy.

The overall goal of the University of the Arctic is to create a strong, sustainable circumpolar region by empowering indigenous peoples and other northerners through education, mobility and shared knowledge.

Organization and Governance

Member institutions

There are 110 member institutions of UArctic, 85 of which are educational institutions from the 8 Arctic states: Russia, the USA, Canada, Denmark and Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. In addition, the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland is a member. The other institutions are mostly circumpolar indigenous organizations and research institutions.

The Council and Toyon

The Council of the University of the Arctic consists of representatives of all UArctic member institutions. The Council gives strategic guidance on academic priorities, is a forum for cooperation, and has the authority and primary responsibility for the following items.

• Initiating and overseeing program development and delivery
• Prioritizing academic programs within the approved program structure
• Representing UArctic's members in its overall governance.
• Changing the Governance Structure, which is the "constitution" of UArctic.
• Forming standing committees on different issues.
• Electing the Chair of the Council.
• Electing the Board of Governors, where the Chair is an ex officio member.

Issues requiring attention during the intervals between meetings of the Council, are handled by the Executive Committee of the Council - Toyon - which consists of the Chair, the vice-secretary, and the chairs of all standing committees of the Council.

The Board of Governors

UArctic's highest decision-making body is the Board of Governors (Board), which consists of up to 11 individuals who are elected by the Council to serve in their personal capacities and act on behalf of UArctic. At the Board meetings, the President and leader of the International Secretariat also participate. The Board has the authority and primary responsibility for the following items:

• Strategic planning and setting institutional priorities.
• Organizational development and institutional accountability.
• Fundraising, finances, and budgeting (including personnel)
• Public and external relations.
• Electing the President of the University of the Arctic for a three year (renewable) term.

The Board works with the Council and Administration on relevant issues. It may delegate specific tasks on the understanding that the Board maintains ultimate control over and responsibility for these functions.

Administration

The President The President of UArctic is the organization's chief executive officer and is responsible for overall administration and the development and delivery of its programs. S/he is accountable to the Board for the overall management of the University. The President participates ex officio in meetings of the Council, Toyon and the Board; and works closely with these bodies to ensure that programmatic activities are initiated and implemented in a timely manner. The President may form such committees or other subsidiary bodies as s/he deems necessary to carry out the programmatic activities of the University.

The International Secretariat The Secretariat has the primary responsibility for coordinating internal and external information, particularly the production of the monthly UArctic newsletter, Shared Voices, and maintaining the website and news services. The Secretariat provides support for UArctic’s Council, Board of Governors, management, and the Director of UArctic. It is located at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland.

The Rectors' Forum

The Rectors' Forum brings together university and college Presidents, Rectors, Provosts, Chancellors as well as Vice-Presidents around specific themes. The Forum is reserved for institutional leadership and is not intended as an institutional representative forum; the Council of UArctic serves that function. Still, it serves the important function of letting member institutions' top leaders meet to debate the activity of the organization. In UArctic's history two Rectors' Forums have been held, in 2006 and 2008. The latter meeting coincided with the meeting of the Parliamentarians of the Arctic, and was held in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Programs

Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies

The Circumpolar Studies program is an exciting way for students attending University of the Arctic member institutions to learn about the North, with courses held in the classroom, online, outdoors, and around the world.

The Circumpolar Studies program gives you the opportunity to learn about the lands, peoples, and issues of the circumpolar world and prepares you for advanced study or professional employment in fields as diverse as sustainable resource management, self-government, Arctic engineering, and northern tourism. Special emphasis is given to matters concerning Indigenous people of the Circumpolar North. The Circumpolar Studies program consists of two required components: The BCS Core and an Advanced Emphasis.

The BCS Core consists of a single lower-level introductory course and six upper-level advanced courses in three interdisciplinary fields of study. Together, the core enables students to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of the lands, peoples, and critical issues of the circumpolar world. Advanced Emphases are programs of study, roughly equivalent to a semester of schooling, that focus on the advanced research of an area, issue, or problem of particular relevance to the North and for its people.

north2north

The north2north student exchange program provides opportunities for students from UArctic member institutions to experience different northern regions firsthand, and to share experiences face-to-face by allowing students to study at other UArctic institutions.

As a north2north participant, students travel to another circumpolar institution for a period of 3-12 months. This time period is dependent on the needs of the student, as well as the structures of their home and host institutions. Students have the advantage of taking courses that may not be available at their home institution and the courses taken during the exchange year are credited toward your degree. Of course, the value of the knowledge students gain outside the classroom in their new communities is beyond measurement. Successful applicants will receive a mobility grant to facilitate their stay at the host institution.

