Blanck ¡¯78 key to new partnership with Sweden¡¯s Uppsala University

ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Magazine Summer 2022

ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø has named Dr. Dag Blanck ¡¯78 an honorary professor of Swedish-American studies to formally acknowledge his contributions to the academic field and to ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø.

The title comes on the 45th anniversary of his arrival to ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø as an international student and the 40th anniversary of the on-campus Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center.

Since 1985 when he became director of the center, he has shared his time between ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø and Uppsala University in Sweden.

Under Dr. Blanck¡¯s leadership, the Swenson Center has developed an international reputation for its rich Swedish-American archives and scholarly contribution to Swedish-American studies. He has presented his academic work in a dozen countries and brought countless international researchers, writers and thinkers to ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø.

¡°Dag is of two families ¡ª one at Uppsala University and one at ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø,¡± said Dr. Wendy HiltonMorrow ¡¯94, ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø provost. ¡°Due in large part to his years of patient persistence, those families are now blending, learning from each other and strengthening one another.¡±

In recent months, ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø faculty and Uppsala faculty have visited each other¡¯s campuses. The two institutions recently formalized a long-standing relationship to:

? Expand existing student exchange arrangements

? Cultivate international internships for students at both institutions

? Explore potential faculty exchanges and collaborations, including a possible virtual course with students from both institutions

? Seek additional opportunities for collaboration between the Swenson Center and Uppsala¡¯s Swedish Institute for North American Studies.

¡°In short, it¡¯s about creating some really cool opportunities for their students and ours,¡± said Dr. Hilton-Morrow. Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is routinely ranked as a Top 100 university in the world in international ratings.