Giving Opportunities

Our Spiritan founders insisted that the transformative benefits of a Duquesne education be available to all worthy students, regardless of ability to pay. Funding for need-based financial aid is critical to keeping this promise alive - now and for generations to come.

In the earliest days, the Spiritans often reduced or waived tuition for those who could not pay. Today's conditions are much different, but higher education remains the key to better lives and careers. Many students and their families sacrifice and often incur substantial debt in their quest for a college education. For many, the bottom line cost is a key factor in deciding whether to enroll or stay at Duquesne.

More than 90 percent of incoming Duquesne students receive some form of financial aid, scholarships or grants. More than $100 million is University-based, with a large portion coming from donor-endowed scholarships. Still, more help is needed to realize our founders' vision.

Increased financial aid does not imply relaxed admission standards. To the contrary, it is crucial to sustaining our success in attracting the most talented and motivated students, and to building a more diverse and vibrant learning community. By making finances less of a concern, students and families can make decisions based on Duquesne's many other advantages.

More dedicated scholarship funds will also have a beneficial effect on the University's balance sheet. Funding more need-based aid from endowments rather than operational revenue will make more resources available for improvements in academics and student life.

 

Ways to Give

The Business of Difference Making

The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business develops sought-after business leaders who possess the ethical character, Spiritan mindset, and solutions-oriented skills needed to be global difference makers. Our faculty and staff deeply engage our students to create educational experiences that improve lives, address business challenges, and have lasting societal impact.

We are constantly innovating to ensure that our programs, our environment, and our culture enable and support the business of difference making. During the IGNITE campaign, we have established seven Centers of Excellence—bundles of faculty, educational programs, research efforts, and facilities that can enhance our impact and reputation. These centers are important platforms for creating innovative educational programs, supporting faculty research, and building collaborative bridges inside and outside the School. Our next challenge is to secure the resources to grow these centers.

You can make the difference by considering and supporting one or more of these vital priorities.

Centers of Excellence

To thrive, each center needs significant endowed and/or annual operating commitments. The highest priorities include additional funding for the Eugene P. Beard Center for Student Success, Investment Strategy Institute and the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship.

Eugene P. Beard Center for Student Success: This Center is key to the School’s ability to attract and retain the best and brightest students, to fully support their academic progress, and to maximize career opportunities after graduation. Specific funding areas envisioned include additional student support staff, student development with in-class corporate clients, and placement initiatives such as corporate/alumni networking events.

Investment Strategy Institute: Opportunities include resources to establish a speaker series and/or investment competition, and support for constantly updating and enhancing the professional tools students use to learn their craft (WRDS, Bloomberg terminals, data subscriptions, etc.).

Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship: Additional funding is sought for expanding the Duquesne New Venture Challenge, new and replacement equipment for the “Bob’s Launch Pad” maker space, and funding for student-run angel investments that will also help support innovative new Western Pennsylvania startups.

Faculty Support

Named faculty positions— fellowships, professorships and chairs—help attract and retain world-class teacher-scholars and business professionals by offering stipends, course load support and funds for innovative initiatives.

Direct support helps faculty conduct summer research, underwrites teaching and service awards and grants, and travel for conferences and professional development.

Research infrastructure funding provides computers and other hardware, software and analytics packages, and subscriptions to datasets and research platforms.

Facilities

While the vast majority of Rockwell Hall has been renovated in recent years, further improvements are needed to maximize the building’s potential as a destination for prospective students and faculty and to align with current business needs. Opportunities include renovation of the eighth floor to increase student collaboration space, construction of a business analytics center on the first floor, and improvements to street-level entrances to Rockwell Hall.

Student Support

Student scholarship funds allow the School to sustain Duquesne’s historic commitment to access and affordability while attracting talented students whose diverse perspectives and experiences contribute to a vibrant and dynamic learning environment. They will enter the workforce equipped with the skills needed to navigate our evolving business landscape.

Curricular and co-curricular activities are vital to preparing our students for career success. Funding for competitions such as the First Year Innovation Challenge, Signature Capstone Projects, Duquesne New Venture Challenge and Steel City Sales Challenge supports prizes, faculty and staff participation, marketing and mentor expenses.

Student Managed Investment Funds: Our students currently manage three funds encompassing nearly $1.4 million in assets (broad asset ETFs, small-cap stocks and large-cap stocks). We seek to expand the funds managed by students to offer even better hands-on learning opportunities..

Student Retention and Development: As part of our holistic approach to student success, we seek funding to enhance services, staffing and tools for student career development and to provide dedicated placement support—especially for graduate students.

The Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund provides flexible resources for hands-on learning experiences, forward-thinking curricular innovations, cutting-edge learning environments, and faculty research and development. Gifts also support competitions, conferences, and professional and career preparation opportunities. The Innovation Fund ensures that the School remains at the forefront of difference-making business education.

Prepare Here. Impact Anywhere.

Duquesne University’s School of Education has a rich history—nearly 95 years of preparing leaders to serve community consistent with the Spiritan mission. With national accreditation for the full range of its doctoral, master’s, undergraduate, and certification programs, a profound concern for moral and spiritual values, and a deep commitment to helping every student succeed, the School builds legacies by transforming lives.

In the spirit of community leadership and in service to the University’s ambitious strategic plan, we are not resting on our heritage. Our founders built an innovative learning community to address societal needs. As we look at our changing world—and the continuing need to effectively educate the children and adults in our community, we have no shortage of ideas. Alumni and friends who share our vision and enthusiasm will bring our plans to fruition. Will you be one of them?

Here are a few concepts to consider for philanthropic investments in our School—and the future.

Mathematics/STEM Laboratory

The Math/STEM Lab will change the way K-12 student experience mathematics. Our goal is to incorporate experiential learning opportunities for pre-service teachers that teach them how to engage their future students in creating, building, finding patterns, solving problems, mathematical modeling, being an entrepreneur or inventor, and fundraising for their communities. Name the math skill and our future teachers will show how that skill can help solve real world problems.  We envision a space in Canevin Hall that will allow us to offer these experiences to our current students. We will also offer after-school and summer “themed” math experiences at the K-12 level, house in-person and online tutoring services, and a place for demonstrations, meetings, and discussions among practicing teachers and counselors, our own Education students and faculty, and colleagues from other Duquesne schools and departments.

This space will support our region by:

• Preparing future teachers and supporting In-Service teachers. This space will change the instructional paradigm from mathematics as a series of “rote procedures” with little connection to usefulness or enjoyment to an approach that inspires curiosity and engagement.
  
  
• Supporting K-12 student learning of mathematics. This space will align the pace of instruction with students’ individual learning patterns, providing students who need them with opportunities to catch up while maintaining and building resources for gifted students and magnet schools.
  
  
• Creating holistic mathematically learning. This space will connect mathematics with vital skills such as financial literacy, creativity, inventing and entrepreneurism, thus enhancing not only students’ success but also enriching the communities in which they will live and work.

Special Education Clinic

This new and distinctive clinic will address two significant needs experienced in special education.