GoNorth

GoNorth offers opportunities for students from the south to go study at a northern higher education institution and experience life in the Circumpolar North. GoNorth is a two-year Erasmus Mundus project with 12 member institutions of the UArctic. The project partners cooperate to make higher education in the North more visible and accessible worldwide. The result of the Erasmus Mundus project will subsequently be used by UArctic's GoNorth Mobility Program, which aims at recruiting students to higher education institutions in the circumpolar areas.

Studies Catalog

The Studies Catalog is a tool for UArctic programs and members to market and display their northern relevant study opportunity. The catalog will link to already existing online electronic material, updating the information automatically every 24 hours based on the information provided on the web-site of the institution that does the teaching.

Field School

The UArctic Field School incorporates a selection of short, thematically focussed courses that provide training for young researchers at member institutions in relevant fields. The Field School provides specialized study in authentic northern locations organized by northern institutions. The UArctic Field School catalogue is an online database of field excursion courses in which students from UArctic member institutions can participate.

northTREX

Northern Teaching Resources Exchange program, northTREX, provides opportunities for northern teachers to gain circumpolar experiences and perspectives, and strengthens northern institutions' abilities to share faculty resources. The program allows institutions to draw on a circumpolar pool of academic faculty, enabling UArctic partner institutions to enrich their curricular offerings. Mobility in this program normally lasts for less than 3 months. Faculty assignments are usually linked to thematic networks and student exchange in the north2north program.

Northern Research Forum

The Northern Research Forum provides a platform for effective, policy-relevant discussion and the sharing of research on northern issues. Meetings are held biennially with the participation of a wide variety of scientists, policy makers and representatives of other stakeholders.

The purpose of the Northern Research Forum is to promote intensive dialogue among members of the research community and a wide range of other northern stakeholders. This dialogue addresses the critical issues, problems and opportunities facing circumpolar peoples in the context of social and environmental changes and economic globalization. The Forum provides an open meeting for policy-relevant discussion on the role of research in addressing issues of sustainable development, community viability, peace and security, social and environmental policy, and the impacts of global change.

Thematic Networks

UArctic Thematic Networks are independent and thematically focused networks of experts in specific areas of northern relevance. Thematic Networks encourage faculty and institutional cooperation on subjects of shared interest among UArctic members. UArctic Thematic Networks aim at stimulating cooperation, sharing of resources, and are important tools for developing the stable relations among member institutions that form the backbone of UArctic activities. This includes student and faculty exchange, and joint curriculum and degree development as well as research.

A Thematic Network may focus its activities on one or several of the following: research cooperation, knowledge sharing, curriculum development, joint education programs in a specific field, or form the umbrella for UArctic participants in international workgroups. Examples of Thematic Networks includes: UArctic Indigenous Thematic Network on Community-based Natural Resource Co-management; Thematic Network in Arctic Agriculture and Nature Use - the Northern Agriculture PhD Network; Thematic Network on World Images of Indigenous Peoples of the North; Thematic Networks on Indigenous Arts and Crafts; and, Thematic Network on Northern Governance.

Members

Canada

Athabasca University	Aurora College	Grande Prairie Regional College	Lakehead University
Memorial University of Newfoundland	McGill University	Northlands College (Saskatchewan)	Northwest Community College
Nunavut Arctic College	Saint Mary's University	Royal Military College of Canada	University College of the North
University of Northern British Columbia	Université Laval	University of Alberta	University of Manitoba
University of Regina	University of Saskatchewan	University of Winnipeg	Yukon College

Denmark

Roskilde University

University of Greenland

University of Faroe Islands

Finland

Helsinki University of Technology	Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences	Oulu University of Applied Sciences
Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences	Saami Education Institute	University of Helsinki	University of Lapland
University of Oulu	University of Turku	Diakonia University of Applied Sciences
HUMAK University of Applied Sciences

Iceland

Iceland University of Education

University of Akureyri

Norway

Bodø University College	Finnmark University College	Harstad University College	Narvik University College
Northern Feminist University	Northern State Medical University	Sámi University College	Tromsø University College
University Centre in Svalbard	University of Tromsø

Russia

Arkhangelsk State Technical University	Buryat State University	Kamchatka State University of Education
Murmansk Humanities Institute	Murmansk State Pedagogical University	Murmansk State Technical University
Pomor State University	Professional Specialized School No.26	Sakha State University of Russia
Surgut State University	Syktyvkar State University	Technical Institute Yakutsk State University
Ukhta State Technical University	Yakutsk Agricultural Academy

Sweden

Luleå University of Technology	Mid Sweden University
Skeria Utveckling	Umeå University

United States

Dartmouth College	Hunter College
Ilisagvik College	University of Alaska Fairbanks

External links

• University of the Arctic
• Members of the University of the Arctic
• Governance Structure (PDF)