Call for Proposals

The Davies Forum was established by the late Louise M. Davies of San Francisco in 1980 to enhance the University's efforts to produce future leaders dedicated to public service and committed to ethical leadership. The continuing theme of the Forum, "The Search for Values in Contemporary America," provides the USF community the opportunity to examine the current state of American society. Each semester, select undergraduate students from all majors are chosen to be Davies Scholars based on their records of academic excellence, extracurricular activities, personal integrity, and leadership ability. 

We encourage Full-time College of Arts and Sciences faculty to submit a Davies Forum proposal. The Davies professor will receive 4 units of release to compensate for the preparation time involved in developing and delivering the seminar and 4 units of credits for instructing the Davies seminar. When there is a Davies professor team, the 4 units of release may be divided or used by one of the professors through mutual agreement, support of their respective chairs/directors, and approval of the dean. Furthermore, when a Davies seminar is team-taught, the 4 teaching units are equally divided among the instructors.

With a budget of up to $20,000, Davies faculty often bring two to four speakers to campus during a semester and/or support students' participation in course-related co-curricular activities. Neither guest speakers nor co-curricular activities are required; however, if you propose bringing speakers to campus, please provide a focused list of outside speakers, and if you would like to offer co-curricular activities, provide a description and rationale.

We are now accepting applications. The deadline to submit a proposal for the fall 2025 semester is October 23, 2024. Below are guidelines to help you craft your proposal.

Proposal Guidelines

A Davies Forum proposal, which is typically less than ten double-spaced pages, should include the following:

  • The proposed seminar title and the semester you would like to offer it. Please include your name, academic rank, and departmental affiliation.
  • The general goals and specific objectives of your course and its interdisciplinary aspects.
  • A rationale explaining the importance, significance, and timeliness of the specific topic to undergraduate students across various disciplines.
  • An explanation of how your course engages the overarching Davies Forum theme, "The Search for Values in Contemporary America," and "provides an opportunity for all participants to examine anew, and from different points of view, the turbulent state of American society."
  • An explanation of how the Davies Forum course will be significantly different and novel if the Davies course proposed is built from a USF course you have taught before.
  • A brief overview of no more than a page of your qualifications to teach the seminar you are proposing, and suggest how you might professionally benefit from the Davies Forum.
  • A sufficiently detailed course description or syllabus, including
    • the major topics to be covered on a weekly basis;
    • examples of major readings and other instructional materials;
    • specific course requirements and methods of student evaluation;
    • opportunities to raise and discuss issues of inequality and difference, including race/ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexuality, and celebrate cultural diversity inside and outside the U.S.;
    • and opportunities to exercise critical thinking and writing skills
  • If you propose bringing speakers to campus, please provide a focused list of outside speakers and a rationale for each speaker
  • If you propose course-related co-curricular activities, provide a description and rationale for each activity.

More Info

If you would like more information or wish to view past proposals, please contact the Davies Forum Office at davies.forum@usfca.edu or the members of the Davies Advisory Board: