Canadian Circumpolar Institute
The University of Alberta is proud of the special relationship that history and geography have given it with the North. On September 11, 1987, University of Alberta senators attended a meeting in Yellowknife to discuss ways to improve the University’s relationship to the North. The University is proud of the contributions of its scientists and researchers make to northern welfare and development and continues to encourage new northern research and initiatives.
Original: History Trails
New text brings First Nations history into the classroom
A new textbook, A Concise History of Canada's First Nations, has been developed through the Canadian Circumpolar Institute to provide junior high and high school students across the country with a textbook of Canada's aboriginal peoples. The book was adapted from a larger book by Olive Dickason, Canada's First Nations: A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times, which was too complex for use in classrooms. It was published by Oxford University Press and the CCI Press at the University of Alberta is a distributor.
Original: ExpressNews
In spite of the importance of the land area that is considered Canada's North, there are only a few dedicated academic and applied northern research institutes. Formerly known as the Boreal Institute, the Canadian Circumpolar Institute (CCI) was established July 1, 1990. Based at the University of Alberta, the Boreal Institute began in the early 1960s and developed a 30-year tradition of excellence in northern research.
The Canadian Circumpolar Institute is the centre for northern research at the University of Alberta and serves northern peoples, students, academics, government, industry, and the general public.
CCI primarily promotes and supports communication, participation, scholarship, and research on northern Canada and other circumpolar nations. It coordinates stakeholders and resources, creates networks, and answers calls for research.
Polar Access, CCI's monthly newsletter, reaches over 600 local, national, and international subscribers. Polar Access reports on CCI activities; international, national, and regional news and events; research initiatives; funding and professional opportunities; book reviews; and conference and workshop announcements.
The Institute also manages an interactive site called Circumpolar Café. Circumpolar Café provides:
- Memberships (including personal profiles of members of the network)
- CCI Press Books in Print Catalogue (including descriptions and ordering information)
- Polar Access Newsletters (current and archived)
- Northern News Service
- Circumpolar Conferences Calendar (updated monthly)
- Discussion groups and networking opportunities
- Notices of CCI and University of Alberta events
- News Releases
- Document repository
- Archives
CCI grants and contract-funded research are generally based on specific issues such as community-based programs, strategic partnering, cooperative efforts, adaptive management, and sustainable development. Central research themes include the environment, resources, politics, health, land use, economics, social policy, and peoples of the North.
CCI also supports investigator-driven research or applied programs of associates, faculty, and senior undergraduate and graduate students. The Institute also encourages research and applied programs that contribute to the development of strategic opportunities through seed funding.
The Circumpolar Students' Association provides students with network and event opportunities while promoting cooperative research. Student members of the Association are able to exchange ideas and share experiences with students in other disciplines.
CCI has an academic/scholarly press which emphasizes peer-reviewed publishing and strives for uniformity and quality in the series produced. The program publishes monographs, occasional papers, annotated bibliographies, literature reviews, and research reports. Thirty-five titles have been produced since 1990.
Founded and supported by CCI, the Canadian Circumpolar Collection (CCC) is an integral component of the Science & Technology Division of the University of Alberta Libraries. This library collection, composed of well over 300,000 items, is recognized internationally as a major information resource on northern Canada and the circumpolar world.
For more information about the Canadian Circumpolar Institute, please visit its website.