23 February 2012
[ As Posted on Fiddlehead Focus ]
FORT KENT – The University of Maine at Fort Kent will play a major role in the organization of the scientific and intellectual conferences to be held during the Congrès Mondial Acadien/World Acadian Congress, which Acadia of the Lands and Forests will host throughout August 2014.
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LAYING FOUNDATIONS – Members of the CMA conference organization committee came together in December to lay the foundation of the intellectual conferences. The committee consists of professors and researchers from UMFK, Université de Moncton, campus d’Edmundston (UMCE), and the L’Université du Québec à Rimouski campus (UQAR). Members of the committee shown here are, seated (l to r), Dr. Nicole Boudreau, assistant professor of French, UMFK, Jacques Paul Couturier, academic vice-president UMCE, and Éric Mathieu Doucet, director of the National Society of Acadia. Standing are (l to r) Marie-Élaine Lebel, adjunct professor of French, UMCE, Jean-René Thuot, professor of history, UQAR, Léo Paul Charest, executive director CMA, Nicole Lang, professor of History, UMCE, Dr. Paul Buck, assistant professor of history and education, UMFK, Lise Pelletier, director of the Acadian Archives, and member of the international organizing committee of the CMA, UMFK, André Leclerc, professor of economics, UMCE. Missing from the photo is Anthony Gauvin, associate professor of electronic commerce, UMFK. – |
The international collaborative will unite the UMFK with the Université de Moncton, campus d’Edmundston (UMCE) and the L’Université du Québec à Rimouski campus (UQAR). Professors and researchers from the three institutions met in December with Léo-Paul Charest, executive director of the Congrès Mondial Acadien (CMA) 2014, and with the director of the National Society of Acadia (SNA) Éric Mathieu Doucet.
“The first meeting’s objective was to create a partnership in order to lay the foundation of the intellectual conferences. Discussion focused on establishing themes, the format, and the sequence of events” stated Jacques Paul Couturier, UMCE’s academic vice-president.
“I’m delighted with the results of our meeting. There is an excellent spirit of collaboration amongst the researchers of the three universities and the project is eliciting much enthusiasm, which is a great predictor of the success of our joint venture. The next step involves presenting a detailed program to the COCMA for approval,” Couturier added.
UMFK’s Assistant Professor of French Nicole Boudreau said, “I’m very happy to be part of the 2014 CMA conference organization committee. I’ve participated in past congresses as a presenter, but it will be interesting to see behind the scenes and play a part in shaping the themes and questions to be explored in 2014.”
Lise Pelletier, director of UMFK’s Acadian Archives added, “Conferences are an essential part of every Acadian Congress. They have two important components: the academic conferences and the community-based conferences. Speakers from all over the world will address issues such as the economic future of Acadia of the Lands and Forests, sustainability, the forest industry, shared governance, education, culture and heritage. These conferences will be free and the public is invited to attend any and all.”