Contact: Mary Jane Dunlap, University Relations, (785) 864-8853.
WHAT: DAY 3 of presentations of W.T. Kemper Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence recognizing outstanding teachers and advisers at KU. Today's awards were made on the Lawrence campus and at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan.
WHO & WHY: On the Lawrence campus, Provost David Shulenburger, Commerce Bank Community President Mark Gonzales of Lawrence, and KU Endowment Association President Jim Martin and Executive Vice President for Development Dale Seuferling surprised three professors today to announce they were among the 20 Kemper Fellows selected for the year 2000. Each fellowship winner receives a $5,000 check.
At the KU Medical Center, Chancellor Robert Hemenway made a surprise presentation in KU's School of Nursing. With him to congratulate the winner were James T. Brandmeyer, KU Medical Center vice president for medical affairs, and Betsy Green, vice president and manager of the medical banking division for Commerce Bank, Kansas City, Mo.
Since Aug. 24, the first day of classes for the new academic year, 17 professors have been honored for outstanding teaching and advising. Three more awards will be made on Tuesday. In all, a total of $100,000 will be awarded. Funding for the program is provided by a gift from the William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank, Trustee, and matching funds from the KU Endowment Association.
TODAY'S KEMPER FELLOWS are: (Quotes in biographies are drawn from Kemper nominations.)
CHARLES M. BERG
Chuck Berg, professor of theatre and film, has wide-ranging academic
interests, and has written about them in equally wide-ranging venues,
from books and articles to reviews and liner notes for jazz albums.
In 1977, he was brought to KU to coordinate a film program, which
today continues to reflect his belief in a balanced curriculum that
embraces production, history, theory and criticism. His teaching
extends beyond the classroom, from journalism articles for the
general public to pre-performance talks and programs for local
libraries and museums. Berg is also a professional jazz musician and
has been known to illustrate his lectures with musical examples.
"His emphasis is on what films do and do not have to tell us about
being human. But he also teaches students how to intervene
consciously and critically in the way film and video products
exercise influence on them."
DIANE K. BOYLE
Diane Boyle, associate professor, joined the KU School of Nursing in
1994 and has taught both didactic and clinical courses to beginning
nursing students as well as to advanced undergraduate and practice
nurses. In addition, she has developed and implemented doctoral
measurement courses, guided students in their research projects and
doctoral dissertations, and participated in the development of a new
interdisciplinary concentration in health care outcomes management
and research. She is described by colleagues as being very sensitive
to students' needs and concerns, while holding them accountable for
quality performance.
"My main instructional strategy is to serve as the facilitator of the
student's learning. I provide the educational activities and
resources - and the students provide the brainpower and elbow grease
for the learning. This approach makes the students active
participants in their learning, instead of passive recipients of
knowledge"
DEBORAH J. GERNER
Deborah Gerner, associate professor of political science, currently
directs the department's undergraduate studies and the international
studies co-major. In these roles, she is an adviser to the 450
students majoring in one or both of these programs. Her teaching
deals with Middle Eastern politics - in particular the Arab-Israeli
conflict and Palestinian nationalism - U.S. foreign policy,
international conflict and conflict resolution, and international
political economy. Among other visiting appointments, she has been on
faculty at Birzeit University on the West Bank, and the American
University in Cairo.
"Using nameplates, case studies, and group role-playing, she makes
her students become active, social learners. This personalization is
crucial in a large institution that could become foreboding and
alienating without those like Dr. Gerner to smooth its edges and
capture the minds of students."
VAL H. SMITH
Val Smith, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology,
took his undergraduate degree in chemistry at KU. Smith's teaching
role model is KU's legendary Clark Bricker, his instructor for
freshman chemistry, who demonstrated, "how teaching can be dynamic,
exciting and extremely rewarding for the student." Smith has served
as director of the Environmental Studies Program, and has worked
intensively to initiate projects that will both awaken students of
all ages to environmental concerns and provide avenues so that
environmentally sensitive activities will replace deleterious ones.
"Val's passion for research is infectious - his excitement over his
own and his colleagues' research always infuses me with enthusiasm
for my own work. Val's strong desire to give his students the best
educational experience he possibly can is evident in the tremendous
effort he places into teaching."