Support students’ and parents’ knowledge and advocacy skills to effectively navigate special education. Currently, there are no university-based services in the Pittsburgh area to prepare parents for special education advocacy, especially related to their children’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP or 504 Plan). We seek to move beyond the generalized recommendations offered by some agencies to address details such as:

• Understanding academic, behavioral, functional and social assessment data for persons with disabilities;
  
  
• Recognizing differences between special education legislation and the associated parental and student roles;
  
  
• Differentiating between students with disabilities’ responsibilities in high school and the transition to college or employment settings; and
  
  
• Identifying parent and student responsibilities in each section of the IEP or 504 Plan.

We are especially interested in targeting outreach to immigrant families and families identifying as low socioeconomic status.

Increase support for in-service practitioners struggling with the challenges of more diverse classrooms. Many teachers need additional support to address student needs.  We envision helping teachers better understand their classes’ academic, social, behavioral, and emotional needs by supporting them with:

• Addressing challenging behaviors in general and special education classrooms as well as alternative education settings;
  
  
• Understanding the application of assessment in general and education settings and post-secondary activities;
  
  
• Recognizing classroom strategies to support students with disabilities (such as those with autism spectrum disorders in general education classrooms; and
  
  
• Identifying evidence-based strategies and practices to improve student success in general and special education classrooms.

Both of the above priorities offer plentiful opportunities for donors to fund both spaces (physical renovations to the Canevin Hall basement) and what takes place in them (program development, operational expenses, transportation and logistical support, etc.).

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Increased funding for undergraduate scholarships and graduate scholarships makes Duquesne more competitive in recruiting and retaining students. Most of all, robust financial aid extends our unique Spiritan mission to educate all worthy students, regardless of their ability to pay.

Empowered to Lead. Prepared for What’s Next.

Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University educates lawyers to excel in the ethical practice of law, preserve the highest ideals of our profession, and promote equal justice and democratic discourse through leadership, service, and civic engagement. We do so inspired by our Catholic Spiritan tradition and law school motto, Salus populi suprema lex—“The welfare of the people is the highest law.”

We believe that education is a path to empowerment and that every person deserves dignity, respect and grace. Our students are educated about their role as global citizens to enable them to make immediate impacts as successful lawyers and responsible leaders.

Our forward-looking Shared Vision Pillars were developed to complement our mission and guide Duquesne Kline’s innovation and path forward. They form a framework for serving our students so that they can ultimately contribute to society as lawyers with a strong sense of justice, integrity, character and compassion.

The Vision Fund

Gifts to our Vision Fund allow Duquesne Kline to continue pursuing bigger goals in serving student needs, recruiting excellent faculty, uplifting our community and spreading the word about our School’s excellence. The Vision Fund helps to ensure that Duquesne Kline Law remains on an upward trajectory by every measure.

Cross-Disciplinary Learning

Today’s lawyers need to understand the confluence of disciplines that impact our work and society. To prepare students for the practice of law in this rapidly-changing landscape, we must educate lawyers with critical modern skills such as financial literacy, business acumen, technology sophistication, healthcare knowledge and international awareness.

Gifts are supporting innovative programs and course development in areas such as finance and business, innovation and intellectual property law, technology and machine learning and global partnerships in international law. With the advent of Duquesne’s new College of Osteopathic Medicine and strong relationships with the University’s schools of Health Sciences, Nursing and Pharmacy, we are developing unique interprofessional opportunities in the field of health care law.

Leadership Development

We draw from our Spiritan ethos in guiding a leadership mindset that emphasizes ethics, character and values. Servant leadership ties directly to our mission by raising others up, helping others to feel a part of something bigger than themselves, creating unity and serving a higher calling. Leadership development instills within our students a deep desire to serve others, pursue justice and act with integrity in any role they choose.

Toward this end, we have established a year-long Leadership Fellows Program which allows our student leaders to come together to focus on their own leadership development. Duquesne Kline is also among the first law schools in the nation to incorporate leadership development into all Professional Responsibility courses, ensuring that every student learns and practices these vital skills.

Fostering Community Wellbeing

In keeping with our Spiritan mission, our priority under this pillar is ensuring that the Law School is a welcoming and supportive environment for all. Our efforts in this area include initiatives focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, civil discourse and mental health and wellbeing.

Facilities and Technology Improvements

Our breathtaking new façade, front entranceway, and third-floor archival collection room was made possible by the generosity of Thomas R. Kline, L’78.

Our Student Lounge space will be renovated during the Summer of 2024, complete with 24-hour grab-and-go dining, a variety of additional seating, and a cozy fireplace.

Opportunities for further improvements include expanding the Career Services suite and equipping more classrooms with advanced teaching technology that will facilitate greater access to legal education for our non-traditional evening students.

Diversify Your Thinking. Reimagine Our World.

The College prepares students for productive and creative lives of service in a diverse and rapidly changing world. We teach students to think, write, and speak clearly and critically, so they can seek truth about God, themselves, society, and the natural world, in order to contribute to their families, communities, environment, businesses, and professions.

The College’s 10 departments offer more than 30 majors, 35 minors, nearly 20 master’s programs and seven doctoral degrees. We also encompass 10 centers, one institute and the Psychology Clinic. Our robust agenda of six strategic priorities includes giving opportunities for every interest.

We ASPIRE; you can light the fire. Please consider supporting one or more of these initiatives.

Action Within our Communities

• Provide incentive and rewards for faculty and students who develop and sustain community engagement.
• Involve students in engagement projects such as the Community Writing Center and Learning Communities.
• Promote community engagement as a form of racial, social, and restorative justice.

Sustainability for Our Future

• Increase students’ ability to promote peace, justice, and the integrity of creation.
• Update and develop new academic courses that engage issues of ethics and sustainability for the Bridges and Liberal Arts curricula (Theology, Philosophy, Global Health Ethics).
• Emphasize the links between sustainability and community engagement/partnerships, and publicize the College faculty and students’ work.

Professional Growth for Empowerment

• Enhance existing and create new areas of academic excellence to further distinguish unique strengths of the College that cross departments and schools.
• Publicize faculty research both internally and externally.
• Promote graduate and undergraduate research and provide incentives for such research. 

Inclusive Practices that Expand Horizons

• Expose students to and foster understanding of a variety of competing and diverse viewpoints through welcoming and respectful dialogue.
• Annual College Day for Learning and Speaking Out against Racial Injustice
• Support the development of additional academic courses in partnership with programs such as the Centers for Women’s and Gender Studies, African Studies, and Community Engaged Teaching and Research. 

Recruitment to Diversify
Teaching and Learning

• Targeted marketing regarding Learning Communities, transfer populations, international students.
• More intensive coaching for undeclared Liberal Arts students and students at risk.
• Triangulated campus, online, and hybrid programming and scheduling for diverse populations (veterans, working professionals).
• Collaborate more actively with existing campus efforts to recruit and support international students.

