Arctic Education Alliance will grow education capacity in Greenland
December 1, 2020
Jeff Richardson
907-474-6284
The Arctic Education Alliance, a new education partnership between organizations and
universities in Greenland and the United States, will build vocational education programs
that support sustainable tourism, hospitality, and land and fisheries management in
Greenland.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Greenland Climate Research Centre at the
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (Pinngortitaleriffik) will lead the effort.
Other participants include the University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik), Pennsylvania
State University, the University of Southern Maine and Victoria Qutuuq Buschman, the
partnership’s Indigenous knowledge and conservation advisor. The Arctic Education
Alliance is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State through a cooperative agreement
for approximately $1.8 million, awarded through a competitive process to UAF.
The Arctic Education Alliance aims to foster collaboration between education communities
in the United States and Greenland, as well as expand mutual educational and economic
opportunities. Identifying additional partner organizations in the Greenlandic and
circum-Arctic tourism, natural resource management, and education sectors is the first
step in the process. These partners will work together to assess industry and vocational
education needs within Greenland, develop a plan to build educational capacity to
meet those needs, and create curricula to support those efforts. The project will
also feature an exchange program to bring Greenlandic students and higher education
faculty members to Alaska to participate in workshops with partner organizations.
The two-year project includes a sustainability plan to maintain collaboration after
the initial program is complete and to ensure that Greenland and the United States
realize lasting benefits from the project.
The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and UAF are well-established institutions
in Arctic science and education. The institute studies Arctic ecosystems, advising
the Government of Greenland and other authorities on sustainable use of living resources
while safeguarding the environment. Along with a strong commitment to Arctic science,
UAF adds its experience in tribal management, fisheries research and Indigenous cultural
programs.
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Byron Bluehorse, University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Rural and Community Development,
907-474-1580, bdbluehorse@alaska.edu; Lene Kielsen Holm, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources Greenland Climate Research
Centre, +299 361200, info@natur.gl