In memory of his mother, Irena Knysh, Dr. George Knysh has established an endowment fund at the University of Manitoba. The fund will be used to offer the Irena Knysh Graduate Schoalrship in Ukrainian Studies or, in years where there is no qualified graduate candidate, the Irena Knysh Undergraduate Scholarship in Ukrainian Studies. The scholarships commemorate Irena's life, her many contributions to the Ukrainian women's movement, and to the study of Ukrainian history and culture. The available annual interest from the fund will be used to offer one scholarship to a graduate student who:
(1) is enrolled full-time in both the Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 terms the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in any masters or doctoral program;
(2) has achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (or equivalent) based on the last 60 credit hours of study;
(3) will write or is writing a thesis in any area of Ukrainian studies.
Preference will be given, in the following order, to students who will use the archives of the Ukrainian Canadian Experience in order to conduct thesis research related to:
1) the life and works of Irena Knysh;
2) the Ukrainian women's movement, with particular attention to it's North American (Canada and the United States of America) expression;
3) Ukrainian and Ukrainian Canadian history, politics and culture.
If in any given year, there is no suitable Masters or Doctoral student candidate for the award, the Scholarship will be offered to a graduate student who:
1) is enrolled full-time in the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies in any pre-Master's program;
2) has achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (or equivalent) based on the last 60 credit hours;
3) is registered for a minimum of 12 credit hours of course work in the area of Ukrainian studies.
The award is not automatically renewable, but previous recipients may apply. The maximum number of scholarships (including the Irena Knysh Graduate Scholarship in Ukrainian Studies and the Irena Knysh Undergraduate Scholarship in Ukrainian Studies) one student may hold in his or her lifetime is four (4).
Graduate student recipients may hold the Irena Knysh Graduate Scholarship in Ukrainian Studies concurrently with any other awards, consistent with policies in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
In any given year that there is no worthy graduate or undergraduate candidate, the unspent interest will be held over and may be used to increase the value of the scholarship offered in the next ensuing academic session. If a scholarship is not offered over two consecutive academic years, the unspent interest will be capitalized.
The selection committee will be named by the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (or designate) and will include one representative from each of the University of Manitoba Archives and the University of Manitoba Centre for Ukrainian Studies (CUCS).