Experiences that Transform

• Form partnerships with local institutions that engage global issues. 
• Further promote and develop support for students to study abroad and for faculty to develop such programs

Key Initiatives You May Wish to Consider

• Center for Hispanic Studies
• Catholic Studies
• Campus Writing Center and Community Writing Center
• Center for Migration, Displacement and Community Studies
• Digital Experience and Prototyping Lab
• Center for Emerging and Innovative Media

Focus Areas for Donor Support

• Naming Opportunities for Centers and Labs
• Support for Internships, Study Abroad, and Undergraduate Research
• Support for Community Engagement
• Scholarships for niche student populations: veterans, first generation, graduate students, international students
• Speaker Series
• Endowed Professorships
• Emerging Initiatives: Medical Humanities, Jewish Studies, Consortium for Interreligious Dialogue

A Competitive Edge in a Creative Field

The Mary Pappert School of Music provides musical education that connects the broad spectrum of historical and current practices; and in promoting the relationship between theory and practice, prepares professionals who will be the leaders in the musical culture of the 21st century.

The School must constantly improve and innovate to compete with regional and national peers. Private support is vital to keeping Duquesne on the leading edge of music education and performance training. You can make this possible with a gift to advance on of the priorities described on the reverse side.

You can make this possible with a gift to advance one or more of these vital priorities.

Scholarship Support

Attracting and retaining outstanding music students is akin to recruiting a championship athletic team, matching the best performers with available positions. Duquesne has many factors in its favor, including Pittsburgh’s vibrant cultural community, our renowned faculty and world-class programs, and strong outcomes as measured by the employment rate and positions attained by our graduates. Still, we face obstacles as well.

Our biggest challenge is relatively high tuition coupled with lower financial aid than many peer schools can provide.  For example, our main competitors at the graduate level offer full tuition plus stipends, making it very difficult to compete on price, especially for international students with limited means.

We currently have approximately two dozen endowed scholarship funds, covering a wide variety of programs, instrumental and voice areas, levels of need, and musical excellence. Donors are invited to establish new funds or contribute to already existing endowments.

Live-Streaming of Concerts

Parents of our students have for many years requested that we live-stream concerts so that they can watch their children perform even when the parents are not able to attend in person. This issue was heightened during the COVID pandemic, when not only parents but also our loyal alumni and friend patrons were unable to view live performances.

With support from generous donors, we have been able to purchase a live-streaming system which functions in all of our performing spaces (PNC Recital Hall, Power Center Ballroom, Union Ballroom, Duquesne Chapel, Thomas D. Pappert Center for Innovation and Performance, Carnegie Music Hall). 

Ongoing support is sought for annual maintenance and personnel costs.

City Music Center

Founded in 1989, City Music Center of Duquesne University (CMC) has proudly served as the Pittsburgh area’s premier provider of musical instruction for students of all ages. As the community outreach division of the Mary Pappert School of Music, CMC strives to educate all who are interested, regardless of musical ability or financial situation. 

CMC offers a comprehensive program of individual instrumental instruction combined with a sequenced, age-appropriate musicianship curriculum, ensemble and recital opportunities, as well as lessons and educational programs for university-level students and adults of all ages and skill levels.

CMC serves as one of our principal avenue of community engagement (along with our public concerts) and as a pipeline for recruitment of students to our degree programs.

Scholarship support for families of limited means is an important way in which we can increase the economic diversity of our CMC and undergraduate student bodies.

We also seek funding for an executive director position and various types of programmatic support.

Replacement of Steinway Pianos

In 2001, Duquesne University became the first Catholic university in the country to become an All-Steinway School with the purchase of 68 new pianos.

While the normal lifespan of those pianos is 20 years; the School’s investment in having a full-time piano technician on staff is expected to extend the instruments’ usability by up to 10 more years.

However, a plan does need to be in place to eventually replace most of these instruments, particularly ones in high-usage areas, such as performing spaces and practice rooms. We have recently begun focused fundraising efforts to this end.

New Music Therapy Programs

Duquesne University’s campus-wide focus on integrating health care includes the Mary Pappert School of Music. Building on our long-established undergraduate program in Music Therapy, we recently introduced a suite of three new graduate degree offerings. Additional targeted support is needed to make  these programs more accessible and affordable to the next generation of music therapists.

Science with Purpose

The School of Science and Engineering combines Duquesne’s longstanding and highly-regarded programs in the natural and environmental sciences (biological sciences, biotechnology, chemistry and biochemistry, forensic science and physics), mathematics and computer science and biomedical engineering into a dynamic new academic unit, with expanded offerings in mechanical engineering, environmental/energy engineering, systems engineering and general engineering to begin in fall 2024.

We are responding to an increasing demand for engineers, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting that nearly 140,000 new engineering positions will be created by 2026. Already a nationally ranked research institution, our array of offerings in the sciences, curriculum of ethical considerations relevant to engineers, and focused class sizes (which offer students easier access to faculty and resources) provide students with opportunities often more challenging to acquire at larger programs. We are building from a strong foundation.

You can get in on the ground floor. This ambitious new venture offers many opportunities for transformational philanthropic investments. We invite you to consider and support one or more of these vital priorities.

Expansion of Engineering

New engineering programs require new space. Existing laboratories will be renovated and additional space built out for mechanical engineering, environmental engineering and design projects. In addition to construction costs, each area will require six- to seven-figure investments in equipment and software. Naming opportunities are available at specified giving levels.

Endowed professorships in each field will help attract and support world-class faculty teacher-scholars, each of whom will also need dedicated lab space for their research work.

Student Scholarships will allow our new and existing programs to attract the best and brightest students—especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Engineering Internships and Career Development: Funds for staffing and student support services will help our graduates jumpstart their careers.

Undergraduate Research Programs

Plentiful undergraduate research opportunities are a distinctive characteristic of our science programs. In some departments, 100 percent of the majors participate in research. Students begin as volunteers and can also take research for credit during the year.

Hands-on research gives students practical and relevant skills, and often leads to the discovery of new passions and opportunities for graduate study or employment. A key attraction is the opportunity to present findings at professional conferences. Gifts to travel resource funds would allow more students a chance for these experiences.

A culminating experience for many students is our signature 10-week summer program. Students are paid a stipend and receive free housing to immerse themselves in externally-funded research projects, learning side-by-side with faculty, graduate students and peers in the lab, seminars and workshops. Additionally, students participate in community service and science ethics training. Each participant presents their work at a program-closing symposium, which also includes students from regional colleges.

Increased donor support would allow us to offer more attractive stipends and defray the cost of vital supplies.

Instrumentation and Maintenance

Conducting state-of-the art research requires a wide array of sophisticated laboratory equipment, which is increasingly expensive to purchase and maintain and not covered by most grants. Gifts help keep our technology at the leading edge.

Faculty Development

Small grants can provide seed money for new research projects and support participation in professional workshops.

Scholarships

Duquesne’s founders believed that education should be available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Endowed scholarships ensure that we can attract and retain the most talented and motivated students for generations to come.

Special emphasis is placed on new funding for discipline-specific scholarships, support for first-generation college students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and scholarships designed to reward high-performing students.

Scholarship Funds and Academic Support: Our Spiritan founders and sponsors were determined that the benefits of a Duquesne education should be available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Endowed scholarships ensure that Duquesne can attract and retain the most talented and motivated students for generations to come.

