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LAWRENCE -- Gary Clark, University of Kansas professor of special education, has been named the first recipient of the Gene A. Budig Teaching Professorship in Special Education.
Former KU Chancellor Gene A. Budig and his wife, Gretchen, established the annual award in August 2002 to honor a special education faculty member who demonstrates excellent teaching skills. It is the first teaching professorship for the department and the second the Budigs have established in education.
Clark will receive a one-year stipend and will present a formal lecture at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in 150 Joseph R. Pearson Hall.
Clark, who has taught at KU for 32 years, specializes in career development and transition education for secondary special education students. He has developed teaching and training materials for school personnel who work with those students in Kansas, across the nation, in Asia and in South Africa. Last year, Clark received the Graduate Teaching Award from KU's Center for Teaching Excellence.
Colleagues nominating Clark praised the enthusiasm and intensity he puts into his teaching. One nomination letter said, "Since we teach similar courses at our respective institutions, we talk often about approaches and learning activities we are using. I am always amazed at his continued commitment to incorporating applicable emerging techniques into his instruction."
Clark's students also reflected on his commitment and teaching skill. One student wrote: "He has an exceptionally keen ability to translate his and others' work in a very easy-to-understand format. For example, I have personally witnessed students in his classes suddenly 'get it' with respect to comprehending a novel idea."
Before coming to KU, Clark taught at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He received his doctorate in special education from Vanderbilt University in 1967; his master's degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Michigan in 1960; and a bachelor's degree in education from Baylor University in 1957.
Budig was named KU's 14th chancellor in 1981. During his 13-year tenure, more than 180 faculty positions were established. He was an active fund-raiser during Campaign Kansas, the 1987-92 campaign that raised $265 million from private donors. He left the university to become president of baseball's American League and now is senior adviser to Major League Baseball. He and Gretchen live in Princeton, N.J.
KU's graduate programs in special education were ranked first in the nation in 2002 for the seventh time in eight years by U.S. News and World Report.
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