Each year, the Center welcomes newly awarded Corbett Exchange Scholars and sends off our departing students with a reception that brings them together with our patrons, Gary and Consuelo Corbett, representatives from the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle, and staff and administrators from the Canadian Studies Center and the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.
This year, COVID-19 upended the exchange experience for several of our students and forced them to return home early. Instead of our planned reception, we held a virtual cross-border workshop to continue their education and understanding of the region in which we live.
Three expert speakers joined us via Zoom to give overviews of key issues in the Canada-U.S. cross-border region. Robert Kerr, political and economic consul with the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle spoke to the economic relationship between our two countries. Steven Myers, a senior program manager with the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region gave an overview of the role of local, state, and provincial governments on national and global policies between Canada and the U.S., particularly in relation to the Arctic, and explained that region’s importance to the Pacific Northwest. The workshop ended with Laurie Trautman, director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University, who gave an excellent talk about the Cascadia region more specifically.
All of the new Corbett Scholars were able to join for most or all of the workshop, and felt that they had a better understanding of this unique cross-border region at the end. To read more about our 2020-21 Corbett Scholars, click here.
View the workshop recordings here
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The Corbett British Columbia-Washington International Exchange Program Fund provides an opportunity for undergraduate students at the University of Washington to spend two semesters at the University of British Columbia or University of Victoria; and for students from the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria to spend three quarters at the University of Washington.