Such support is particularly important to the Honors College. The outstanding students Duquesne seeks to recruit are coveted by many institutions, and often have multiple scholarship offers to choose from. Endowed scholarship funding will maintain and enhance Duquesne’s competitive position with this critical pool of talent.

Funds are also needed to provide scholarships and awards for Honors College students continuing beyond the freshman year, to recognize demonstrated excellence in the classroom, laboratory, campus and community.

Unrestricted Funds: Unrestricted gifts allow the director to direct resources to the program’s most critical needs and to respond to unexpected opportunities. The vast majority of gifts to the Honors College are designated for a specific program or purpose, making such discretionary funds particularly valuable.

Faculty Support Grants: The Honors College Core Curriculum emphasizes team teaching and multidisciplinary approaches to course content. Faculty members working in this creative environment need funding support for their collaborative efforts to plan course content and prepare class materials.

Support for Undergraduate Research: The Honors College encourages its members to engage in serious undergraduate research, regardless of their field of study. Many of Duquesne’s schools and departments offer robust undergraduate research opportunities. The Honors College seeks to work collaboratively with these efforts and to promote student scholarly inquiry in other disciplines.

Funding is needed for such expenses as student travel to conduct research or present their findings at academic conferences. Ultimately, the Honors College hopes to create a formal center for undergraduate research that would review applications and award such support. The center would also organize events featuring the best of Duquesne’s undergraduate student research, encourage outstanding undergraduate students to apply for the major national competitive scholarships, and assist students in navigating the arduous application process for these scholarships.

Furnishings and Improvements for Honors/Service Learning Building: The new headquarters for the Honors College and the Office of Service Learning is located in a historic 19th Century building. Significant renovations have been made and the offices are currently operating in the location, however there is still a need for furnishings and artwork (especially art with a Pittsburgh or Duquesne theme). Technological upgrades are also needed, including wireless Internet connectivity and an Internet-linked projection system for the conference area.

Naming Opportunities: Many of these priorities present excellent naming opportunities for generous benefactors at specified levels. These may include named scholarships and faculty resource funds, naming of the center for undergraduate research center, and naming of the Honors College itself.

The Learning Skills Center has served Duquesne University students, faculty and staff for more than 30 years. We provide free tutoring, academic counseling, study skills development, various forms of testing and learning disabilities services.

Over the past five years, we have served more than 5,000 people, 3,000 of whom were students seeking tutoring. It is our trained, supervised, paid tutors that make our services so popular and effective.

The Learning Skills Center also provides student development services to the larger Pittsburgh community. Over the past 25 years, our Summer Institute and our Program for Academic Coaching Through Tutoring (PACT), a service learning initiative, have served thousands of public school students from the Hill, Oakland, South Side, North Side, Lawrenceville, East Liberty, Homewood and other Pittsburgh communities.

All Summer Institute and PACT alumni graduate from high school, most attend college, and a few have even graduated from Duquesne University.

The Learning Skills Center is a major component of the University's retention program. Each year we outreach to and assist hundreds of students who encounter academic difficulties and need a helping hand to get back on the path to success.

Operational Support Opportunities

Endowed Tutor Scholarship Fund: Provides three student tutors with 25 percent of their tuition for two academic years.

Endowed Partial Tutor Scholarship Fund: Provides two student tutors with 15 percent of their tuition for two academic years.

Endowed Tutorial Fund: Attracts and compensates top quality tutors.

Endowed PACT Scholarship Fund: Provides an annual scholarship for two PACT alumni attending Duquesne.

Endowed Summer Institute Scholarship Fund: Provides tuition, room and board for two Pittsburgh Public School students from deserving families to attend the Summer Institute.

Endowed Directorship: Ensures that the University continues to attract and retain a top professional as Director.

The Center for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research welcomes support in the following areas:

General Activity Support with Center Naming Rights: This support comes with the opportunity to name the Center.

Community Engagement Scholars Program with Naming Rights: This selective program recruits undergraduate students and engages them in leadership and community engagement development. They serve as liaisons between community-engaged classes and local community organizations. Funding is needed to support orientation, training, and stipends for participating students.

Public Problem Solving Planning Institutes: As the University launches community-engaged teaching and research as components of the undergraduate experience and faculty workload, disciplinary and interdisciplinary work groups will convene as institutes to identify the social and environmental issues they seek to address. The purpose of each institute is to develop teaching and research agendas that are animated by a theory of change model.

Collective Impact Assessment: As teaching and research agendas are designed that address a variety of public problems, the University needs to establish a model of collective impact assessment that discerns the University's ability affect change within a particular issue area across a range of projects and programs. Support is needed for the development and implementation of collective impact assessment.

Scholarships: Establishing scholarships, particularly for students of color who demonstrate a commitment to community service, will enable students to become community change agents through their Duquesne experience and involvement with the Center.

Intentional Living Arrangements: Students within each intentional living house, a residence in one of the communities local to the University, will receive free housing in exchange for their participation as leaders within the Center. Programming for residents of these houses will be provided at the house and in the surrounding community.

Graduate Research Assistantships: Graduate research assistants will investigate community-based issues relevant to specific neighborhoods of interest.

Community-Engaged Research Activities: Each year, faculty are awarded community-engaged research seed funds through the Provost's office. These faculty partner with established community-based leaders to research issues pertinent to the Pittsburgh region. Awards are renewable for up to two years and recipients are expected to generate additional external funds beyond the term of the award.

Faculty Fellowships: Each year, five faculty who have proven themselves to be Master Community-Engaged Teachers are given a fellowship to share their teaching expertise with their faculty peers through one-on-one consultation and workshops. In mentoring emerging community-engaged teachers, these fellows bolster the quality of community-engaged learning classes across the University and significantly enhance the human capacity of the Center to serve faculty.

Transportation Resources: The biggest challenge to successful community-engaged learning experiences is getting students to and from community sites. Not all sites are on public transportation lines, and not all public transit options are reliable or run on schedules conducive to a student's class schedule. Smaller forms of transit, such as mini-vans that groups of students could sign-out, would greatly alleviate this challenge.

Annual Speaker Series: External, renowned experts on community-engagement would be welcomed to the University to speak about their work and to work with our faculty on community-engaged teaching and research development.

Teaching and Research Workspace: Currently located in a Victorian-era row house on the northern edge of campus, the Center requires inviting and functional office and meeting space for students, faculty, and community partners in addition to its staff.

Research Laboratory Funds: Community-engaged research often requires meeting space, data analysis software, research assistants, and data collection technology, such as video cameras and voice recorders.

The Robert & Patricia Gussin Spiritan Division of Academic Programs opens the door to success for deserving students who profit from four semesters of our individualized academic, vocational and personal support. Since our inception in 1997, we have served 691 students. Using a cohort model that emphasizes personal and professional growth, 68 percent of our students continue at the University and earn their undergraduate degrees.

The drive, determination and ability of our students and the effectiveness of our personalized attention are demonstrated by their academic performance. Fifty-four percent of our 2008-09 freshman class, for example, attained a 3.0 or better grade point average and 98 percent earned a 2.0 or better by the end of their second semester. We are an academic success program with a 13-year track record of graduating successful people.

One secret of our success is our diversity. Our students and staff come from widely different backgrounds, various regions of the country and from abroad, making us the most ethnically and culturally diverse academic program on campus.

