Five New Endowments to Fund Scholarships and Fellowships

Duquesne has announced the establishment of five new donor-funded endowments that will support a scholarship, an academic chair, a professorship and two faculty fellowships. The University received gifts totaling $4.85 million to create these new funds.

“These generous donors all have demonstrated an uncommon dedication to our students,” said President Dr. Charles J. Dougherty. “Each of them has made the important choice to enhance the educational opportunities and experiences of those we serve. I am deeply grateful for their collective leadership and support.”

The new endowments include:

  • The Robert and Patricia Gussin Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota County Endowed Scholarship
  • The Patricia Doherty Yoder and Ronald Wolfe Endowed Chair in Communication Ethics
  • The Merle E. Gilliand Endowed Professorship in Entrepreneurial Finance
  • The KPMG Faculty Fellowship in Accounting
  • The Harry W. Witt Term Faculty Fellowship.

The Robert and Patricia Gussin Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota County Endowed Scholarship will be used to provide scholarships for incoming freshmen who are members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. This $1.75 million will provide a four-year scholarship to one incoming freshman each year.

The Patricia Doherty Yoder and Ronald Wolfe Endowed Chair in Communication Ethics was established in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts through a $1.5 million gift by Patricia Doherty Yoder and J. Ronald Wolfe. The funding will provide support for a distinguished scholar in communication ethics.

The Merle E. Gilliand Endowed Professorship in Entrepreneurial Finance was created in the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. It was established through a $1.35 million gift from the Merle E. and Olive Lee Gilliand Foundation. This fund will be used to recruit and retain an outstanding senior professor with expertise in entrepreneurial finance.

Two additional funds have been created by gifts of $125,000 each, the KPMG Faculty Fellowship in Accounting and the Harry W. Witt Term Faculty Fellowship. These endowment funds will also support the business school. The KPMG fellowship will support accounting faculty efforts to conduct research and develop support networks with companies or peers at other academic institutions. The Harry W. Witt Term fellowship will provide funding for databases, equipment, software and other resources in support of teaching and research.