Endowments
Peter Arabchuk Endowment 
The Peter Arabchuk Endowment Fund for the Advancement of Ukrainian Canadian Cultural Heritage Preservation was established at the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta in 2018. His generosity through this fund allowed for the creation of the Sustainable Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Network, or SUCH. This multifaceted research and education program of the KuFC aims to assist Ukrainian Canadian communities to preserve and share their cultural heritage, in part through the awarding of Community Archives Grants to community organizations. Thanks to Peter Arabchuks’ foresight and generous support, the Kule Folklore Centre and Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives can continue to increase the accessibility of archival resources featuring Ukrainian history and culture through. We will also continue to develop the SUCH online platform, which allows Ukrainian community archives to make their holdings available online and easily discoverable.
The Cornel and Anne Filipchuk Ukrainian Folklore Archives
Endowment
The Ukrainian Folklore Archives Endowment was made possible by the generous donation of Dr. Cornel and Mrs. Anne Filipchuk in 2024.
Cornel and Anne were born in North East Alberta and met in 1959 while studying at the University of Alberta. Cornel obtained his DDS degree in 1960 and, in 1971, completed a Master’s degree and specialty in Prosthodontics from the University of Washington. He taught in the Faculty of Dentistry for 14 years. Then, together with Anne, he established his practice in Edmonton and practiced for 57 years until the age of 80 years. They have maintained strong ties with the University as their children and grandchildren followed in their footsteps at the U of A.
The Filipchuks have been longstanding volunteers in the Ukrainian community and chose to honour their parents by supporting the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives in its mandate to document, preserve, and study Ukrainian folklore in Ukraine, Canada, and around the world as it changes over time.
Huculak Chair of Ukrainian Culture and Ethnography
The Huculak Chair is an endowed professorial position at the University of Alberta. Dr. Andriy Nahachewsky occupied the chair until his retirement in 2018. He conducted research, undertook projects and taught courses in the Ukrainian Folklore Program. In July 2020, Dr. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen has become the Huculak Chair.
The establishment of the Huculak Chair was made possible by a major donation from Erast and Lydia Huculak as well as other donors. The Huculaks had responded to a fundraising drive for the Ukrainian ethnography program in what was then the Department of Slavic and East European Studies.
Because of the size of their donation, made in 1987, the central endowment of the Chair was named after them. At that time, gifts to the Ukrainian Folklore Program were matched on a 2:1 basis by the Government of Alberta. The Chair was officially opened and celebrated at the University of Alberta on September 19, 1989. Today, the combined endowments in Ukrainian ethnography have a market value of over $2.4 million.
The Huculak Chair has established a unique niche in Ukrainian studies worldwide because it is perfectly positioned to act as a bridge linking Ukrainian and Western scholarship. Western scholars benefit when the Chair's projects give increased access to the wealth of ethnographic resources accumulated by Ukrainian scholars. Ukrainian scholars benefit from western ideas and methods. Apart from being able to provide financial and organizational support for Ukrainian ethnographic projects that could not otherwise be undertaken in Ukraine, the Huculak Chair also encourages study of the vibrant Ukrainian-Canadian culture that has evolved in Canada over the past 100 years.
In his autobiography My Wooden Suitcase - A Memoir, Dr. Huculak shares his philosophy regarding philanthropy: "Help others, and that goodwill will return to you a hundredfold. This is truly how I've tried to live my life." His philosophy has benefited many and his legacy will live on.
Mike and Elsie Kawulych Family Endowment
Mike and Elsie Kawulych and their family have been contributing to Ukrainian folklore endowments for decades and have established a special endowment in their name for student awards. The endowment is designated to the Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore to support scholarships, fellowships, awards, and other support for the students of Ukrainian folklore.
The Kawulychs have contributed greatly to community life in Vegreville and around Alberta. Elsie was admitted into the Order of Canada in 2012, one of her many awards.
Kule Chair in Ukrainian Ethnography
The Kule Chair in Ukrainian Ethnography was established by a major donation from Dr. Peter Kule and the late Dr. Doris Kule to the University of Alberta. The Kule Chair is administered through the Kule Folklore Centre and participates in its projects. The professor holding the Kule Chair teaches Ukrainian folklore classes and other folklore themed classes in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies.The Kule Chair is only the second endowed professorship ever in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. The Kule Chair is a permanent professorial position. Dr. Natalie Kononenko occupied the position from 2004 to 2019. The position is currently held by Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn.
