U of A receives support for an uplifting mission
November 3, 2009 - (Edmonton) The University of Alberta is recognized as a centre of excellence in Ukrainian studies among other institutions around the world, a position that has now been strengthened with the generosity of long-time supporters of the vision of the university.
A $4 million endowment by Peter and Doris Kule will establish the Kule Institute for Advanced Study at the U of A Faculty of Arts, a vital and creative intellectual hub for faculty and students in the social sciences, humanities and fine arts, says President Indira Samarasekera.
"Rooted at the very heart of the Kule Institute for Advanced Study will be the Ukrainian experience, inspired by those who suffered, challenged or inspired Ukrainian history or culture through the millennia," Samarasekera said. "Kule Institute scholars will undertake wide ranging and diverse research on topics echoed by the Ukrainian experience, topics such as political oppression, multiculturalism, minorities, cultural identity, religious persecution and the politics of famine and food distribution."
The Kules have done a great deal in advancing the values and mission of the university and their latest support will help address a critical need in the Alberta, the president says.
"Learning and discovering in the arts discipline provide the cross-cultural knowledge, social and cultural analysis, critical thinking and communication skills that prepare students to be engaged, creative citizens and leaders, now and in the future," she said.
The announcement was made during the launch of Champions of Philanthropy: Peter and Doris Kule and their Endowments, a book edited by U of A researchers Serge Cipko and Natalie Kononenko. It details contributions to educational institutions by the Kules, and offers an insight into the lives of a couple whose contributions continue to change societies within and outside Canada. Despite the impact of their philanthropy, the Kules' usual response to why they have invested so much in the lives of so many is always with humility and pragmatism.
"We put the money where the need is."
"They do not just give their money, they give their time and support," said Kononenko. "Their ability to recognize needs and do something about them is something that has made an enormous difference."
Andrew Hladyshewsky, who spoke on behalf the Kules at the ceremony, said that, when it comes to supporting Ukrainian studies, the Kules have no equal. He said the Kules persevere at efforts to improve on the human race.
"They would like all of us to understand that learning is an eternal enterprise, that the human ideals of philanthropy, study and the human ideals of trying to make us better as a race can never be curtailed," Hladyshewsky said. "It is in this spirit that their philanthropy has always existed."
At the book launch, Samarasekera gave an art piece to the couple, entitled "The Spirit of the U of A", a glasswork that depicts key landmarks of the university.
Carl Amrhein, U of A provost, relayed excerpts from their book. One of the pieces he read shows the Kules' deep conviction of the importance of giving.
"We're not scholars, but we're lovers of learning," the text quotes the Kules. "And the greatest lesson we have learned in life is that it is better to give than receive: to give one's time and energy and expertise, and one's abundance and just plain hard work, to one's church, one's community, to one's neighbor and to the Lord."
That spirit of giving has led to the establishment of many initiatives at the U of A, including the Kule Chair of Ukrainian Ethnography, the Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies, the Peter and Doris Kule Fellowships, the Peter and Doris Kule Endowment for the Study of the Ukrainian Diaspora, the Kule Ukrainian Canadian Studies Centre at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, and the Peter and Doris Kule Chair in Catholic Religious Education at St. Joseph's College.
The Kules philanthropy in the community extends far beyond the U of A, says Samarasekera. She says they have provided essential support for children at every level of their education, for immigrants trying to adjust to Canadian life and for religious institutions.
"Indeed their actions fully illustrate what Henry Marshall Tory meant when he talked about building a university for the uplifting of the whole people."
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