Originating from a longstanding University of Saskatchewan/Chernivtsi National University Cooperation Agreement, the University of Saskatchewan Graduate Internship Program was created and approved in 2006. Funds were provided by the Government of Saskatchewan through the Department of Advanced Education and Immigration, to be administered and coordinated by the Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage.
The purpose of the program is to place a University of Saskatchewan graduate or post-graduate for a single semester (February 15 – May 31) at the Hnatyshyn Centre for Canadian Studies (HCCS), Chernivtsi National University. The student, whose graduate work is in the Canadian Studies field, teaches and works at the Centre. Their duties include instructing an introductory Canadian-topic course from within their field of study, assisting in curriculum development, securing academic resources, helping the HCCS Director organize and plan conferences/colloquia, and completing other Centre-related tasks, i.e. English-language updates to the website, writing grant proposals, etc.
From the perspective of CNU, the graduate student is an important resource: enhancing the teaching profile of the Centre, while also providing the only opportunity for its students to acquire first-hand English language instruction from an individual with relative expertise. The appointment also serves as an important resource for the Centre’s faculty and their curricula, professional, and pedagogical development.
The placement provides a rare and exciting international experience for graduate students, giving opportunity for recent graduates to acquire desirable teaching experience in their field of study. The placement also helps promote interest in Canadian Studies (as well as in Canada and Saskatchewan more generally), and strengthens both the educational links between the universities, and the historical/cultural bond between the twinned regions of Saskatchewan and Bukovyna.
Past student interns have included: Eric Woods (2007); Nicholas Deacock (2008); Carl Hydomako (2010); Tara Longmire (2011); Sarah Shoker (2013); Dallas Posavad (2014); and Mitchell Dowie (2018).