University surprises faculty with awards

Recipients of the Kemper Fellowships received cash awards of $10,000.

By Juana Summers

Published April 6, 2007

Over the course of two days, Chancellor Brady Deaton and Commerce Bank Chairman Jim Schatz surprised four MU professors during their classes to recognize excellence in education.

The Kemper Fellowships, named for MU alumnus William Kemper, were established in 1991 from a $500,000 donation from Kemper.

The honor is in recognition for excellence in teaching.

Until last year, 10 faculty members were awarded each year.

Recipients of the Kemper Fellowships received cash awards of $10,000 from a trust fund managed by Commerce Bank for the William T. Kemper Foundation.

Deaton called the Kemper Fellowship Award the "pinnacle recognition of teaching excellence on this campus." He said having a Kemper Fellow in the classroom adds to the quality of education for MU students.

"It very openly gives recognition to the quality of the person in front of them," Deaton said. "It allows them to focus more clearly."

Lynda Kraxberger, Wilson Freyermuth, Fran Arbaugh and Lois Huneycutt received their awards this week during their respective classes.

An additional MU professor will join them next week to complete the 2007 class of Kemper Fellows.

Lynda Kraxberger — Associate professor of

convergence

journalism, School of Journalism

During the middle of a lecture on well versus poorly designed Web sites, Kraxberger's lesson plan was interrupted with the presentation of her Kemper Award.

"I think students know that I love to teach," Kraxberger said after the award was announced. "I can't thank you enough."

Kraxberger is one of the founding members of the school's newest journalism sequence and even joked with the members of her Fundamentals of Radio, Television and Photojournalism class about the type of microphone used by members of the media and its application to her curriculum.

Deaton attributed the greatness of the School of Journalism to the quality of its faculty.

"Here we have a program of excellence," Deaton said. "You exemplify that."

Wilson Freyermuth — John D. Lawson professor of law, School of Law

Before being surprised by Deaton, Schatz and his wife, Freyermuth had apparently been having trouble with his computer during lecture.

"Now I understand why my computer apparently went dead," Freyermuth said.

Freyermuth thanked members of the faculty and staff of the law school, the chancellor and the Kemper Foundation, but his gratitude went primarily to his students.

"It's students who have been in your seats for 15 years who have been making this the best job in the world," Freyermuth said.

Freyermuth, the John D. Lawson professor of law, has taught at MU since 1992 and specializes in classes involving property, real estate, secured transactions and local government.

"It's wonderful to be in an institution that really does provide the culture and the environment for great teaching," Freyermuth said.

Fran Arbaugh — Associate professor of mathematics education, College of Arts and Science

Although Arbaugh has won dozens of awards in her career, being named a Kemper Fellow on Wednesday left her speechless.

"I don't know what to say," she told her classroom after being surprised with the award. "Dinner's on me."

Prior to receiving the Kemper Fellowship Award, Aarbaugh received the MU Excellence in Education award in 2005 and the High Flyer Teaching Award multiple times.

The High Flyer Teaching Awards recognize instructors who receive student evaluation ratings of 4.8 or above on a five-point scale with regard to content or teaching effectiveness, according to a College of Education news release.

Arbaugh has been an instructor in mathematics education at MU since 2001.

According to an MU news release, Arbaugh specializes in preparing students to teach elementary and middle school mathematics education.

Upon receiving the award, Arbaugh felt a new type of excitement, and asked "Can I run down the halls now?"

Lois Huneycutt — Associate professor of

history, College of Arts and Science

Lois Huneycutt, who teaches topics related to medieval history in the history department, had some idea that she could be receiving a Kemper Award when the chancellor knocked on her door as she conducted a mock trial in class.

"I saw Brady Deaton first, and I knew that the Kempers were going out yesterday and the day before," Huneycutt said. "I said, 'Wow, I'm either getting a Kemper, or I'm in really big trouble.'"

Huneycutt attributed her passion for medieval history to a love of the art and archaeology of the era, as well as novels she read as a child.

"I take teaching really seriously, and I like it a lot," she said. "It's a really cool acknowledgement that someone's noticing other than the students."

In the classroom, Huneycutt incorporates alternative methods to help reach her students, including bringing her students into the Columbia community to hear speakers at local museums.

"I've been here a decade, and I put a lot of thought into my teaching," Huneycutt said.