Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad Endowment

The Endowment is an annual funding opportunity open to College of Arts & Sciences faculty. It holds the purpose of promotion of peace and nonviolence.

About Dr. Ahmad

Dr. Aqueil Ahmad served as a Sociology Professor at UND during the late 1960s and early 1970s and was instrumental in the establishment of the UND Peace Studies program. Specifically, the Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad Endowment funds research and creative activities that:

1. Lead to better understanding of the behavioral, social, and cultural causes and consequences of random and targeted acts of violence against individuals, groups, and communities.
2. Promote conversations about peace and nonviolence among individuals, groups, and communities.

The College of Arts & Sciences invites proposals that clearly meet both objectives.

• Proposals must include a plan for outreach to the general public
• Proposal budgets are limited to $5,000 
• The grant period is calendar year 2025
• The deadline to apply is November 12, 2024

Eligibility

Full-time faculty (including those on special appointment) in any College of Arts & Sciences department or program may apply as long as research or creative activity is required under their UND contract and they will complete the proposed work while employed at UND.

Application Preparation

1. Cover sheet: Project title, investigator name and affiliation and signature.
2. Project Narrative (two double-spaced pages maximum)
   • Explain how the proposed activity meets both objectives of the Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad Endowment. Describe the proposed activity and include a brief background.
3. Budget and Budget Justification (one page):
   • Individual awards are limited to $5,000.
   • The budget must be broken down into individual line items with each item justified.  For additional instructions, please refer to the Budget Guidelines for Research Initiatives. Applicants should work with their department administrative staff before final submission of proposal to ensure budget guidelines were followed. Failure to do so may result in the proposal being returned for correction and/or adjustments.

Award Selection

Members of the Resources and Infrastructure Committee within the College of Arts & Sciences will review and score proposals and make funding recommendations to the Dean, who will award funding for one or more proposals.

Resources and Infrastructure Committee members will evaluate applications according to the following criteria:

1. Significance of the contribution that the project will make in addressing both objectives of the Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad Endowment; and
2. Quality of the conception, organization, and description of the project.

Requirements 

1. Awardees agree to use the title “Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad Endowed Scholar” for a calendar year.
2. Awardees must send a “thank you” letter to Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad in coordination with the Director of Alumni & External Relations for the College of Arts & Sciences.
3. The Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad Endowment and College of Arts & Sciences support for the project must be acknowledged in all resulting presentations, publications, exhibits, performances, etc.
4. UND policies and procedures must be followed for expenditure of funds including purchases, reimbursements, payroll appointments and hiring processes. Please note that according to UND policy, anything purchased with UND funds is the property of UND.
5. Submission of a brief final report to the College of Arts & Sciences within one month of the project’s end date. The report must include a summary of results and outcomes of the project. Send reports in MS Word format via email to: UND.artssci@UND.edu. A copy of the report will be provided by the College to Joyce and Aqueil Ahmad.

Timeline

• November 12, 2024: Proposals are due to the A&S Dean’s Office in MS Word or PDF format. Please submit to the Dean's office via email at: UND.artssci@UND.edu. In the email subject line, please type “Ahmad Endowment.”
• December 2, 2024: Awards are announced.
• January 1, 2025: Start of the award period.
• December 31, 2025: End of the award period.
• January 31, 2026: Final reports are due to the Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office. Please submit the reports in MS Word format via email to: UND.artssci@UND.edu.

Questions