University establishes center for culture and ethnography

EDMONTON - The University of Alberta celebrated the establishment of the Canadian Center for Ukrainian Culture and Ethnography (CCUCE) with a reception in the Timms Center for the Arts on Friday, May 11. Many guests representing the Ukrainian and academic communities were on hand to take part in the celebration.

Dean of Arts Dr. Kenneth Norrie addressed the guests, outlining the importance of Ukrainian studies at the University of Alberta, and the leading role the new Center will play. Dr. Donald Bruce, chair of the department of modern languages and cultural studies, stated that the center's work is at the forefront of his department's program which aims to prepare students for cultural literacy. Dr. Andriy Nahachewsky, director of the new center, outlined its organization and goals.

The center is an umbrella structure uniting the several existing entities for Ukrainian folklore and ethnography in the department of modern languages and cultural studies, including the Huculak Chair of Ukrainian Culture and Ethnography, the Ukrainian Folklore Archives and the Kuryliw Family Scholarship Fund. The denter will consolidate administration, increase visibility, and facilitate research and publication in this field.

The CCUCE will include emphasis on the study of Ukrainian culture in Canada and on those projects that help bridge contemporary North American social sciences with the established disciplines of folklore and ethnology in Ukraine.

In addition to projects focusing on teaching and research, the center is involved in many related activities: Ukrainian- and English-language publications; development and support of external research projects in Canada and Ukraine; and organization of conferences and seminars. Consultation and community outreach also are an important part of the center's work.

The consolidation of these various components in Ukrainian ethnography will strengthen the newly formed center's position as a leading institution in this field. Ukrainian studies has been recognized by the University of Alberta as one of its areas of excellence, and community support for the work of the center is evident in its endowment base, which has a current market value of over $3 million (Canadian).

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 10, 2001, No. 23, Vol. LXIX

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