June 10, 1996 For Immediate Release

Doug Nord, Dean, Faculty of Management and Administration (604) 960-5700
Previously a Fulbright Professor at Petrosavodsk State University, his expertise includes Russian - North American Relations.

Greg Poelzer, professor, Political Science (604) 960-6636
Since 1991, he has made annual trips to Russia. He has published on Russian Northern Development and Russian Aboriginal Issues, and is co-editor of Polar Geography and Geology, a journal on the Russian North. He also has expertise on Russian Politics.

John Young, professor, Political Science (604) 960-5514
A recipient of a $212,000 grant to help implement local government reform in Siberia, he focuses on how the central government is downloading the responsibility for service provision to local governments. He also has expertise in Russian Politics, Political Parties, and Russian Federalism.

One of the academic themes of the University of Northern British Columbia is Northern Studies, and the University has developed expertise on Russian issues. Some recent developments include:

• At the end of May, UNBC hosted a workshop focusing on aboriginal issues in the North. Requested by the Russian State Committee on the North, a dozen delegates came from Russia.
• About 15 UNBC students will be going to Moscow for the month of July for a course on Post-Soviet Russian Politics.
• UNBC has exchange agreements with Petrozavodsk State University in northwestern Russia and Yakutsk State University in Siberia. There are currently five UNBC students at PSU and a pair of Russian students will be attending UNBC in September.