News Release

New Canada-US Fulbright Research Chair at UW

Attracts Senior B.C. Government Official

Fulbrighter to explore cross-border cooperation and dispute resolution as means of

increasing North America’s global competitiveness

(Ottawa - June 8, 2006) Michael Hawes, Executive Director of the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States, announced the first-ever recipient of the new Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Canadian Studies at the University of Washington. Dr. Sukumar Periwal, Director of International Relations for British Columbia’s Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat, will take up the Fulbright Chair at UW’s main campus in Seattle.

“Cross-border collaboration and effective mechanisms for dispute resolution are central to ensuring North America’s competitiveness in the global economy,” said Michael K. Hawes, Executive Director of the Foundation for Educational Exchange. “As both a scholar and a practitioner, Dr. Periwal is in the ideal position to contribute in important ways to this pursuit. I am pleased to welcome him into the worldwide community of Fulbright scholars.”

Canada-US relations are central to Periwal’s professional work and academic interests. Periwal is particularly interested in building and strengthening regional relations with neighbouring US states and will assess cross-border cooperation and dispute resolution in the Pacific North West. Periwal’s Fulbright research at UW will advance innovative strategies for increasing North America’s global competitiveness. Periwal, who will be housed in the Canadian Studies Center of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, will also work closely with graduate students on their comparative research in Canada-US policy.

“I am very honoured to be selected for the Fulbright chair,” Periwal said. “I hope my research will increase the effectiveness of cooperation across the Canada-US border. I am looking forward to strengthening research and professional links with colleagues in both countries.”

Periwal completed his doctorate in international relations at the University of Oxford and participated in the prestigious Canadian Governor General’s Leadership Conference in 2004. In addition to his work for the BC government, he also frequently facilitates courses at the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Intercultural Communication.

Supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the United States Department of State, and a core group of private sector partners, the Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program attempts to build mutual understanding and promote a deeper and more nuanced knowledge of Canada-US relations by supporting research on contemporary public policy issues relevant to Canada, the United Sates, and the relationship between the two countries.

Recognized as one of the world’s foremost educational exchange programs, the Fulbright Program is active in over 150 countries worldwide. The Canada-US Fulbright Program offers a wide range of exchange opportunities. For more information, please visit www.fulbright.ca.

CONTACT

Amy J. Harvey, Senior Program Officer, The Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program

(613) 688-5512, ajharvey@fulbright.ca