Operational Support Opportunities

Endowed Partial Scholarship: Provides partial tuition support for a Gussin Spiritan Division student.

Endowed Scholarship: Provides major tuition support for a Gussin Spiritan Division student.

Endowed Fund for Student Resources: Provides funds to defray the costs of books, supplies and other educational expenses incurred by Gussin Spiritan Division students.

Endowed Teaching Assistant Fellowship: Attracts outstanding graduate teaching assistants and supports their studies.

Director's Discretionary Endowment: Assists the Director by offering flexible resources to address changing needs.

Endowed Directorship: Ensures that the University continues to attract and retain a top professional as Director.

Endowed Cultural Enrichment Scholarships: Supports living and travel expenses for Gussin Spiritan Division students at Duquesne's Italian Campus for one semester.

Duquesne has maintained and strengthened its historic commitment to teaching. Since 1989, our Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) has helped faculty members and graduate student teaching assistants to excel as teacher-scholars who are deeply invested in learning.

True educational excellence is not just a matter of what content is taught, but how it is taught. Quality teaching focuses on outcomes-the knowledge, skills and values students develop from their schooling. A learner-centered approach engages students, making them active participants in the educational process rather than passive recipients of information. Engaged students become intentional, responsible, life-long learners, equipped with the writing, thinking, collaborative and ethical skills needed to excel in changing workplaces and a changing world.

Such creative teaching requires that faculty members understand and select appropriate pedagogical theories, methods and tools, infusing them into new and existing courses.

CTE is a valuable resource to faculty members who seek to implement innovative teaching approaches. Faculty members deal with publication expectations, funding constraints and scarce available time. Thus, CTE employs a comprehensive approach to instructional, professional and organizational development. Programs are offered in different formats serving the wide range of needs faculty members face at every stage of their teaching careers, including graduate students teaching for the first time, new faculty pursuing promotion and tenure, and senior faculty.

CTE organizes and sponsors more than 50 events each year, starting with annual orientation sessions for full-time and adjunct faculty and graduate student teaching assistants. Each month brings a schedule of new faculty luncheons, workshops, book studies, learning groups, speakers and institutes, culminating every spring in a Celebration of Teaching Excellence, at which annual awards for innovative teaching are presented to exceptional faculty and graduate assistants.

The Center houses and distributes an expansive library of print resources and develops online materials providing instructors at all levels with tools to strengthen teaching and succeed in academic careers.

CTE staff members provide individual, confidential consultations on topics such as teaching, service-learning, outcomes assessment, and the scholarship of teaching and learning, and assist Duquesne's graduate students in preparing for academic careers. The staff offers classroom observations and guides instructors in the use and interpretation of student evaluations.

Workshops and resources can be tailored to specific disciplines. CTE can customize programs on such topics as designing courses and syllabi, lecturing interactively, giving students feedback, developing and grading assignments, and integrating multiculturalism. The Center frequently supports academic committees, providing recent research on best practices in higher education.

CTE also administers mini-grant programs supporting program-level outcomes assessment and promoting multicultural educational initiatives.

CTE programs and services benefit faculty members of all ages and experiences, from senior professors to new doctors to adjunct professionals to graduate students just beginning their academic careers. The approach is intentionally personal, dynamic and interdisciplinary, encouraging all who engage in teaching to interact with and learn from each other.

Goals and Needs

Strengthen services for graduate students teaching at Duquesne and preparing to become faculty members: CTE provides orientation, workshops, consulting on teaching, and guidance in preparing job search dossiers and teaching portfolios. The Center is piloting an official record of university teaching and related professional experience that will further enhance graduates' prospects. Funds are needed to sustain this initiative, to provide more systematic mentoring of graduate students by faculty, and to offer opportunities for teaching assistants to interact with Duquesne alumni who are successful faculty members at other institutions.

Deepen faculty understanding of teaching and learning through faculty learning groups: This concept, currently a pilot project, brings together faculty members from various disciplines and experience levels to conduct scholarship on teaching and learning which will result in conference presentations and published papers. Support is needed to underwrite travel costs for participating faculty to present their findings at conferences.

Rejuvenate mid-career and senior faculty members through professional development and leadership: A small number of seasoned faculty participate in leading CTE sessions, serving on assessment and award committees, and acting as advisors to CTE staff, but no formal programs currently exist for the more than 250 full and associate professors. CTE seeks to expand its offerings to provide systematic training and opportunities for experienced faculty to provide leadership to their peers and less experienced colleagues.

Provide programs and services for adjunct faculty: While CTE supports full-time faculty and graduate student teaching assistants, more than 500 part-time faculty do not now benefit from its full services. The Center would like to establish an adjunct teaching award program, support travel to conferences on teaching and learning, and make a wide range of programming and resources available to adjunct faculty online through the University's intranet.

A gift to the Duquesne Athletic Fund will help to recruit, retain, train and support our outstanding student-athletes as they pursue a world-class education and playing experience.

 

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Scholarships: In keeping with Duquesne's Spiritan heritage, we seek to increase endowed funds for need-based financial aid and scholarships. Our founders and sponsors were determined that the benefits of a Duquesne education should be available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Endowed scholarships ensure that Duquesne can attract and retain talented and motivated students for generations to come

Unrestricted Funds: Unrestricted gifts allow the director the flexibility to direct resources to ODI’s most critical needs and respond to unexpected opportunities. Many gifts to ODI are designated for a specific purpose, making these discretionary funds even more valuable.

Cross-Cultural Program Endowment: As society becomes increasingly pluralistic, all students need to develop the knowledge and skills to successfully work with people of different backgrounds. ODI offers a wide range of co-curricular educational programs that not only improve the diversity climate on campus, but also prepare students to become leaders in personal and professional settings. These initiatives may include targeted efforts (such as financial literacy programs for at-risk students or anti-racist interventions dealing with specific situations) as well broad-based workshops and speakers open to all students that provide insights into cultural issues. Endowment funds are needed to ensure the continuation and expansion of these cross-cultural programs.

Multicultural Student Advisory Council: While ODI bears primary responsibility for cross-cultural initiatives, it also seeks to respond to student needs and promote campus-wide awareness and dialogue. ODI has assembled a panel of student leaders to help guide its efforts. Currently, this body operates only in an advisory capacity, but in the future, ODI seeks dedicated funding that the Council, in turn, could allocate to other student organizations that wish to offer multicultural programs furthering ODI’s goals.

Peer Educators: This program would create a corps of “diversity ambassadors.” Similar to resident assistants, these student leaders would receive intensive certification training in promoting diversity and addressing multicultural issues across campus. Funding is needed to support both training and stipends for selected students during academic terms.

Travel Funds: Students’ educational experiences and leadership skills are enhanced by attendance at regional and national professional conferences. Funds are needed to defray students’ costs of travel to and participation in these valuable networking opportunities.

Book Scholarships: The increasing expense of required textbooks is a real barrier to many students seeking to begin or continue their studies. ODI book scholarships would assist needy students in addressing this vital academic need.

