The Kansas University senior class has selected seven faculty members as finalists for the annual HOPE award.

The award – which stands for Honor for an Outstanding Progressive Educator – will be announced during halftime of Saturday’s KU-Oklahoma State football game, which begins at 1 p.m.

The award, established in 1959, is the only award given exclusively by students for teaching excellence. Winners receive a small stipend and have their names engraved on a plaque displayed in the Kansas Union.

Senior class members select winners by ballot and interviews.

This year’s finalists are:

• Kerry Benson, journalism lecturer who has been at KU since 1999. She teaches message development, principles of advertising, principles of public relations and commentary classes.
• Malcolm Gibson, assistant professor of journalism and general manager for the University Daily Kansan, who has been at KU since 1996. He has taught such journalism classes as multimedia editing, advanced editing, international reporting and reporting I and II, and he began advising the Kansan this year.
• Stephen Ilardi, assistant professor of psychology, who has been at KU since 1997. He teaches abnormal psychology, introduction to personality, history and systems of psychology and a graduate seminar in psychotherapy. He also has won a Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, the Dean’s Scholar Mentor Award and a Mortar Board Outstanding Educator Award.
• Thomas Lewin, associate professor of history, who has been at KU since 1975. He teaches classes that focus on West Africa, oral history methods and practices, and international business. He has won a Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence and a Joyce C. Hall Faculty Development Award.
• Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, professor of mathematics and information and telecommunication technology, who has been at KU since 1984. She teaches classes on statistical theory, stochastic processes and stochastic adaptive control. She has won a Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, G. Baley Price Award for Excellence in Teaching and Frank B. Morrison Teaching Award.
• C.R. “Rick” Snyder, professor of psychology, who has been at KU since 1972. He teaches courses on individual psychological differences and social psychology. He won a HOPE award in 1991, and he also was named Council for Advancement and Support of Educators 2001 Professor of the Year and received the Byron T. Shutz Award for Distinguished Teaching.
• Nona Tollefson, professor of education, who has been at KU since 1977. She teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in psychology and research in education. She won a School of Education Career Teaching Award and a School of Education Budig Teaching Award.