Issues that have particular consequences for small countries, including those in the Caribbean, will be the focus of a new program at the University of Central Florida.<\/p>\n
The Isle of Man Small Countries Program aims to develop greater awareness about small countries; encourage the exchange of information about their security, political, economic, social and environmental issues; and facilitate links between UCF and those countries. Toward those ends, it will present public discussions involving prominent speakers, panels and other meetings; encourage scholarship; and work with partners from the United States, the Isle of Man and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n
The program is a cooperative undertaking of UCF\u2019s Global Perspectives Office, UCF\u2019s Political Science Department<\/strong>, the Small Countries Financial Management Centre (SCFMC) on the Isle of Man, and the Global Connections Foundation. It is supported by the Ellan Vannin Fund of the Global Connections Foundation, in association with the Isle of Man business community.<\/p>\n \u201cThis small-countries initiative represents yet another step in UCF\u2019s efforts to sharpen its international focus and bring more global content into the regional mainstream,\u201d said John C. Bersia, special assistant to the president for Global Perspectives at UCF.<\/p>\n Tim Cullen, executive director of the SCFMC, said the program will build upon the work of the center \u201cin underscoring and addressing the unique challenges facing small countries, which are disproportionately affected by global forces.\u201d Cullen added that the SCFMC \u201cwas established with the purpose of contributing to the growth and prosperity of small countries through education programs that provide improved skills in government financial activities.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerstin Hamann, chair of the Political Science Department at UCF, said \u201cthe program represents an excellent opportunity for cooperation in light of our new Ph.D. program in security studies, as well as many of our other global interests.\u201d<\/p>\n Because of UCF\u2019s proximity to and connections with the Caribbean, the program will have a special focus on that region, but it will also promote awareness and discussion of small-country issues throughout the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Issues that have particular consequences for small countries, including those in the Caribbean, will be the focus of a new program at the University of Central Florida. The Isle of Man Small Countries Program aims to develop greater awareness about small countries; encourage the exchange of information about their security, political, economic, social and environmental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":1931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8,13,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-global-perspectives","category-news","category-political-science-departments"],"yoast_head":"\n