Multicultural Resource Library: ODI seeks to build, maintain and house a collection of books, audio and video resources addressing diversity issues both on campus and in the larger society. These materials would provide opportunities for students to enhance their understanding and implement principles demonstrated in other ODI activities.

Naming of the Department: A substantial endowment gift commitment to name the ODI would provide continuing funds for many of the initiatives described herein, while serving as a perpetual living testament to the donor’s generosity, compassion and vision.

Endowed Graduate Fellowship: Would provide funding for a graduate assistant to help the director implement new and existing programs and work directly with students.

Facilities Improvements: Operational funds are sought to renovate, maintain and decorate ODI offices and upgrade the technology available for student and staff use.

The Office for Military and Veteran Students (OMVS) was established by Duquesne University in August of 2015. Although the University has been working closely with the military and veteran student (MVS) population for years, this was the University’s first opportunity to create a standalone office and Director—retired Air Force Lt. Col. Don Accamando—to help meet the needs of this non-traditional student community.

The Office supports MVS by fostering a learning environment where they can build upon their life experiences and be accepted for who they are, while providing them with an opportunity to earn a distinctive Duquesne education for the mind, heart and spirit.

There are approximately 215 MVS attending Duquesne. At least one MVS is enrolled in each of the University’s nine schools. We provide a variety of options for them to study, including accelerated degrees online. Liberal Arts, Nursing, Business and Education are the most popular degree programs for MVS.

Duquesne’s programs for veterans are nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report and a number of publications and web sites serving the military community.

In 2014, the Duquesne University School of Nursing was awarded a three-year $913,043 Federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to support a Veterans to Bachelors of Science in Nursing (VBSN) program. This new national initiative supports educational and employment opportunities for military veterans, Reservists, National Guard and active duty members.

Duquesne’s program is specially-tailored to meet the needs and expectations of veterans. Recognizing that many veterans prefer to seek help and guidance from other veterans, for example, the School recruited an academic coach, advisor and recruiter with military experience. Duquesne’s program serves as a model for other schools that are developing military-friendly programs of their own.

In 2016, a $7,000 grant from the Student Veterans Association of American and Home Depot enabled the renovation of a Military and Veteran Student Center adjacent to the Office for Military and Veteran Services in Libermann Hall.

Funding opportunities are available at many giving levels to improve these initiatives and facilities, and to enhance other vital aspects of Duquesne’s MVS efforts.

Scholarships and Resource Funds: Since its founding in 1878, Duquesne University has pursued a vision that no worthy student should ever be turned away for lack of ability to pay. This commitment extends to our MVS students. Duquesne participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and helps MVS students to take full advantage of their federal benefits, but many students still require additional assistance. Establishment of new endowed scholarships and resource funds—and contributions to enhance existing funds—will help ensure that all MVS students at Duquesne receive the support they need for tuition and other academic expenses.

Student Services: OMVS provides a number of specialized services to its military and veteran students, including personalized assistance with VA certification, admissions, financial aid and registration procedures, arrangements for VA work-study, and a Student Veterans of America chapter. Funds may be established to sustain and support staffing and professional development of these dedicated personnel.

University-Wide Initiatives: Duquesne’s commitment to military and veteran students extends far beyond OMVS. Units across campus— including the Psychology Department’s Military Services Clinic, Counseling and Wellness Center, Army ROTC, the Veterans Law Clinic, Gumberg Library, Career Services and Commuter Affairs all play a role in our comprehensive approach. Donors are welcome to support any of these departments with a designation to military initiatives.

Events for Veterans: OMVS organizes or participates in a wide variety of events throughout the year, including:

• Veterans’ Week events, including the largest Veterans’ Day breakfast in Pennsylvania, attracting nearly 700 attendees annually
• Reunion and Prayer Service during Homecoming
• Military appreciation at football and basketball games
• A veterans’ literary society
• Career skills and networking events

Donors may help to sustain these events or develop new initiatives, such as a Veterans’ Oral History Project.

Marketing and Recruitment: As the marketplace for military-friendly education becomes increasingly competitive, OMVS seeks support for a dedicated Marketing and Recruitment endowment to better publicize Duquesne’s programs and services.

Other Ways to Help: In addition to monetary gifts, alumni and friends are encouraged to invest their time and talents in MVS programs at Duquesne. Volunteer opportunities include assistance in recruiting, training and mentoring students, and service on Duquesne’s Veterans’ Advisory Board. For more information about how to get personally involved, please contact Christopher Boissonnault, Director of OMVS, at 412.396.5366

Cross Cultural Mission Experiences: Spiritan Campus Ministry offers students several opportunities each year to live the call to service in solidarity with the poor. These include the "Pittsburgh Plunge," in which students are immersed amid the challenges of urban poverty, spending their spring break working in schools, food banks, homeless shelters and other social service agencies. Cross-cultural trips are also offered in locations across the country and abroad:

• New Orleans, where students assist in the ongoing recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina
• Immokalee, Florida, where students work alongside migrant farm workers
• Baileysville, West Virginia, where students work with impoverished residents of the southern Appalachian coal fields
• San Juan de La Maguana, Dominican Republic, where students operate a camp for children and assist at a Spiritan mission church in an urban barrio.

Funding is sought to continue these experiences and add new ones, such as a civil rights tour of the American South, travel to missions in Tanzania, and pilgrimages to France and Rome to trace the footsteps of our Spiritan founders. Generous benefactors can make new opportunities possible, while relieving students of the burden of fundraising to support these trips.

Additional funding is needed to provide materials for students to use in upgrading the mission facilities in the Dominican Republic, such as the replacement of a tin roof, addition of solar panels and construction of a playground.

Liturgical Enhancements: Liturgical celebrations unite students, faculty, staff and administration in frequent celebrations of faith. From daily Mass to special services for the holy seasons of Advent and Lent, all are called to participate, to be uplifted and transformed. Thanks to a recent gift, a new sound system has been installed in the University Chapel, which is now also equipped for live Webcasting. Alumni and friends all over the world now can view and share in liturgical celebrations at Duquesne.

Additional equipment and supplies, such as those listed below, will enhance the atmosphere for worship and prayer, while creating new opportunities for increased student involvement:

• Instrumentation for music ministers, particularly percussion equipment such as timpani, a snare drum, suspended cymbal and hand shaker items
• Chairs to complement a new musicians’ riser
• Vestments: A complete set of liturgical color vestments and Spiritan vestments with matching stoles
• Liturgical color altar cloths and banners
• Worship aids, such as music octavos for regularly used selections and annual renewal of Breaking Bread hymnal subscriptions

Facilities Improvements: Campus ministers hope to establish a Technology Fund to spread the word of events and activities across campus through such additions as digital message boards.

Fair Trade Conference: The term “fair trade” describes goods that have been produced by people who have been paid a living wage. Fair Trade companies support and guarantee humane labor conditions, direct trade, community development and environmental sustainability. This expansion of current “Fair Trade Awareness Week” events would bring internationally known speakers to campus to enlighten students about progress and concerns in the movement.

Consistent Ethic of Life: Catholic teaching encourages and supports life in all of its stages–from conception to natural death–and requires that we encourage life in our interactions with others. A periodic speakers series would bring renowned speakers such as Serrin Foster, Helen Prejean and John Dear to campus to discuss different aspects and applications of consistent life ethics.

