By Anissa Gabbara | Photos provided by Jerry Kowal
Jerry Kowal (BBA ’96, JD ’99) beams with joy and admiration when talking about his late father, former UM-Flint professor Dr. Lubomyr M. Kowal. To commemorate his father’s memory and love for his native Ukraine, Jerry Kowal established the Dr. Lubomyr M. Kowal Ukrainian Guest Lecture Fund in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA).
The fund will give Michigan students an opportunity to learn more about the history of the region through a series of virtual mini-courses. Additionally, it will provide support for guest lecturers who are or were affiliated with a college or university in Ukraine, and it will give them a place to tell their stories.
“I’ve been thinking of ways to give back in recent years and what that could look like,” Jerry Kowal said. “When the war in Ukraine broke out last year, it was really the catalyst for a lot of ideas around how I could continue to support the university and also honor my dad’s legacy, what he felt was important in terms of his personal views, and how that reflected in his 33-plus-year tenure with the university.”
Pride and purpose
Born in 1931 in western Ukraine, Lubomyr Kowal’s affinity for his homeland was evident throughout his life and career. Fleeing the tyranny of the Soviet Union shortly after World War II and settling in the U.S. with his family, he often spoke about the suffering of the Ukrainian people at the hands of Soviet leaders and their economic and political systems during his professorship, his son recalled.
“He taught the basics of economics, but he also taught courses like comparative economic systems, which, at the time, was really a contrast between the communist Soviet system, capitalism, and other systems that came over time,” Jerry Kowal said. “He used experiences from the Ukrainian people living under Soviet rule as a template for explaining what those differences were in real terms, and the impact some of those policies had.”
Lubomyr Kowal passed away in 2014 at the age of 83, leaving a legacy of passionate love for his homeland. Even amid the atrocities that began last year, Jerry Kowal believes his father would’ve been proud to see the outpouring of support from around the world.
“He didn’t live to see this current conflict, but I think he’d be touched by the global recognition of his homeland that just didn’t exist 30 or 40 years ago.”
‘An unfiltered perspective’
To Jerry Kowal, providing those who’ve been affected by the conflict with a platform to share their experiences was one of the main inspirations for making this gift.
“It’s one thing to teach issues like this from a theoretical basis, but to hear directly from the people who have been on the ground and lived it will be really impactful and a way for students to obtain an unfiltered perspective that they wouldn’t otherwise get,” Jerry Kowal said.<
Mikhail Krutikov, chair of the LSA Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, emphasizes the power these mini-courses have to reach hundreds of students, many of whom are studying unrelated fields.
“These courses offer one-to-two credits in humanities, which many students need, so we can reach students from fields like engineering, computer science, and business who may want to learn more about Ukrainian history and politics,” Krutikov said.
Something sustainable
As a result of the war, more eyes are on Ukraine than ever before, naturally making it a topic of interest for many students seeking an elective course. Nevertheless, Jerry Kowal hopes this lecture fund will carry forward to future generations of Michigan students to ensure the conversation continues.
“We need something that’s more sustainable that can help people familiarize themselves with what’s going on in the region, not just a one-off,” Jerry Kowal said.
Looking ahead, Krutikov hopes to have a plethora of scholars teaching these courses, and envisions covering a wide range of subjects in Ukrainian studies, from history to current events to culture.
“I think we really need it, and we have all the resources now, thanks to this gift,” Krutikov said. “We currently offer three years of Ukrainian language and have a small, yet stable, number of students taking these courses.”
The gift of support
This level of recognition is only made possible with the right resources. Krutikov stresses the importance of donor support to a small department with a modest budget, yet potential for major impact.
“It allows us to hire the people who are struggling financially, and quite a few of them have been displaced; some of them live in Europe or Canada, and some of them go back to Ukraine,” Krutikov explained. “This support makes a big difference for them.”
Hailing from a family of multiple degree holders, Jerry Kowal hopes his gift will enrich the academic experience for Michigan students while bringing certain issues to the forefront in a way that didn’t exist when he was a student, or when his father taught at Michigan.
“Education was so important to my dad and to my family, and I want to give students an experience that is as rich and rewarding as it can be,” Jerry Kowal said.
Bringing it full circle
As an accomplished businessman and proud parent of two, Jerry Kowal often reflects on his fondest memories, especially the time he visited Ukraine with his father in 1992, the year after it declared independence.
“That was the first time he had been there in over 40 years, so it was really an emotional experience for him,” he recalled.
Retiring from U‑M in 2000, Lubomyr Kowal never put his passion to rest, as he keenly followed political issues in Europe and the rest of the world, according to his son. If he were here today, Jerry Kowal said his father would be excited and eager to hear what the guest scholars have to say.
“I think he’d even be a little jealous that he couldn’t implement something like this in his day, because there just wasn’t a means to do so,” he joked. “But launching this fund now brings everything full circle. And if you can do it at Michigan, a school that meant so much to him, it makes it that much more special.”
To discover additional U‑M programs about the cultures and histories of this region, visit Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia (WCEE).
