The late Alfred “Fred” Maurice’s curiosity and desire to see students succeed inspired him to establish a challenge prize for Western Oregon University students.
A WOU benefactor and honorary faculty member, he created the J. Dolores and Alfred P. Maurice Endowed Challenge Prize, a challenge for undergraduates who complete a year-long project in quest for a $5,000 prize.
2026 Prize winners
The 2026 Prize winners are Ethan Bothwell (left), a junior majoring in business and double-minoring in entrepreneurship & economics; and Easton Pomrankey (right), a senior computer science major and double-minor in information systems & criminal justice. Their project, HomeGrown is a digital farmers’ market that connects local food producers directly with consumers, helping farmers earn more while making local food easier to discover and purchase. By strengthening community food networks and reducing the distance between farm and table, HomeGrown will support local economies, transparency, and sustainability.
Maurice Undergraduate Initiative
$5,000 AWARD
A professor to the last day of his life, Alfred Maurice continues to inspire students even after his passing. He didn’t care if students failed trying to find a solution to a problem. Instead, he encouraged students to get out of their comfort zone to learn something.
That was his incentive for creating the challenge for undergraduate students.
Students interested in competing for the prize need to:
- Identify a problem that matters to you
- Approach problem-solving in a way that demonstrates your creativity, innovation and collaboration with others—even if you don’t finish solving the problem
- Share what you learned about yourself and your abilities, what you learned about the problem, and what you think your project shows us about your own “art of living”
The $5,000 prize will be given to the individual or team demonstrating the deepest learning and problem-solving strategy.
