UNE reaches exchange agreement with Icelandic Universities

UNE's Barry Costa-Pierce shakes hands with Erla Björk Örnólfsdóttir and Eyjólfur Guðmundsson

The University of New England is proud to announce a new partnership that builds on the university’s commitment to undergraduate and graduate education, research and economic development in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions. UNE and two higher education institutions in Iceland, the University of Akureyri and Holar University College, signed an agreement last week during the 2016 Arctic Circle Assembly. 

The agreement opens up opportunities to develop new undergraduate exchanges, travel and other courses, the development of innovative international Masters’ Degree programs and new cooperative marine research and entrepreneurship. The agreement will also strengthen UNE’s existing partnerships with the Iceland Ocean Cluster House, the New England Ocean Cluster, the Maine North Atlantic Development Office and its many marine business partners.

The agreement was signed at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland on October 8, 2016 by Vice President of Global Affairs and Communications Anouar Majid on behalf of UNE President Danielle Ripich, Rector of the University of Akureyri Eyjolfur Gudmundsson and Rector of Holar University College Erla Bjork Ornolfsdottir.

“Our partnerships in Iceland are another opportunity for our students and faculty to explore areas of critical interest, especially in the marine economy," said Vice President Majid. “The island nation is the gateway to a part of the world that is getting a lot of attention from the world community."

Professor Barry A. Costa-Pierce, director of UNE’s Center of Excellence in the Marine Sciences, Dean of the Akureyri School of Business and Science Ögmundur Knútsson and Holar Professor of Aquaculture and Fish Physiology Helgi Thorarensen helped to negotiate the agreement, which was spurred on by new trade agreements between Maine and Iceland forged by the Icelandic shipping company Eimskip.

At the signing ceremony, Professor Costa-Pierce said, “At UNE we don’t do paper agreements. I assure you that this is a tool with teeth. We are part now of an Iceland/USA North Atlantic family that looks toward the North as our greatest opportunity. I’m committed to working with all of you to develop programs important for the next generation of global leaders in this rapidly changing region.”

To learn more about the University of New England’s College of Arts and Sciences, visit www.une.edu/cas

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions

Read more from the Portland Press Herald and MaineBiz, Maine Public and Seacoast Online.

Read the press release from Holar University College. 

Watch Barry Costa-Pierce in an interview about aquaculture on Icelandic TV.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.