Collège Nordique helps strengthen collaboration among Northern institutions within UArctic

At the end of February, Patrick Arsenault, Executive Director of Collège Nordique, travelled to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to take part in a meeting of the Canadian Northern Members Network of the University of the Arctic (UArctic).

The meeting brought together representatives from post-secondary institutions across Northern Canada to strengthen collaboration, share the realities experienced within their institutions, and reflect on potential joint initiatives for the future. Organizations present included Aurora College, Nunavut Arctic College, Yukon University, University College of the North, and Memorial University.

Amplifying the voice of Northern institutions

Northern institutions share several common challenges. Geographic isolation, high costs, housing shortages, and high staff turnover are among the realities that affect their ability to fully participate in national and international initiatives.

During the meeting, participants highlighted that these constraints can sometimes limit smaller institutions’ access to certain opportunities.

“In many networks, institutions that are better funded and located closer to major centres naturally have more resources to participate in projects and discussions. For Northern institutions, every trip requires significantly more effort and resources,” Patrick explains.

To help address this reality, the organizations involved are working to structure a collaborative group of Canadian Northern UArctic members in order to better coordinate their efforts and ensure their priorities are heard.

Building a framework for future collaboration

The meeting in Newfoundland provided an opportunity to continue work that began during previous discussions aimed at defining a framework for collaboration among these organizations.

Discussions focused on:

• shared challenges related to the organizational capacity of Northern institutions
• priorities in education, research, and community engagement
• ways to strengthen collaboration between geographically distant institutions
• how to better represent Northern realities in international initiatives

These conversations also helped lay the groundwork for a reference document defining the objectives and functioning of the group in order to support future collaboration.

A project to strengthen the capacity of Northern institutions

One of the concrete outcomes of the meeting is the development of a joint project supported by $40,000 in funding for Northern member institutions, aimed at strengthening their capacity to collaborate and participate in UArctic initiatives.

This funding specifically targets smaller Northern organizations facing significant challenges related to distance, limited resources, and organizational capacity. The goal is to enable institutions to come together, exchange practices, and develop shared approaches to better address Northern realities.

Among the ideas discussed, the one that generated the most interest is the organization of a multi-day collaborative event in Yellowknife. This gathering will bring Northern institutions together around several shared themes and provide a space for meaningful exchange among teams.

The proposed concept is to host activities across several local institutions, including Aurora College and Collège Nordique, allowing participants to explore the different approaches and areas of expertise within each organization.

Discussions would focus on issues shared by Northern institutions, including collaboration between institutions, organizational capacity development, Northern languages, governance, and learning approaches adapted to the realities of the North.

Such an initiative would not only strengthen relationships among organizations, but also better equip teams to develop future collaborative projects across the North.

Growing recognition for Northern initiatives

The creation of this working group represents an important step for Northern institutions seeking to strengthen their presence within international research and education networks.

“It’s encouraging to see that our realities and priorities are being recognized. Being able to sit down together and discuss collaboration—especially around languages and issues specific to the North—is an important step forward,” Patrick notes.

While in St. John’s, Patrick also took the opportunity to present the International Forum on the Preservation and Promotion of Indigenous and Minority Languages, recently organized by Collège Nordique in Yellowknife, helping to continue discussions on these issues within the UArctic network.

Collège Nordique would like to thank UArctic for its support and for including the institution in this collaborative group of Northern organizations.

These exchanges help strengthen connections among Northern institutions and advance collective initiatives that benefit Northern communities.

Published on March 16th 2026