The calls are growing to establish a university in Canada's North as more northerners and academics say they need a permanent institution north of 60 where students and researchers can study. Canada is the only Arctic nation that does not have a university physically based in the North, meaning northern residents must move to southern Canada to pursue post-secondary studies. But the calls for a northern university have grown to the point where everyone who supports the idea should come together soon, said Marianne Douglas, director of the Canadian Circumpolar Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The public push for a university in Canada's North began when Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean endorsed the idea during her tour of Nunavut in May. The following month, the North's three colleges — Nunavut Arctic College, Yukon College, and Aurora College in the Northwest Territories — announced they were joining forces to lobby the federal government for funding to set up a university. A group based in Iqaluit is also working on a proposal for a university that would not only allow Inuit to study closer to home, but also develop northern experts.