A Northern Collaboration Continues: New Agreement Between Université de Hearst and Collège Nordique

From top left to bottom right: Elsa St-Onge, Daniel Fauchon, Francis Giguère, Manon Cyr, Isabelle Gagnon-Birch, Patrick Arsenault, and Aurélie Lacassagne.

Hearst, March 25, 2025 — Université de Hearst and Collège Nordique are proud to announce the renewal of their partnership agreement, officially signed on March 24, 2025, in Hearst, Ontario. This new agreement reflects the success of the initial collaboration established in 2022, which contributed to the visibility of both institutions and played a key role in Collège Nordique’s accreditation process.

This partnership, originally focused on offering joint courses, has enabled Université de Hearst to provide an enriching experience for students who took a course in Yellowknife. Meanwhile, Collège Nordique has strengthened its teaching expertise, demonstrating its ability to meet the standards of an accredited postsecondary institution. The official accreditation, granted in September 2024, marks a major step forward for French-language education in the region.

Key Areas of Cooperation

Built on a shared vision of French-language education in a northern environment, this renewed collaboration covers, among other aspects, student and faculty mobility, joint research, curriculum development, and the exchange of pedagogical and administrative expertise.

As part of this framework agreement, both institutions are committed to implementing an annual work plan that will lead to the development of more specific agreements for each area of cooperation, further strengthening the synergy between them.

Statements from the Institutions

"Our two institutions have distinguished themselves through their ability to innovate. Thanks to our initial agreement, we learned to work together and implement new initiatives that have had positive impacts on both of our institutions. I am delighted to see this collaboration expanding and growing stronger."
— Mr. Patrick Arsenault, Executive Director of Collège Nordique

"Université de Hearst is delighted to renew its partnership with Collège Nordique through this framework agreement, which will allow us to develop fruitful collaborations across all our areas of activity. We already have strong ties between our two institutions, and this is an excellent opportunity to reinforce them. We share many commonalities: our francophone mission, our remote locations, our northern identity, our human-scale size, and our deep awareness of our responsibilities toward the First Peoples who welcome us on their territories. These factors greatly facilitate cooperation."
— Ms. Aurélie Lacassagne, Rector of Université de Hearst

Patrick Arsenault and Aurélie Lacassagne