Press-Republican

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
October 27, 2009

Canada renews Plattsburgh State program

By STEPHEN BARTLETT

PLATTSBURGH — There is nothing more important than knowing your neighbor, says Michael Hawes.

The executive director of the Canada/U.S. Fulbright Program joined other education and government officials from Canada and the United States at Plattsburgh State's Center for the Study of Canada to announce the renewal of the CONNECT program.

CONNECT is a collaborative effort between the Center for the Study of Canada and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada that is dedicated to promoting research, teaching and professional development about Canada in the United States.

"The CONNECT program successfully provides an unparalleled platform for identifying, encouraging and, most importantly, sustaining new generations of Canadianists in the United States," said Christopher Kirkey, executive director of CONNECT and director of the Center for the Study of Canada.

THREE MORE YEARS
The Canadian government ensured the renewal of the program through 2012, representing the single largest cumulative investment in the United States by the Canadian government.

"Despite cuts in the budget, we decided to continue funding and even enhanced it a little bit," said John Labrie, deputy director of International Academic Programs, International Education and Youth Division, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada.

"What we hear at Plattsburgh State is really, really, really extraordinary."

ENTICING EDUCATORS
CONNECT, launched in 2003, is a comprehensive outreach initiative designed to promote the growth, development and institutionalization of Canadian studies in the United States.

It is headquartered at the Center for the Study of Canada in Plattsburgh and is considered by many to be the most important effort on record in the U.S. for identifying, orienting and mentoring new scholars interested in Canada/U.S issues.

The program seeks out doctoral candidates and junior professors at American colleges and universities who demonstrate potential for long-term academic engagement on Canada.

"The CONNECT program has been very successful," said Daniel Kolundzic, political and economics relations officer, Consulate General of Canada, based in Buffalo.

Over the past six years, CONNECT has recruited 435 doctoral candidates and professors from 48 states and the District of Columbia. They are working at 196 colleges and universities and represent 66 academic disciplines.

According to a December 2008 survey, which 111 people involved with CONNECT responded to, those individuals offer 119 Canadian content courses nationwide and have published 112 books, book chapters, book reviews and journal articles.

"Each year, we scour the country for people and come up with 500 to 700 candidates," Kirkey said, "and out of them we are looking for who has the potential for sustained engagement. We typically narrow that down to 75 people and put them into the mentoring program."

The CONNECT program started as a conversation on a park bench between Kirkey and co-founder Andre Senecal, a Quebec studies professor at the University of Vermont. Driven by a desire to keep Canadian Studies alive and thriving, the pair established CONNECT.

"I think we are showing we are relevant and delivering," Kirkey said.

E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party 79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service