'Surprise Patrol' delivers another $5K Kemper Award last night; 3 more today

LAWRENCE -- Stephen Fawcett was teaching his first class of the semester last night when the "Surprise Patrol" arrived.

Fawcett, senior scientist and professor of human development and family life, is the seventh University of Kansas professsor to be surprised with a $5,000 Kemper Award for excellence in teaching and advising.

Six other KU professors received Kemper Awards earlier Thursday, the first day of classes. Three additional professors will be surprised today, and the remaining awards will be given out over the next two weeks. In all, 20 professors will be honored and $100,000 will be distributed with Kemper Awards this year.

The Surprise Patrol includes either Chancellor Robert Hemenway or Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Shulenburger; Commerce Bank representative Mark Gonzales, community bank president in Lawrence; and Dale Seuferling, president of the KU Endowment Association.

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 eighth 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.

Biography of Stephen Fawcett

Professor Stephen Fawcett has spent more than half of his life at KU. One year after earning his Ph.D. from KU, he joined the faculty in 1975. Fawcett is a Kansas Health Foundation and university distinguished professor. In 1995, he launched a Web site called the Community Tool Box. The CTB contains more than 5,000 resources on creating healthy communities.

Fawcett also founded the Kansas Community Leadership Corps. The program accepts 10 undergraduate students each summer for an eight-week community service project. Students implement programs to help with such social issues as homelessness and teenage pregnancy. Fawcett's devotion to community service inspires his students. According to one student, "If I had to choose one underlying theme in all of Dr. Fawcett's teachings and conversations, it would be a deep respect for every individual and a desire to create a world in which all persons can be healthy -- physically, mentally and socially."

[Biography written by Jamie Rentfro]

Commerce Bank is the principal subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH), a $14 billion regional bank holding company. For more than 135 years, Commerce has met the financial-services needs of individuals and businesses. Commerce provides a diversified line of financial services, including business and personal banking, wealth management and estate planning, and investments through its affiliated companies. Commerce operates across three states with more than 330 locations and has operating subsidiaries involved in mortgage banking, credit related insurance, venture capital and real estate activities. For additional information, please visit http://www.commercebank.com or e-mail mymoney@commercebank.com.