In 1997 the Nordic Council decided to fund a public relations initative that would begin in 1998 and last through the year 2000. This initiative was meant to involve all the universities and colleges in the Midwest that offered Nordic Studies programs, and the following goals were established as a guide for the Council's initiative:    -> To increase the number of post-secondary students choosing Nordic studies as a major or minor, and to increase enrollment in Nordic Studies classes    -> To establish on-going collaborative programming between those universities / colleges offering Nordic Studies, and various Midwest High Schools and organizations    -> To collaborate on a minimum of three projects a year with regional Nordic organizations    -> To help promote Nordic culture in the upper Midwest region    | to the top | With these specific goals in mind, the following special projects were undertaken:    -> A Logo for Nordic Studies was created, and it is used as the official emblem of the Nordic Council in all of its written and graphics communications.    -> An 8 minute video tape was produced, introducing the various universities and colleges in the Midwest that offer Nordic Studies as a part of their curriculum.    -> Young Ambassadors have been sent out to universities, colleges, high schools and other interested institutions to promote a better understanding of the Nordic countries. In 1998, two young Swedes and two young Danes toured for 2 weeks. In 1999 six young Finns toured for 5 weeks, and in 2000 four young Norwegians toured the colleges. in 1999 and 2000 the Young Ambassadors also participated in the annual Eau Claire Scandinavian Retreat.    -> Film festivals were held in the fall of 1998 in Minneapolis, in Madison in the fall of 1999, and back in Minneapolis in the fall of 2000. The festival highlights Scandinavian films, offers seminars, lectures and discussion opportunities. Click here for detailed information about the fall 2000 festival. All videotapes may be borrowed for use in the classroom.    -> A brochure, 'Nordic Studies, Your Passport to Northern Europe', which includes information about the 15 member universities and colleges in the Midwest, has been printed and distributed. The target group for this brochure is both high school students and undergraduates.    -> Another brochure, 'Nordic Studies', which contains a more user-friendly description of the Nordic countries, as well as reasons for choosing Nordic Studies as course work, has also been printed and distributed. The target group for this brochure is high school students, and is to be used in conjunction with the High School Outreach Effort.    -> In the High School Outreach project, workshops have been held to train Scandinavian undergraduate students in making presentations to high school students regarding Nordic Studies opportunities. All the involved universities and colleges were presented with the following materials to facilitate contact with the high schools in their areas: official letterhead, posters, maps of the Nordic countries, and flags of the Nordic countries.    -> Visits to the Language Villages in the summer of 1998. This was repeated in 1999.    -> The creation of this website for Nordic Studies.    | to the top | Some very good reasons for majoring in Scandinavian Studies:    -> A Scandinavian Studies major indicates that you have mastered a foreign language - an asset in a global economy. Many businesses value language skills in their employees    -> As a major in the humanities you will improve your writing skills and learn to think critically about complex issues    -> Your Scandinavian Studies background will make you distinctive. Your application will stand out against a field of more common backgrounds    -> Scandinavian literature spans centuries and is of a very high quality    -> You can do virtually anything with a Scandinavian major that you could do with any other major in the humanities - but you will be different, interesting, and marketable!    | to the top | What have some Scandinavian majors ended up doing?    -> Going to Law and Medical School    -> Going to the School of Information and Library Sciences    -> Working as a journalist for an English-language journal in Stockholm    -> Working in international sales    -> Working in banking and for an insurance company    -> Joining the Peace Corps, and Teaching English abroad    | to the top | Webmaster: Margaret Hayford O'Leary, St. Olaf College, phone 507-646-3569    Project Manager 2000: Frankie Shackelford, Augsburg College Project Manager 1999: Nete Schmidt, UW-Madison Project Manager 1998: Thomas Petersson, University of Minnesota    Website developed by: virus | one    This website is part of the Nordic Council Publicity Initiative 1998-2000. Sponsored by the Nordic Council, Copenhagen, Denmark.