For 25 years, MU has made a point of recognizing and awarding excellence demonstrated by our educators.

Celebrating its 25th year anniversary, the William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence recognized five MU professors for their outstanding performance in their fields.

Since its inception in the spring of 1991, 175 MU professors have been honored with the award. To be eligible, nominees must be full-time faculty members who have completed a minimum of three years in a tenure track or non-tenure track position at MU.

The 2015 fellows include Berkley Hudson, School of Journalism associate professor; Nicole Monnier, associate professor of Russian and German studies; Trista Strauch, School of Natural Resources assistant teaching professor; Rachel Harper, director of the MU Writing Center; and Elisa Glick, associate professor of English and women’s and gender studies.

Each spring, new Kemper Fellows are interrupted during classes and are presented with a $10,000 stipend to spend as they wish. The award is presented by Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin and executives from Commerce Bank, who serve as trustees for the William T. Kemper Foundation.

“Kemper Fellows have commented on how the awards enhance faculty morale, reward the important role of teaching in higher education and demonstrate the beneficial relationship between private gifts and the University,” according to the award’s website.

Each class of Kemper Fellows receives an invitation to a May awards ceremony recognizing teaching excellence. This year, recipients are invited to a celebration on May 5. Nominations are completed by faculty colleagues, departments, schools/colleges or recognized campus organizations.

“As a former student at MU, I benefited from having tremendous teachers (some of them Kemper Fellows) that inspired me to teach at the college level,” Strauch said in an email. “I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with students each day, and hopefully inspire some of them as I was previously inspired. I am very humbled to have been nominated and ultimately selected, for this fantastic recognition.”