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UW Scandinavian and Baltic Heritage Celebration

September 14, 2009 Seattle— The University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Department of Scandinavian Studies and the 15th anniversary of the Baltic Studies Program with a Scandinavian and Baltic Heritage Celebration Saturday, September 26.

UW Class of 1910. In the background is Denny Hall, original home to the Department of Scandinavian Languages and Literature.

Highlighting the event is a ceremonial tree planting of a circle of eight oak trees, which will be planted around the oldest footpath on campus, between Parrington Hall and William H. Gates Hall. The eight trees symbolize the eight Scandinavian and Baltic countries studied at the University of Washington.

There will be live music from the Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle and dancing from the Katrilli Finnish Folkdancers and Skandia Folk Dance. The local food importer, Scandinavian Specialties, will be serving meatballs, sandwiches, desserts, and many other regional delights for reasonable prices (cash only). Several other local Scandinavian and Baltic musical acts will also be performing throughout the Celebration.

The event is free and open to the public and lasts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, and to look at other events planned for the Scandinavian centennial, go to: http://depts.washington.edu/scand/centennial/.

About The Department of Scandinavian Studies and Baltic Studies Program

A little more than a century ago, hundreds of Puget Sound residents joined together to encourage the University and the State legislature to offer Scandinavian courses at the University of Washington. In their petition, they outlined a goal of providing students of Nordic heritage the opportunity to get a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the “language, literature and culture of their forefathers.” In early 1909 their efforts were rewarded with a special appropriation from the State, and the Department of Scandinavian Studies was founded.

The Department initially offered classes in Norwegian and Swedish, and over the years added Danish, Icelandic and Finnish, becoming one of the few departments in the country to focus on all Nordic states. In 1994 – again thanks to active community support – the UW created the Baltic Studies Program within the Department, becoming the only university in the country to offer a concentration in all three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.