UNE delegation strengthens partnerships and explores new collaborations at Arctic Circle Assembly

A five-member delegation from the University of New England recently returned from a successful trip to the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík, Iceland.

The event is the largest annual international gathering in the Arctic, attended by more than 2,000 participants from 60 countries interested in the future of the region. Attendees included government officials, business executives, scientists and leaders of academic institutions.

“It was exciting to talk with representatives of Iceland, Greenland, Sweden, Scotland and other places that are truly invested in wanting to make connections, work together and share resources,” explained Joshua Hamilton, Ph.D., UNE provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “They look to us as a really important partner.”

Hamilton said he was struck by the feeling of goodwill at the assembly. He encountered many people who wanted to make tangible connections.

“A lot of the business was done in the hallways and over lunch,” he noted. “We sat down with people and said, ‘what can we actually do together?’ That was my takeaway, that people are willing to sit down and do the work.”

The delegation’s mission was to deepen partnerships that UNE already has in the North Atlantic and to explore new collaborations.

“Part of UNE’s new strategic plan is to build meaningful relationships around the world,” explained UNE President James Herbert. “Attending the Arctic Circle Assembly gives us the chance to make connections that will lead to increased opportunities for our students to build their global knowledge and expertise.”

The University strengthened its partnership with two Icelandic universities, signing an agreement with the University of Akureyri and Hólar College.

The agreement details how UNE’s new Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in Ocean Food Systems will align and collaborate with the Icelandic universities’ master degrees in sustainable production and use of marine bioresources.

“The agreement will allow UNE students enrolled in the PSM to do their master’s projects on topics of importance to the United States, Maine, Iceland and the North Atlantic region,” stated Barry Costa-Pierce, Ph.D., executive director of UNE NORTH. “It will enable them to develop a unique network with international students, an invaluable experience for life-long learning.”

Beneficial discussions were also held with Reykjavik University about starting a partnership.

“We had started talks last year,” Hamilton stated. “This year we had really productive conversations and discussed details about how we could exchange students.”

Hamilton sees UNE students benefiting from Reykjavik University’s engineering program, while their students can take advantage of UNE’s strong health and marine science programs.

“The opportunities for our students are phenomenal,” he said. “For them to go abroad to Iceland or one of the other Scandinavian countries is a remarkable experience. We need to prepare our students to be part of a global environment.”

Increasing cooperation in research, natural resources and economic development were also topics of discussion at the assembly.

The UNE delegation joined more than 30 other Mainers for the trip, including Governor Paul LePage.

"The size of this year's delegation illustrates Maine's serious commitment to expanding our presence and strengthening relationships with partners in the Arctic region,” LePage stated in a news release.

Hamilton said the representation of Maine at the assembly sent a strong message to people attending.

“It was very dramatic to see all these key players there from Maine,” he remarked. “The message was, we’re a team and we really do want to make these connections.”