Arctic Education Alliance will grow education capacity in Greenland

December 1, 2020

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