Ralph Kirk and Frances Kuzsman have established a $1,000,000 endowment to fund a scholarship to strengthen the bonds between exceptional local students from Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School in Antigonish, NS and St. Francis Xavier University.
The Ralph Kirk and Frances Kuzsman Scholarship will take effect in the fall semester of 2027 and award $10,000 a year renewable for four years. The scholarship will thereafter be available annually to Antigonish town or county resident graduates of Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School with the highest academic average. By 2030, it is anticipated the scholarship will pay out $40,000 per year.
“The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage students of the caliber of (former StFX President and Antigonish native) Sean Riley to attend StFX rather than being recruited by other universities. His contributions cannot be overstated. What a loss to StFX and Antigonish had he gone elsewhere,” says Mr. Kirk.
The new scholarship is the latest gift of generosity from the couple. In 2025, they established a $1.3 million endowment to assist local Antigonish area students pursuing higher education at StFX. The Ralph Kirk and Frances Kuzsman Bursary produces 10 annual bursaries of $5,000 each for Antigonish town or county resident graduates of Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School. The bursaries are renewable and are available during the winter term at StFX.
The couple also are active with contributions to the Class of ’74 bursary.
Ralph Kirk ’74 and Frances Kuzsman ’74 credit StFX with opening doors they could only hope existed. Now they are assisting students from their hometown with those same opportunities.
“StFX provided an opportunity for us both to excel,” says Mr. Kirk, who grew up in Antigonish County and was founding partner of the Law Offices of Kirk and Kistner LLP. Mr. Kirk, a Dalhousie Law School graduate, continues to provide legal representation to injured and disabled workers and their families.
“I was afforded the opportunity to study under exceptional professors including Dr. J. Frank Harrison and the late Dr. John B. Stewart, whose love of the political and legal systems inspired me to pursue a career in law.”
Ms. Kuzsman, a retired school psychologist, says she and her husband often talk about their years at StFX.
“I appreciated the local culture, the size of the campus, as well as the diversity and quality of the faculty. Coming from New York, these characteristics were important to me,” she says. “The psychology, sociology and education departments provided a pathway for a career in school psychology.”
The Kirk Place Block, now Kirk Place, on Main Street in Antigonish was built by Ralph Kirk’s great-grandfather, Adam Kirk, a first generation, local merchant who left his home in Lismore at age 15 to learn the mercantile business. Frances Kuzsman’s father and namesake was a faculty member in the StFX Faculty of Education.
“We are incredibly grateful to Ralph Kirk and Frances Kuzsman for their generosity and for continuing to invest in the future of students in our school community,” says Cory Austen, Principal at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School. “This scholarship is an amazing opportunity for a Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School student and will provide significant support as they pursue their education at StFX University. It also speaks to the strong connection our school has with the Antigonish community, and the university. We are fortunate to have people who believe in our students and are willing to make such a meaningful difference in their lives. We are excited to see this opportunity open doors for our graduates.”
Shelley Banks, Director, Recruitment and Admissions at StFX, also welcomed news of the Ralph Kirk and Frances Kuzsman Scholarship and the impact it will have. “There's so much talent coming out of Dr. J.H. Gillis, and we're thrilled to see an opportunity like this created for local students,” she says. “This scholarship not only recognizes their hard work and achievements but also gives them an incredible opportunity to continue their education right here in Antigonish. We're proud of the connection StFX has with our local community, and this is another meaningful way to support the next generation of students.”
