February 8, 2005 for immediate release

The creation of an International Academic Office at UNBCwill enhance UNBC’s role in the University of the Arctic,a unique partnership among northern colleges and universities to expand global accessto post-secondary education.

The UArctic is a partnership among more than 70 northerncolleges, universities, and research institutes. Although it lacks its ownphysical campus, the UArctic offers courses through its partners – either onthe campuses of those institutions or via the Internet. Credits are earnedtowards completing a Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies, a program consisting ofcourses about the lands, peoples, and issues of the circumpolar world, withspecial emphasis on the North’s indigenous peoples. There are currentlystudents in Scandinavia, Russia, Finland,Canada, and the United States.

TheInternational Academic Office (IAO) at UNBC will coordinate allof the student records for the UArctic, regardless of where thestudents arestudying. The Office will also keep track of which courses at thepartnercolleges/universities are transferable to the Bachelor of CircumpolarStudies. Pictured at left is Diana Thomson, who is staffing the IAO atUNBC.

Three representatives of the UArctic will be at UNBC onTuesday, February 8 to announce the expansion of services at UNBC. LarsKullerud (UArctic Director) and Outi Snellman (Head of the UArctic Secretariat)will be joined by former UNBC professor Greg Poelzer, who is Dean of theBachelor of Circumpolar Studies program. They will be available for mediainterviews at 2:30pm, immediately before a public presentation about theUArctic for faculty and students.

The UArctic visit is being coordinated with the WinterOpportunities Summit in Prince George.