JPIC (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation) Student Development Fund: Over time, the Spiritans have developed a distinctive approach to issues of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. This spirituality not only calls for the liberation of the disadvantaged, but also demands pilgrimage, presence and lived solidarity with the poor. This fund would support student travel to conferences, workshops and experiences related to this key aspect of our mission and identity.

Library Fund: The Spiritan Campus Ministry Center houses a few Catholic books, periodicals and audio-visual resources that support organized group activities and aid individual members of the community in pursuing their personal journeys of faith. Funding is sought to significantly increase these library holdings.

Additional funding is needed to provide materials for students to use in upgrading the mission facilities in the Dominican Republic, such as the replacement of a tin roof, addition of solar panels and construction of a playground.

Donor-Directed Opportunities: The Spiritan approach to ministry is based on mutual respect and a thoughtful exchange of ideas—“around the table” rather than “from the top down.” Thus, Spiritan Campus Ministry welcomes ideas donors may suggest for enhancing programs or outreach through charitable gifts. Together, we can serve students and all humankind by touching and changing minds, hearts and spirits.

COVID-19 has both exposed and exacerbated health care disparities, especially among our low-income communities. In a nation of plenty—and a region renowned for health care and innovation—too many people still lack access to basic medical services.

There aren’t enough doctors to serve everyone, especially in the primary care practice so vital to overall wellbeing. And the shortfall will only worsen in the years to come. Medical schools across the country have increased enrollment, but a growing, aging population—coupled with the impending retirement of thousands of active physicians—amplifies the urgency of the need. We are answering the call.

 

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Built to Impact the Lives of Others

Our health care needs are more complex than ever before—as are the professions that serve them. Today’s health care team includes a wide variety of specialists dedicated to understanding and treating illness and injury, and Duquesne’s John G. Rangos, Sr. School of Health Sciences is committed to training those practitioners.

The Rangos School offers cutting-edge programs in athletic training, health administration, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, public health, rehabilitation science and speech-language pathology. Students gain valuable experience through internship and fieldwork programs in western Pennsylvania’s leading medical facilities. We have prepared and graduated more than 4,000 clinicians and administrators to serve the healthcare needs of southwestern Pennsylvania and the nation.

RSHS is at the center of the IGNITE imperative to integrate health care. There are many opportunities at all giving levels to strengthen the School. We invite you to consider and support one or more of these priorities.

Building, Technology and Equipment Upgrades

Physical plant needs include major renovations to the Occupational Therapy laboratory in Libermann Hall, a new large lecture hall with enough room at the front to install physical examination tables for clinical demonstration, updated furnishings for student lounges and improvements to the School’s outdoor space. 

Dedicated funding of staff positions such as a full-time statistician and a full-time grants administrator would provide a more robust infrastructure to support faculty members’ research and raise the School’s national profile.    

Learning and Practice Equipment needs include multiple sets of Microsoft Hololens glasses for virtual anatomy classes and point-of-care ultrasound units for Physician Assistant students, and a fiberoptic endoscope, nasolaryngoscope and STORZ unit for Speech-Language Pathology.

Student Scholarships and Support

We seek to focus additional funding for diversity and empowerment scholarships across all academic programs, a critically important student recruitment and retention initiative to welcome diverse groups of talented students.

We would also like to make study abroad available to more students with financial need, including full-semester offerings (such as Duquesne’s Rome campus) as well as travel expenses for shorter-term  Spring Break and Maymester opportunities.

Another challenge for many students is the cost of housing for clinical placements. Students pursue clinical experiences in locations across the country. We would like to increase funding for students needing additional housing support.

Finally, donors can make it possible for students to join professional organizations and attend regional and national conferences to present research and network with peers.

Interdisciplinary Clinic

We envision establishing a teaching-based interdisciplinary outpatient clinic that offers evidence-based, compassionate, and interprofessional care. Components of our plan include:

• An on-campus Interdisciplinary Outpatient Clinic with an initial emphasis on sports medicine and primary care
• An Interprofessional Education and Learning Community
• Off-campus Clinical Care and Educational Services

Ph.D. Program

We seek to build on the strength and successes of our Ph.D. programs in Rehabilitation Science and Health Science.  Funding would create opportunities for new and existing faculty to expand mentorship of future scholars, support innovative course development, provide abundant interdisciplinary teaching faculty, equip researchers with technologically superior research equipment and dynamic lab resources, and recruit emerging scholars, educators, and future experts in the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.  We envision a robust group of faculty leading diverse, domestic and international students with the intellect and ambition to be impactful teachers and researchers across the globe.

Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic

The Duquesne University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic serves from 84 to 100 clients per semester within the Pittsburgh region and provides exceptional clinical education to our SLP students. Essential facility upgrades are needed to maintain and expand this learning environment, particularly with sound equipment. The quality of sound in our observation suites has been limited and inadequate for our caregivers observing and student learners. We seek funds for an overhaul of all audio equipment used in the Clinic.

Additionally, we seek funding to expand our clinic offerings to the swallowing disordered population. This includes conducting instrumental swallowing assessments, Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). FEES is an instrumental swallow assessment that allows for direct visualization of laryngopharyngeal structures, to evaluate swallowing function from neonates to geriatric populations.

Compass Inclusive Education Program

We seek to develop a cross-disciplinary, fully inclusive post-secondary program that provides students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with an opportunity to pursue a two or four-year non-degree certificate or bachelor’s degree,

Compass would create equitable opportunities for students with disabilities to pursue higher education, closing disparity gaps in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, while providing Health Sciences, Osteopathic Medicine, Nursing, Education and the Liberal Arts students with cutting-edge, on-site clinical fieldwork and research opportunities with underrepresented diverse populations.

Visiting Scholar Program

Substantial endowed funding is sought to establish regular, one-year contracts for visiting scholars in the areas of diversity, scholarship, teaching and health care disparities. Funding would support salaries, travel, and research for one visiting scholar per year.

Health Disparities Endowed Chair

Specialty accreditation for our programs in Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant and Speech-Language Pathology requires instruction in the area of health disparities and vulnerable populations,

An endowed chair will further advance the Rangos School’s commitment to preparing the next generation of clinicians to pursue health equity for all.  

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A Career that Matters, A Life with Meaning

From its beginnings in 1937,  the School of Nursing has challenged its students to develop their minds, hearts, and spirits.  Dedicated to excellence and imbued by a sense of purpose, the nursing faculty integrate nursing science and evidence-based practice with moral and spiritual values, and prepare students to be leaders, locally and globally.  As citizens of the world, Nursing embraces ecumenism and diversity, stands with the oppressed and vulnerable and teaches by example.

The nursing profession faces critical challenges, staring with a growing shortage of practitioners. While demand for services grows, longtime nurses are retiring with too few replacements in the pipeline. McKinsey and Company projects a shortfall of 450,000 nurses—about 20 percent of the needed workforce—by 2025. The Pittsburgh region alone currently has some 9,800 vacant nursing positions, and the two largest providers have seen higher vacancy rates than before the COVID pandemic. The strains are multiplied by burnout among nurses and the expected retirement of 30 percent of senior nursing faculty nationwide over the next five years.

