The Kule Folklore Centre aspires to become the most important centre for the study of Ukrainian culture outside of Ukraine.
Five strategic priorities have been identified which will be prominent in the Centre's profile:
- Conduct ground breaking research in Ukrainian and Canadian folklore studies
- Maintain and grow the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives
- Support undergraduate and graduate courses in Ukrainian folklore and vernacular culture
- Support researchers and students with scholarships and awards
- Engage with diverse communities through publications, exhibits, lectures, workshops and more.
The "Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore" (Kule Folklore Centre, KuFC) was formalized in 2001 and received its current name in 2006, though it is based upon endowments and archives existing since the 1980s. The Kule Folklore Centre is permanently endowed through the generous gifts of Peter and Doris Kule, the Wasyl and Anna Kuryliw family, Erast Huculak, Bohdan Medwidsky, Elsie and Mike Kawulych, Peter Arabchuk and many other visionary community leaders.
The KuFC has expanded over the years, with important new endowments and an enlarged mandate to engage with Canadian folklore as well as its core mission to study Ukrainian folklore. The KuFC is a unique research unit in the University of Alberta, hosted in the Faculty of Arts. 2.5 professorial positions are associated with the KuFC. The centre operates with eight endowments, which produce an annual spending allocation of approximately $375,000. The KuFC engages with five priorities: research, archives, awards, community engagement, and publications.