Webinar UArctic | Small and Northern Colleges: Community Impact, Capacity, and Regional Resilience

Webinar UArctic | Small and Northern Colleges: Community Impact, Capacity, and Regional Resilience

About the event

  • Wednesday, June 24, 2026 
  • 1:30 PM (EDT) 
  • Online (the link will be provided upon registration)

This webinar will bring together an outstanding group of panelists dedicated to this approach across academic, community, and policy contexts:

  • Moderator: Stephen Heal - Senior Affiliated Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Director of Innovation, Frontier Economics, Member UArctic President's Circle
    Sheila Downer ­– Vice-President Northern Community Engagement, UArctic
    Doug Lauvstad – President and Vice-Chancellor, University College of the North
    Jamal Shirley - Director of Innovation and Research and Science Advisor, Nunavut Research Institute, Nunavut Arctic College
    Samuel Valkeapää - Assistant Professor and Prorektor, Sámi University of Applied Sciences

The session will highlight how these institutions support local education, workforce development, Indigenous-led education, language revitalization, culturally grounded learning, and applied research. It will also examine how partnerships with communities, governments, and regional organizations help strengthen local capacity, support community resilience, and advance long-term development across the circumpolar North.


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