Kemper Awards recognize excellence in teaching at KU

David Katzman , center, professor of American studies, receives his Kemper Award from the "Surprise Patrol," led by Chancellor Hemenway, left.

The 2005 Kemper Awards were given to 20 KU faculty members as the fall semester began. The awards, worth $5,000 each, recognize excellence in teaching and advising at the University.

Now in its 10th year, the W.T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence have become an annual highlight to start the school year for the KU faculty and students. The “Surprise Patrol,” led by Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway or Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David E. Shulenburger, goes from one campus building to another, delivering the good news and a check to unsuspecting professors while they are teaching in their classrooms.

The awards were made possible by a $500,000 fund from the W.T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank, Trustee, and another $500,000 from the KU Endowment Association. A seven-member search committee chooses the honorees.

To view the list of this year’s winners, go to http://www.news.ku.edu/kemper_awards/.