U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I Cwww.uarctic.orgGraphic Design Veli-Pekka Laitinen

University of the Arctic University of the Arctic

Annual Report 2005 Annual Report 2005 ‘

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

Members

Members by Latitude

Canada 25

Den./Grn 3

Finland 9

Iceland 3

Norway 13

Russia 23

Sweden 5

USA 8

Total 90

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

Membership

Member Involvement in UArctic Programs

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Programs

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Open Learning

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Field SchoolCoordinators

PhD NetworksGrowth in UArctic Membership 2001-2006

• 90 members throughout the Circumpolar north (61 higher education institutions)

• The annual Council of the University of the Arctic meeting for 2005 was held in Oulu, Finland, in May

104 2006

“You always change. All experiences change you. You see you can manage living in a different country. It’s easier when you get home. You appreciate life back home.”

Camilla Persson, north2north exchange student, UNBC Prince George Canada 2004-2005, Sweden

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

north2north

• 2005/2006 academic year :11 percent increase in student exchanges from previous year

• Exchange numbers well balanced by country

• Eighty percent of the students were in the age range 20-26 years

• Two annual north2north partnership meetings held in 2005 (Kemi, Finland and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada)

• Norway supported 38 exchanges, Finland had 30, Sweden had 14 exchanges, Iceland had 8, Canada had 9 and United States supported 2 exchanges for the north2north program, Russia sent 40 supported by National Agencies in reception country

Number of Students in north2north by Academic Year, 2002/03 – 2005/06

Year Number

2002-03 16

2003-04 30

2004-05 89

2005-06 101

Total: 236

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

Circumpolar Studies

• Student course enrolments: from 66 in 2002 to 730 in 2005; 1271 total students course enrolments since 2002

• Online delivery: 136 students registered for online BCS delivery in 2005; 39 of indigenous descent

• Development of Circumpolar Studies Teaching Consortium: 9 institutions committed to teaching 10 courses for the next three academic years

• Development of On-Line Advanced Emphases started:Climate ChangeAboriginal Public AdministrationNorthern Policy and GovernanceLocal Government Training

• Onsite Delivery• Yukon College• Lakehead University• University of Lapland• University of Saskatchewan• University of Northern BC• Bodø University College• University of Manitoba

Year Student Course Enrolments

2002 66

2003 98

2004 377

2005 730

Total 1271

“I am learning things that I could have read in a book, but it’s more interesting to learn from my classmates.”

Bengt Thorkildsen, Finnmark University College, Norway

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

GoNorth!

The GoNorth! Program offers the opportunity for all types of students (exchange students, degree seeking students and free movers) studying in the South to study at partner institutions in the Circumpolar North.

• The GoNorth program was approved at the Council of UArctic in Oulu in May 2005

• GoNorth! project received a 280 277 euro grant over two years from Erasmus Mundus with University of Tromsø in the lead in September 2005

Project Partners:• Finnmark University College

• Luleå University of Technology Murmansk Humanities Institute

• Roskilde University

• Scandinavian Seminar Group

• Syktyvkar State University

• University of Alaska Fairbanks

• University of Lapland

• University of Northern British Columbia

• University of Oulu

• University Center in Svalbard

• University of Tromso

‘I know that there is so much knowledge about where I am from that I don’t know. That’s what inspired me to take the Circumpolar Studies Program.’

Sarabeth Burns, BCS Student, Nunavut, Canada

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

Thematic Networks

University of the Arctic (UArctic) 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.

• Thematic Networks Coordination Office established in Thule Institute of the University of Oulu, Finland

• Four Thematic Networks established in 2005:

• The Verdde Programme (Sámi University College)• UArctic Indigenous Thematic Network on community based natural resource co-management (Sámi University

College)• UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Medicine (University of Oulu)• UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Agriculture and Nature Use (University of Tromsø)

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

Online Course Catalogue

• May 2005 - full implementation of course catalogue endorsed at the Council of UArctic meeting in Oulu Finland.

•  Summer 2005- MoU created with UNEP to designate part of the catalogue for courses on sustainable development.

•  December 2005 - Invitations sent out to selected UArctic member institutions to join the course catalogue. A marketing strategy and brochure are also created for the catalogue launch.

•  June 2006 - Scheduled launch for UArctic Course Catalogue

Lars KullerudDirector, University of the Arctic

Eystein MarkussonChair of Catalogue Steering Committee, Svalbard

‘The UArctic Online Course Catalogue gives students from all over the world improved access to courses in and about the North! It will greatly improve the ability of students to go across borders and latitude to get a northern perspective.’

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

IPY

• UArctic’s IPY Coordination office set up at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

• UArctic’s IPY project proposal “The University of the Arctic: Providing Higher Education and Outreach Programs for the International Polar Year”accepted: UArctic endorsed by the IPY joint committee as an IPY project

• UArctic the Lead for the cluster on Arctic Higher Education and Outreach

• UArctic has a seat on the IPY Education and Outreach sub-committee and 2 UArctic members also have a seat (Univ. Greenland and Centre for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North)

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

ICARP

• The second International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP II) held in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 10-12, 2005.

• UArctic Director Lars Kullerud Chair for Working Group 11 – Arctic Science in the Public Interest

• WG 11 developed the ICARP WG 11 Science Plan and led a discussion on it in a session at ICARP II, with Chris Soutchott as lead author

•The Science plan highlighted the need for a serious review of how science interacts with the society it is supposed to serve, further

• A major issue highlighted in ICARP II was the need for more educational outreach within the scientific community: a clear mandate for UArctic

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

UArctic and Global Change

• Development of Circumpolar Studies Advanced emphasis on Arctic Climate Change with strong indigenous involvement and leadership

• Nordic Council of Ministers grant the UArctic Thematic Network on Global Change 500 000 DKK in funding (annually, for three years in January 2006; broad circumpolar representation in Thematic Network

• Goal to quickly identify Global change knowledge gaps in curriculum in UArctic member institutions on all levels and develop curriculum based on ACIA and other global change research results

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• Coordination through 10 offices around the Circumpolar North

• Three new offices established in 2005: Thematic Networks, International Polar Year, UArctic Press

UArctic as an OrganisationU N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

1 UArctic Director Office, Norway

2 UArctic International Secretariat, Finland

3 UArctic International Academic Office, Canada

4 UArctic Press Editorial Office, Canada

5 UArctic north2north International Coordination Office, Norway

6 UArctic Undergraduate Studies Office, Canada

7 UArctic Field School Office, Norway

8 UArctic Northern Research Forum Secretariat, Iceland

9 UArctic Thematic Networks Coordination Office, Finland

10 IPY Coordination Office, USA

U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E A R C T I C

Information Services and Communication

• UArctic website is currently being redesigned, scheduled to be launched in the summer 2006

• Website received 2,045,301 hits in 2005; with a daily average of 5603 hits

• Improved news service

• University of the Arctic’s monthly newsletter, Shared Voices, is currently distributed to approximately 1800 users

• Twelve editions of Shared Voices were circulated in 2005, and three special print editions

• New general UArctic promotional materials were produced for several UArctic programs (GoNorth, Thematic Networks, UArctic Catalogue)

• The International Secretariat commenced work on a new, consistent visual appearance for UArctic orinted publications and website

• Strategic Plan 2005-2010 printed