| Summary: | The University of the Arctic was officially launched in Rovaniemi, Finland, in conjunction with the first Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council meeting under Finland’s chairmanship and the 10th anniversary of the Rovaniemi process on June 12, 2001. Over 200 people celebrated the launch of the new University. The event was hosted by Maija Rask, Finland’s Minister of Education, who took the opportunity to invite all Arctic governments to work hard to investigate collaborative ways to fund the University of the Arctic and its programs. The launch marked the shift from planning of governance structures and programs to the implementation of programs. The first two years of operation for the University of the Arctic has meant real students, real programs, and a growing enthusiasm and expectation of more to come for those students. The first evaluations of the University of the Arctic’s pilot programs have been conducted. They show that the early enthusiasts were right in saying that we do need structural solutions to address the need for truly Circumpolar education that takes the needs of the primary client group to heart.
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