Proposals for Beard Presidential Prizes Due March 11

The prizes were created by alumnus and philanthropist Eugene P. Beard to advance transformational strategic priorities and initiatives impacting the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Center for Integrative Health and/or programs and initiatives focused on arts and culture.

The annual Beard Presidential Prizes program, a highly competitive internal grant process, is overseen by President Ken Gormley through consultation with Duquesne Board of Directors member Gregory S. Beard. The University invites faculty and administrators to submit proposals focused on advancing innovative and/or distinctive initiatives centered on one or more of the qualifying funding priorities which include, and are limited to, programs and initiatives:

• advancing the College of Osteopathic Medicine 
• advancing the Center for Integrative Health
• focused on arts and culture
• special initiatives proposed by the University president to advance rare yet extraordinary strategic opportunities.

“Our distinguished alumnus Eugene Beard and his wife Nancy Jones Beard have been visionary forces in transforming educational experiences and opportunities that elevate the stature and profile of our University,” said Duquesne President Ken Gormley. “Through the Presidential Prizes, our talented faculty and staff have the opportunity to create game-changing initiatives that expand research, scholarship, student programs and groundbreaking University undertakings in a variety of fields, from medicine to the arts.”

The deadline for applications is March 11. Awards will be announced on April 30.

Beard Presidential Prizes applicants will typically include faculty and/or administrators working in any of the health-related schools within the University (the College of Medicine, the Rangos School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Science and Engineering), the Center for Integrative Health, as well as any area of the University that develops initiatives focused on arts and culture. 

The Beard Presidential Prizes Proposal Review Committee is composed of the University’s executive vice president and provost, the senior vice president for University advancement and several Academic Affairs representatives. The committee is supported by a Beard Presidential Prizes Coordinator who will source, review, vet and prioritize all proposal submissions for assessment and consideration by the Proposal Review Committee. 

The Committee convenes annually to review, assess and discuss all proposal submissions. After review and consideration of all applications, the Committee will make one or more funding recommendations to the University President and Gregory Beard. The president and Gregory Beard will make final distribution award decisions.

Each application must present a detailed budgetary request which will be evaluated  and approved by the Proposal Review Committee prior to selection of awardees and  any release of funding. All requests must be reasonable and commensurate with the annual valuation of, and annual distribution from, the endowment fund.

Biannual reporting is required to ensure that all Beard Presidential Prizes recipients deploy their approved distribution for the purpose(s) expressed in their application and to assess the impact achieved through that support. The report must include a statement of performance versus proposed budgetary expenditures.

In select circumstances, continuation funding for exceptionally effective and impactful initiatives may be considered.

Application Guidelines

Proposals should be no longer than 6 pages in length and must be submitted using the following structure: 

• Abstract (300 word limit)
• Introduction
• Description of the project
• Personnel involved in the project (including name, title and role in the project)
• Detailed budget
• Outcomes of the project
• How the success of the project will be evaluated.

All proposals should be submitted to the Beard Presidential Prizes Coordinator Dr. Bridget Calhoun via email at calhounFREEDUQUESNE. To ensure your submission is received, please include "Beard Presidential Prizes Proposal" in the email subject line.

Questions or inquiries related to the process or procedures of the program can be sent to the Provost's Office at provostFREEDUQUESNE.