By design the trust that established the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation stipulates that at least 50 percent of the income or principal expended each year be directed to Duke University. As in years past, the range of university activities and initiatives funded in 2006 reflects the pioneering spirit of the esteemed educational and research institution that bears the Duke name.

The Foundation continued its enduring support in the visual and performing arts both for one-time events and ongoing programming. The Nasher Museum received grants to fund expenses related to several exhibits, including a retrospective of collagist and Duke psychology professor Irwin Kremen; works by African-American painter Romare Bearden; and the group show "Street Level," the first exhibit by the Nasher's inaugural curator of contemporary art. The Nasher also received staff, curatorial, and internship support, as well as seed money for the museum's community outreach programming on Thursday evenings.

Instructors in the flourishing dance program also received support - given the demand for and interest in the program, students can now major in dance. The Foundation also helped support a gala retirement celebration for beloved choreographer Clay Taliaferro, who has been on the faculty at Duke since 1987. Duke Performances and Theater Previews were also repeat recipients of grants from the Foundation.

Foundation grants to the department of music funded a wide range of concerts, lectures, master classes, and workshops. Artist-in-residence Joseph Robinson, principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic, was an active member of the Duke and Durham musical communities. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the modern university, several grants supported work that will have ripple effects throughout campus and beyond. For example, a grant to the department of chemistry supported laser research that focuses on the conservation of works of art. A grant to University Archives will establish a permanent exhibition space that can be used to document and display the rich collection of historical documents, photographs, publications, and records that illustrate the genesis and evolution of Duke University.

At Duke Medical Center, the arts also have a place. The Foundation continues to support the important work of the Health Arts Network, which provides patients and their families with programming that offers a reprieve from the physical and emotional toll that illness can take. To understand better the causes and treatment of disease, the Foundation funds innovative research into such specialties as genetics, pediatrics, and urology. And recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to medicine, the Foundation also supported two initiatives that encourage health-care providers to consider patients as individuals rather than just a set of symptoms. A grant to the Medical Center's community relations division supported a statewide summit on health disparities among different populations, and the division of undergraduate medical education received funding to help implement mandatory courses in medical history and the humanities into the medical school curriculum.

The Sarah P. Duke Gardens, named in honor of Mary Duke Biddle's mother, received Foundation support for annual operating expenses and for the installation of a new fountain for the Rose Garden. Through the Office of Public Affairs, a Foundation grant helped fund the publication of A Wonderful Wander, a dazzling book on the history of the Gardens, as captured through words, illustrations, and photographs.