Mansfield University Home PageA Statement Issued by the System Canadian Studies Collaborative Committee Harrisburg, PA, February 10, 1995
Our vision is based on a number of beliefs. First of all, we believe in the necessity of preparing Pennsylvanians for an increasingly globalized Twenty-first Century. We believe in the increased internationalizing of what we teach, how we teach, and where we teach. We believe in the efficacy of linkages between disciplines and universities--both within the System and across state and national borders. We believe the study of Canada to be a critical element in the education of the next generation of leaders, providing a significant, practical, compelling, and accessible avenue for augmenting the international dimension of the curriculum, the faculty, and the students--and thus for understanding global interdependence.
Therefore our vision is of System-wide recognition of the importance of the study of Canada. This recognition should manifest itself in a variety of ways throughout the System: in the increased number and kind of Canadian content courses; in the integration of Canadian content in existing courses where a Canadian perspective is edifying; in campus and System support for faculty and students engaging in professional development and research projects in Canadian subjects, as well as support for other Canadian studies activities and organizations.
Our vision also includes effective System-wide implementation of the Canadian Studies Collaborative designated by the Chancellor's office in 1994. It is the long-range goal of the Collaborative to create within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education a major Center for the Study of Canada which will have national and international recognition. One aspect of this goal, the Canadian Studies Resource Center, has been operational at Mansfield University since September 1994.
Functioning in part as a "clearing house" for Canadian economic and trade information, the Canadian Studies Resource Center will become a link between Canada and Pennsylvania. The Center will conduct seminars, workshops, and conferences for business and education; provide in-service programs for public schools; maintain a bureau of speakers, exhibits, and performance programs for the System; and facilitate student internships and faculty and student exchanges with Canadian universities. The Center will also sponsor or promote Canada-based projects across the disciplines--for example, archaeological research in the Yukon, geological studies in Newfoundland, cultural field trips to Quebec, traveling intrasystem art exhibits and theatrical performances, and comparative economics, government, or health care studies.
The vision of a comprehensive System-wide Canadian Studies initiative requires the support of various stakeholders, not the least of which are students, parents, and faculty. But there is also government and private enterprise. We therefore plan to work in partnership with state government and business leaders to match the educational strengths of the System to the economic needs of the state, thus expanding trade between Canada and Pennsylvania. With the continued encouragement of the Chancellor's Office and the faculty and chief academic officers of System universities, we expect Mansfield to continue to take the lead in developing Canadian Studies for the System.
Finally, we hope to establish an operating base in Canada for the convenience of faculty, students, and businesses needing short-term accommodations for academic and economic activities: a "Pennsylvania House."
(Revised and edited 2/19/95)