Peter Kule was born in the Rohatyn area in western Ukraine and came to Canada just before World War Two. He established a practice as a Chartered Accountant and engaged in a variety of developments and investments. Doris Kule was born near Willingdon, Alberta, and enjoyed a long and successful career as a teacher. She passed away in 2020. Both Peter and Doris had contributed freely of their time and skills in service to their church and their community.
The Kules showed their great generosity by making substantial donations to many institutions, especially those with charitable, educational and religious focus. In particular, they have been great benefactors of St. Paul University in Ottawa, where they have endowed three chairs in the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute in Eastern Christian Studies. They each received honorary doctoral degrees from St. Paul University in 1998. We celebrate their continued vision and beneficience in founding the Kule Chair in Ukrainian Ethnography.
Wasyl and Anna Kuryliw Fund - Ivan Franko Scholarship
This family foundation was made possible by the generous donations of Wasyl and Anna Kuryliw in 1988. Born in Ukraine, the Kuryliws immigrated to Canada and settled in Sudbury, Ontario. For over 50 years, Mr. Kuryliw worked for the International Nickel Company of Sudbury. Both were dedicated and longstanding volunteers in the Ukrainian community. Their children now continue this family tradition of community involvement.The Kuryliws chose to honour the eminent Ukrainian writer and ethnographer Ivan Franko by establishing their scholarship in his name. The mandate of the endowment is to provide scholarships to graduate students enrolled in the Ukrainian Folklore Program at the University of Alberta.
Thanks to Kuryliw family scholarship, the Kule Folklore Centre is able to support four to five students per year in their studies. Students come from around the world to study Ukrainian Folklore. Without this generous support, they would not have been able to pursue their academic goals.
Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives Endowment
The Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives (BMUFA) is the largest North American repository of Ukrainian and Canadian-Ukrainian folklore materials. The archives was founded in 1977 when Bohdan Medwidsky assembled students' fieldwork projects from his first course on Ukrainian folklore. Dr. Medwidsky's vision is the development of a rich, vibrant and lasting resource for the study of diverse Ukrainian traditions.It is open to students, scholars, and the general public. It is used in teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses related to the BA, MA and PhD programs in Ukrainian Folklore. It is also used by outside researchers for studies related to Ukrainian and Canadian folklore, and as a resource for continuing community outreach projects and publications.
Dr. Medwidsky was born in Ukraine and spent his youth in Switzerland and Toronto. He joined the University of Alberta faculty in 1971, where he has been the driving force in developing the Kule Folklore Centre, degree programs in the field, and many community-based projects promoting Ukrainian culture.
The Ukrainian Folklore Archives were renamed the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives in 2003 to honour Dr. Bohdan Medwidsky. The BMUFA is part of the Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore (Kule Folklore Centre) at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.
Ukrainian Pioneers Endowment Fund
The Ukrainian Pioneers Endowment Fund was established at the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta in 2008 to support Ukrainian cultural activities, publishing of books on Ukrainian life in Canada, and bilingual studies. It provides support to the following activities:
- research in the history and culture of Ukrainian Canadians;
- production of the publications and educational materials on the topics related to the history and culture of Ukrainian Canadians;
- acquisition, preservation, and processing of publications and archival records from members of the local Ukrainian community to the Kule Folklore Centre or the Ukrainian Pioneers Association;
- purchase and distribution of books on the Ukrainian experience in Canada to Alberta libraries and schools and as gifts for dignitaries on special occasions;
- redistribution of the acquired materials among Canadian and Diaspora Studies Centres to relevant institutions worldwide;
- organization of conferences, public lectures and seminars related to the Ukrainian Canadian history and culture.
The Ukrainian Pioneers Association of Alberta was initiated by Wasyl Czumer and Wolodymyr Plawiuk. Shortly thereafter Dmytro Ferbey, Tom Tomashewsky and John Basarab joined it. The first meetings were held in March of 1941, and on March 31, 1941 the organization was registered with the Provincial government.