Second Professor Wins Kemper Nod

Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science James Stiles had a welcome interruption to his class lesson Monday, Aug. 20.

The University of Kansas Surprise Patrol, which honors recipients of the W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, strolled into his class late in the morning to announce Stiles is one of 20 KU faculty members selected to receive the honor. The patrol - composed of KU administrators and representatives from KU Endowment, Commerce Bank, the School of Engineering and the EECS department - praised Stiles for his teaching skills and handed over a $5,000 check in honor of his achievement.

Stiles, who has received numerous teaching honors from the School of Engineering and his department, was cheerful at the unanticipated news. Students in the class applauded him.

"Thank you. It's the good students that certainly make this possible," he said.

The Kemper Fellowships recognize outstanding teachers and advisers at KU as determined by a seven-member selection committee. The awards were established by funds from the William T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee, and KU Endowment. Twenty faculty members representing a variety of disciplines throughout the university will receive the award during the first few weeks of the semester.

This is the seventh year in a row that School of Engineering faculty members have been recognized with this honor. Stiles joins Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Bryan Young as one of the 2007 Kemper Fellows.