College of Letters and Science Faculty Document No. 550 April 10, 2000 RECOMMENDATION OF THE L&S ACADEMIC PLANNING COMMITTEE TO ESTABLISH A CENTER FOR CANADIAN-AMERICAN POLICY STUDIES Recommendation: That the Faculty of the College of Letters and Science approve the establishment of a Center for Canadian-American Policy Studies as described in this document, effective July, 2000. Center for Canadian-American Policy Studies Description: The Center for Canadian-American Policy Studies will provide a focus for research, teaching, and the broad dissemination of information about Canadian-American policy issues. Specifically, the Center and its affiliated faculty will publish working papers on Canadian-American policy issues, provide a sabbatical base for Canadianists from anywhere in the world, and raise extramural funds not only for research but for fellowships to recruit top graduate students each year. Justification: Relations between Canada and the United States are far more important than most Americans realize, in areas such as trade, the environment, and cultural affairs. Canada is the leading trading partner of the United States and is, by far, the leading destination of exports from Wisconsin. Although the United States and Canada are close allies, they have disputes in several areas, including communications and cultural policy, trade policy, and environmental policy. Many of the important policy issues the two countries face in the new century are not disputes, but rather challenges related to globalization and to a transition to the "new economy." Both countries are grappling with the problems of delivering affordable health care to aging populations. And both face the challenges to sustainable development posed by metropolitan sprawl and urban social problems. Canada and the United States are approaching these challenges in different ways, and comparative studies can make major contributions to scholarship and to public understanding on these policy issues. The College of Letters and Science at UWM is ideally placed to launch an internationally-recognized Center for Canadian-American Policy Studies. The College's faculty includes two social scientists who are among the nation's most prominent specialists in Canadian studies. Marc Levine of the Department of History and Center for Economic Development is a leading expert on Quebec language policy and Canadian urban and economic development. David Pritchard of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication is a specialist in Canadian journalism and media policy. Both Levine and Pritchard have published on Canadian topics in French as well as in English, and both have long-standing relationships with major academic institutions in Canada. Despite the importance to Wisconsin and to the U.S. Midwest of Canadian-American policy issues, there is no Canadian studies program in the University of Wisconsin System (or anywhere else in Wisconsin). Organizational Structure: The Center will be housed in the College of Letters and Science. It will be administered by a director, appointed on an annual basis, by the Dean. The Center will be staff by a part-time administrative assistant. Faculty members with demonstrated expertise in comparative U.S.-Canada policy research will become affiliated with the Center upon the recommendation of the director and the approval of the dean. Each year, the director of the Center will designated one faculty member as a "Center Scientist," who will receive summer support and staff assistance for research in Canadian studies. Other faculty "affiliates" will also receive modest support for research activities, and will participate fully in Center activities. The Center's scholarly focus will depend on the interests of its faculty affiliates and on the nature of the bilateral policy debates of the day. At least initially, the Center's activities will focus on four broad policy areas: urban development, communications and media, language and culture, trade and economics, and the environment. Faculty involved with the Center in 2000-2001 will be: Professors Levine and Pritchard, and Christopher De Sousa, a newly appointed assistant professor of Geography specializing in urban environmental policy. Funding the Center: Seed-funding for the Center will come from the College, the governments of Canada and Quebec, and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The government of Quebec has committed $5,000 a year for the next three years, and the government of Canada has indicated a willingness to contribute at least that much annually. The Wisconsin State Department of Commerce has pledged $10,000 for 2000-2001. Raising additional external funds will be among the most important tasks of the Center director. A number of foundations and companies with interest in Canada as well as Canadian-American relations are likely supporters of the Center. Until the Center is entirely self-supporting, the College of Letters and Science will make modest annual contributions.