The World of Trent Alumni

Bringing the Arctic to Trent

Some people thrive on awards. Others, accolades. Still others, prestige and pay. And then there is Arctic historian and Trent University alumna, Professor Shelagh Grant.  The award-winning author, adjunct professor, and renowned sovereignty expert, is driven by equal measures of passion and curiosity.

“My father used to call me Curious George the Monkey,” she smiles.  “And I think much of that curiosity is still alive and well.”

As is her love of what she does. 

Sparking discussion on the North

Prof. Grant recently donated prize monies gained from her landmark book Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) in order to help create a new educational program for secondary school students. Arctic Imperative: Education Resources for Canadian Schools will explore the Arctic through the lenses of identity, sovereignty, climate change and governance. Each lesson contains a passage from Grant’s Polar Imperative as well as maps and other primary and secondary source materials.

“This is my way of continuing to spark discussion on the North,” she says. “I believe we need to get more Arctic history into high schools to rekindle interest.”

Polar Imperative: A History of Arctic Sovereignty in North America, the winner of many prestigious book awards, including the Lela Common Award, the Lionel Gelber Award and the J.W. Dafoe Book Prize, examines the historical sovereignty claims of many countries over North America’s Polar Regions. Prof. Grant’s objective behind writing the book is to have as many Canadians as possible understand the underlying history of our Arctic sovereignty issues, thus facilitating support for some tough decisions any government in power will be required to make over the next few years.

Loving what you do is key to success

Currently an adjunct professor and a research associate of the Frost Centre at Trent University, Prof. Grant taught history and Canadian studies for 18 years on a part-time basis at Trent. Prof. Grant is also fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, has received an honorary doctor of Letters from Trent University, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and, most recently, the newly minted Erebus Medal, which recognizes participants in the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition and their contributions to the discovery of HMS Erebus. 

“I never would have had the opportunities I did to study the North if it weren’t for the commitment of people at Trent University,” she notes.  “We had a Northern Committee that was driven by Peter Adams that really pushed Northern Studies to the forefront.  We had a champion in Tom Symons. And we had people like Bruce Hodgins (History), Sandy Lockhart (Sociology), and John Wadland (Canadian Studies) who were bringing that uniquely Trent interdisciplinary approach to studying the North.”

Further reflecting on her career to date, Prof. Grant says: “You have to love what you do. In order to do your best, you need to be happy with what you are doing and with the people you are working with.”

Judging by the awards and accolades she’s received, it’s a philosophy that works.