Canada cuts Funding for University of the Arctic
The Canadian government has cut three quarters of the University of the Arctic’s budget, forcing the organization to scale down its operations in Canada.
The funding cut — from a total of more than $700,000 down to about $150,000 — means Canada will lose the office it hosted at the University of Saskatchewan, which was staffed by University of the Arctic’s dean of undergraduate studies, Hayley Hesseln, CBC reports.
University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a cooperative network of universities, colleges, and other organizations committed to higher education and research in the North. UArctic has more than 140 member institutions in all eight Arctic states. The members share resources, facilities, and expertise to build post-secondary education programs that are relevant and accessible to northern students.
The reason for the Canadian federal government’s cut is that the three territorial governments have never chipped in any of their own cash, which was a condition for long-term federal commitment.
The cuts are renewing debate in Canada about how to bring much-needed training, skills and human development to northerners. None of the world’s 50 universities located north of the 60th parallel is in Canada.
