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LAWRENCE -- Seven University of Kansas professors at the medical center in Kansas City, Kan., and at the Lawrence campus each were surprised today with a $5,000 Kemper Award for excellence in teaching and advising.
Ten other KU professors received Kemper Awards last week. In all, 20 professors will be honored and $100,000 will be distributed with Kemper Awards by Sept. 15.
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.
Today's winners are:
Michael Hoeflich, John H. and John M. Kane distinguished professor of law
Bob Klein, professor of anatomy and cell biology
Amy O'Brien-Ladner, associate professor of pulmonary and critical care
John Staniunas, associate professor of theatre and film
Eric Vernberg, professor of human development and family life
Judith Widen, associate professor of audiology
Don Worster, Hall distinguished professor of American history
Biographies of today's winners:
Michael Hoeflich, John H. and John M. Kane distinguished professor of law, joined the KU faculty in 1994. Since then, he has made innumerable contributions to the university, the School of Law and the Lawrence community. He served as dean in the School of Law for six years. For almost 10 years, he has written a regular legal column for the Lawrence Journal-World. As president of the Kansas State Historical Society board, he has helped to rewrite bylaws and improve the society's relationship with the state government.
Students praise Hoeflich's availability, above all else. He advises students over a cup of coffee or a morning walk just as much as he does in class. In his teaching philosophy statement, Hoeflich explains that the learning process is "a dialogue with other people which [knows] no boundaries of space or time." Hoeflich has earned degrees from Cambridge University in England and Yale Law School in New Haven, Conn. He has written or edited seven books and has published more than 70 articles on a variety of topics.
Professor Robert Klein has taught at KU Medical Center since 1975. He is the director of medical studies for the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. In addition to his departmental responsibilities, he also is associate dean of academic affairs for the School of Medicine. For the past several summers, Klein also has been involved in the Health Careers Pathway Program.
This is Klein's second Kemper award; in 1996, he won one of the inaugural awards. The medical student body has chosen Klein for 12 Student Voice Teaching Awards since 1989. One colleague said, "He emphasizes concepts rather than merely stating facts, and many of his unique visual aids have become traditions at the institution (ask any KUMC School of Medicine graduate about the 'limb bud ballet')."
Klein graduated with his M.D. in 1974 from the New York University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in New York City.
Associate Professor Amy O'Brien-Ladner joined the KU Medical Center faculty in 1991. She is the director of third-year medicine clerkship and the president of Women in Medicine and Science. O'Brien-Ladner also serves as director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division within the Department of Internal Medicine.
According to her colleagues, she always has put education first. One professor said, "It is the mark of an individual's commitment to a specific part of their profession when they champion it repeatedly over time. Amy O'Brien-Ladner has been a brilliant, enthusiastic and powerful advocate for medical education." Ladner's students honored her in 1994 and 2000 with Student Voice Teaching Awards.
O'Brien-Ladner earned her M.D. from the KU School of Medicine in 1984.
Although Associate Professor John Staniunas consistently scores highly on student evaluations, most of his instruction takes place outside the classroom. Since joining the KU faculty in 1997, he has directed dozens of theatrical performances. Recently, he also became artistic director for the University Theatre.
Staniunas earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Throughout his teaching career, he has continued acting and directing professionally. However, his students agree that his primary commitment is to his students. One student said, "You can be sure to see him at least twice a day on the stage, even when he has no specific purpose for being there, other than to lend his support."
Staniunas has won numerous awards for his directing and choreography. In 2002, he won the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center for his direction of "The Cherry Orchard."
In 1989, Associate Professor Judith Widen joined the KU Medical Center faculty. She received her doctoral degree in 1982 from the University of Washington in Seattle. She is a reviewer for several audiology-related journals. In 2001, Widen received the American Auditory Society Editor's Award for Outstanding Research in Audiology/Hearing Sciences.
The Kansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association named her audiologist of the year in 1996. Despite this honor, one colleague says Widen never hesitates to do the "less glamorous aspects of research." In 2000, the School of Allied Health gave her the Stata Norton Distinguished Teaching Award. According to a student, "[Widen] treats all students with genuine caring and respect. There is no bigger boost to a fledgling graduate student's morale than to be treated as a valued colleague by such an esteemed authority."
Recognized as a pioneer in environmental history, Professor Donald Worster joined the KU faculty in 1989. Worster is a Hall distinguished professor of American history and is acting director for the Department of Environmental Studies. He served two years as president of the American Society for Environmental History.
As an undergraduate professor, Worster says he strives to be a teacher "who cannot be replaced by any television set." According to student evaluations, his lectures are fascinating and informative. However, Worster's heaviest workload lies with the 15 doctoral candidates he advises. He still reads each dissertation chapter meticulously and asks concise questions to strengthen the student's arguments. One candidate said after being repeatedly rejected, "[Worster] kept me from tossing myself off Wescoe in despair." With this encouragement, his students have published more than a dozen books.
Worster received his doctorate in 1971 from Yale University in New Haven, Conn. He has written or contributed to more than 10 books, several of which have received awards, including the 1980 Bancroft Prize for his history of the Dust Bowl, and more than seven awards for his biography of John Wesley Powell.
Professor Eric Vernberg joined the KU faculty in 1993. As associate director of the Clinical Child Psychology Program, Vernberg splits his teaching responsibilities between the Department of Psychology and the Department of Human Development and Family Life.
His students constantly praise his strong ethics, vast clinical knowledge and faith in their abilities. One student said, "He provided concrete guidance when it was needed but always pushed me to independently think like a psychologist." In 2003, Vernberg earned the Steeples Service to Kansans Award for his efforts to improve the community. He developed programs for the Lawrence and Topeka school districts. In Topeka, he implemented the Peaceful Schools Project with his students' help.
In 1988, Vernberg earned his doctorate from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is director of the KU Child and Family Clinic.
[Biographies written by Jamie Rentfro]
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