About ACUNS

Overview

For thirty years the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) has successfully promoted the advancement of northern scholarships through its mandate and programs.  Established in 1978, ACUNS is a registered charitable organization operating with an office and part-time Executive Director in Ottawa, and active volunteer representatives at over 40 member institutions across the country.

ACUNS’ governing body is a Council of representatives from each member university, who meet annually to oversee the work of the Association. An elected Executive and Board of Directors are responsible for the activities of the Association between general meetings. As part of the Association’s organization and communications strategy, each member institution appoints an individual as its ACUNS Council representative. Council members receive and distribute information from the Association and, in turn, represent their institution or organization at Association meetings. 

Mandate
Representing a significant resource of academic expertise and experience, the Association plays a key role in training the next generation of northern researchers through a variety of ways.

ACUNS’ mandate is to:

• represent the interests of member universities and colleges by encouraging government and private sector policies and practices that support northern scholarship;

• initiate programs to increase public awareness of northern studies and research in Canada; 

• establish mechanisms through which resources can be allocated to member universities and colleges for the purpose of increasing knowledge of the North and ensures an appropriate number of trained and skilled northern scientists, managers, and educators;

• enhance opportunities for northern people, particularly indigenous northerners, to become leaders and promoters of excellence in education and research matters important to the North;

• facilitate, through conferences, seminars, research and other methods, the understanding and resolution of Arctic issues; and

• co-operate with other public, private, and international organizations concerned with the advancement, application, and impact of northern scholarship.
  

ACUNS Board of Directors

President

Dr. Robert C. Bailey, Vice President Academic and Research, Professor of Biology, Cape Breton University

Vice-President

Dr. Peter Geller, Academic Governance Officer, Grant MacEwan University

Secretary Treasurer

Mr. Michael Goodyear Executive Director Churchill Northern Studies Centre

Directors

	Dr. Hugo Asselin Professor, Humanities and Social Development, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
	Dr. Monique Bernier Co-Director, Centre d’études nordiques (CEN) & Professor, Remote Sensing Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Eau, Terre et Environnement

	Dr. Marianne Douglas, Director, Canadian Circumpolar Institute & Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta
	Dr. Frédéric Laugrand, Professor, Director of CIERA, Department of Anthropology, Université Laval
	Dr. Gary Wilson, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Northern British Columbia