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LAWRENCE -- A "Surprise Patrol" led by Chancellor Robert Hemenway handed out Kemper Awards today to six University of Kansas professors in recognition of their excellence in teaching and advising.
Including a Kemper Award handed out Aug. 14 to a KU School of Medicine professor, a total of $35,000 and seven Kemper Awards have been distributed so far. The monetary awards are worth $5,000 each.
In all, 20 professors will be honored and $100,000 distributed with Kemper Awards this year.
The patrol will hand out Kemper Awards to five more unsuspecting professors Friday, Aug. 23. The patrol includes Commerce Bank representative Mark Gonzales, community bank president in Lawrence; Dale Seuferling, president of the KU Endowment Association; and Janet Murguia, KU executive vice chancellor for university relations.
The W.T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence recognize outstanding teachers and advisers at KU as determined by a seven-member selection committee. Now in the seventh year of a 10-year program, the awards were established by a $500,000 fund from the William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank, Trustee, and $500,000 in matching funds from the KU Endowment Association.
Today's winners, along with the School of Medicine professor, are:
Virgil H. Adams III, assistant professor of gerontology and pyschology
Virgil Adams concentrates his research in the area of well-being and the African-American family. Adams' acclaimed teaching ability is demonstrated when he turns the large Introduction to Social Psychology class into an engaging, insightful, challenging academic experience that students say they look forward to waking up for in the mornings. According to one of his colleagues: "He approaches the race issue as a chance to touch students who might not otherwise be reached. He extends a proverbial (and literal) hand to interact with such students, and he alone is specially prepared to offer this type of teaching."
Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, chair and associate professor of preventative medicine
Jasjit Ahluwalia's research on African-American smokers has received much attention from the press recently, and by involving many junior faculty in his work he advances others' careers as his own flourishes. Ahluwalia's peers say that as an administrator, his priority is always teaching, and the results can be seen when he seeks out and revitalizes courses that students say need improvement.
Stephen H. Benedict, associate professor of molecular biosciences
Steve Benedict's interesting, interactive teaching style has more than once earned him perfect scores on teaching evaluations in courses with more than 100 students. Benedict's ability to maintain attentiveness in his highly technical classes amazes peer reviewers, and they comment that his material is "delivered with enthusiasm and obvious depth and breadth of knowledge."
Mark Joslyn, assistant professor of political science and government
Mark Joslyn creates an inviting atmosphere of learning in his political science classes by fostering mutual respect and a feeling of shared intellectual pursuit. Joslyn's commitment to teaching is explained by his students as an enduring scholarly relationship, and they say his leadership and mentorship have even gone so far as to create a scholarly community among the students who use him as a tirelessly enthusiastic and supportive resource.
Paul S. Lim, professor of English
Paul Lim shares his knowledge and skill with students in his playwriting classes, helping them excel in their difficult craft. Lim puts an extraordinary amount of work into the development of his students and their writing, using honesty, sound advice and encouragement to get them to produce work that fulfills their highest potential. He has guided many of his students' plays through every stage of development for English Alternative Theater productions.
Marjorie E. Swann, associate professor of English
Marjorie Swann teaches at such a high level of excellence, she is able to get undergraduates excited about early British literature -- enough so that many of her students have gone on to be teachers themselves, crediting her as their primary inspiration. Swann's tough standards and relaxed style nurture the scholar in all of her students, producing a high quality of work and excellent evaluations from students and peer observers.
Jack B. Wright, professor of theatre & film
Jack Wright has devoted his 26 years at KU to the intellectual, personal and professional development of his students. He keeps his own skills as a director and actor sharp through preparation, practice and continued training, and as a result, as a fellow professor put it, "Jack Wright could teach a two-by-four to act." Students consistently praise the quality of his critiques and the caring and effective advice he gives for improvement.
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