IGNITE is forging the future at Duquesne University. With your support, we will help students by investing in access and affordability, illuminating the mind through forward-thinking academic initiatives, Inspiring the soul through a student-centered experience, and integrating health care along with our colleagues across campus.

You can make this possible with a gift to advance one or more of these vital priorities.

Invest in the Future

Scholarships at all levels to create nurses and nurse leaders: Provide the transformative benefits of a Duquesne education to all deserving students, regardless of their ability to pay.

Funding for Transition to Clinician to Faculty—A Residency for Aspiring Nursing Faculty: The Residency Program will expose clinicians to academic nursing and encourage a career transition to the faculty role.  As a result of this program, participants will be able to assume adjunct or clinical teaching roles and then move into a full-time faculty role after obtaining the appropriate education and credentials.

Illuminate the Mind

Move the Learning and Simulation Center (currently located in Libermann Hall, at the end of campus) to Fisher Hall.  This will address safety concerns, support enrollment and strengthen connections with nursing faculty.

Renovate the former Counseling Center space on the sixth floor of Fisher Hall into standardized patient rooms.

Create the next generation of resilient and ethical nurse leaders through new initiatives.

Inspire the Soul

Build student-friendly lounges and study spaces in Fisher Hall (currently there is one very small lounge for 1,200 students).

Create a Relaxation and Resiliency Room for nursing students to engage in meditation and music therapy.

Provide faculty development sessions and continuing nursing education credits to boost faculty confidence, teaching skills, and scholarly productivity.

Integrate Health Care

Develop robust Interprofessional Education Programs among medicine, nursing, and health professions.

Prioritize clinician well-being and cultivate compassionate caregivers and systems to prevent burnout and support better patient outcomes.

Scholarship Funds: In keeping with Duquesne University’s Spiritan heritage, we seek to increase endowed funds for need-based financial aid and scholarships. Our founders and sponsors were determined that the benefits of a Duquesne education should be available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Endowed scholarships ensure that Duquesne can attract and retain talented and motivated students for generations to come.

Unrestricted Funds: Unrestricted gifts allow the dean to direct resources to the School's most critical needs and to respond to unexpected opportunities. The vast majority of gifts to the Pharmacy School are designated for a specific program or purpose, making such discretionary funds particularly valuable. Some of the most important uses of these finds are to support student pharmacist leadership programs, presentations at national meetings, and attendance at state and national meetings.

Learning Technology: The School seeks funding for educational technology and software to enhance student learning and teaching outcomes. The development of more interactive lectures and patient simulations will enhance student problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Entrepreneurial Education: The entrepreneurial spirit has been the impetus for improving health and financial outcomes through pharmacy innovations, including work flow solutions and robotics, design and delivery of medications, and the ability to provide services in a cost-effective manner while enhancing patient care. Interdisciplinary initiatives will plant the seeds of innovation and independence by integrating entrepreneurial education throughout the curriculum. All pharmacy students will increase their knowledge in emotional and social intelligence and skills in marketing, management, problem-solving, and development of business plans to fully develop their innovative ideas. In keeping with Duquesne's mission and values, students will develop a keen appreciation of ethical issues and practices of business and pharmacy. Duquesne pharmacy graduates will be uniquely qualified to start their own business or bring entrepreneurial skills to established employers. Resource funds have already been secured, supporting faculty efforts to study and adapt best practices, develop courses and teaching tools, and build partnerships within and outside the University.

Center for Pharmacy Care: This academic research center provides pharmacist-directed programs and services for disease prevention and health management for the campus community, employers, and the Pittsburgh community. Recognized as a model in pharmacist-directed wellness by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Center offers publications, seminars, health screenings and follow-up counseling. The Center seeks to expand its community practice education, research, and service efforts in underserved neighborhoods. Giving opportunities include naming of the Center and funding for outreach programs.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology: Federal regulatory initiatives are encouraging drug manufacturers to implement Process Analytical Technology, a scientific framework designed to promote innovation, efficiency and quality. This, in turn, creates a need for a new breed of pharmaceutical process chemists with skills in chemical engineering, pharmaceutics and analytical chemistry. As one of only 11 academic institutions participating in the Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education, Duquesne seeks to meet this growing need through the integration of teaching, training and basic research, and by fostering cooperation among universities, industry and government. Financial support will help Duquesne to develop both programs and facilities that will keep the school and its students at the leading edge of this initiative.

Endowment of the Center: An endowment would allow Duquesne's Center for Healthcare Ethics to become one of the most prominent of its kind in the world and would support its mission of providing global leadership in ethics, promoting excellence in scholarship and training graduates academically and professionally to advance discourse on health care ethics in research, teaching and service.

Endowment for the Center Director: An endowment would allow the Center to attract and retain a world-renowned scholar with global bioethics experience. Such a director will lead the Center's educational programs, enhance the Center's reputation for research, and support the extensive variety of services that the Center's personnel provide.

The Center's current director is Dr. Henk ten Have, who has held positions as Professor of Medical Ethics and Director of the Department of Ethics, Philosophy and History of Medicine at the University Medical Centre of Nijmegen in the Netherlands as well as Director of the Division of Ethics of Science and Technology with UNESCO. He has been involved in public discussions examining palliative care, euthanasia, drug addiction, genetics, choices in health care and resource allocation. Over the last decade, he has been particularly involved in debates on global bioethics, emphasizing the need to create bioethics infrastructures (teaching programs, ethics committees, legislation) in developing countries.

Endowed Graduate Fellowships: The quality of a program's students reflects and enhances its academic vitality and scholarly reputation. Fellowships within the Center would attract outstanding graduate students and support their activities in global settings, while also allowing for visiting scholars and academic conferences.

Endowed Research: Research is an essential component of scholarship in bioethics. An enormous number of research resources in bioethics are available worldwide; the challenge is finding and selecting the most appropriate ones. A research endowment will further encourage and assist ongoing student engagement in research projects.

International Student Exchange: International partnership agreements have already been signed with institutes in Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Croatia and India, allowing Duquesne students to do one semester of research abroad in exchange for a student from the partnering institute visiting Duquesne's campus. Additional funding would allow the Center to send and receive an increased number of students and partner with additional countries.

Annual international training courses in bioethics targeting experts from developing countries, particularly members of bioethics committees.

Ethics teacher training courses for healthcare professionals involved in ethics education, with one-week scholarships for participants from developing countries.

Online clinical ethics consultation services for colleagues from developing countries confronted with problematic cases and in need of expert advice.

The Center is planning its own annual International Global Bioethics Conference, which will bring together experts from various continents to analyze salient problems in contemporary ethics, science and healthcare.

A smaller-scale symposium will include an annual keynote speaker's lecture on Duquesne's campus and the presentation of a Global Bioethics award for outstanding scholarship in the field.

Unrestricted gifts allow the Center to direct resources to the program's most critical needs and to respond to unexpected opportunities. The vast majority of gifts are designated for a specific program or purpose, making such discretionary funds particularly valuable.