Bryan Young, a Kansas University assistant professor of engineering, is hugged Thursday by Carol Jo Sloan, administrative assistant in the engineering department, after receiving William T. Kemper fellowship and a check for ,000.

English professor David Bergeron, center, is recognized in his class Thursday by KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway as a Kemper fellow. The Kemper awards for teaching excellence are handed out at the start of each academic year to about 20 faculty members.

Bryan Young was about to leave his first class of the new semester when his department chairman urged him to stay just a little longer.

Just moments later, Chancellor Robert Hemenway and the Kansas University “Prize Patrol” arrived with word that the assistant professor of engineering was one of this year’s William T. Kemper fellows. The fellowship is accompanied by a check for $5,000.

Six other faculty members received fellowships Thursday, with 13 more to follow during the next week.

“This is recognition across the community for these professors,” Hemenway said. “We are putting our money where our mouth is in recognition of these educators.”

The awards are funded jointly by the William Kemper Foundation and the KU Endowment Association.

As Hemenway explained why he, joined by Provost Richard Lariviere, Endowment Association President Dale Seuferling and Mark Heider, president of Commerce Bank in Lawrence, was in the classroom, Young’s students burst into applause for their professor.

“I co-teach this class,” Young said, to explain why he was about to leave. “I was only planning on staying five minutes when my department chair told me to stay a little longer.

“I had about two minutes notice,” he added.

Young thanked the Chancellor, department chairman Thomas Mulinazzi and the colleagues who nominated him for the award.

Seuferling, of the Endowment Association, used the presentation to make a bit of a pitch of his own.

“Today, some of the students that were sitting in your chairs when we started this program are at work in Chicago and Kansas City,” Seuferling said. “It’s their decision to give back to KU, to make an investment in your education, that allows us to do this.”

Other fellows announced today included: David Bergeron, professor of English; Lee Skinner, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese; Yan Bing Zhang, assistant professor of communication studies; Patricia Hawley, assistant professor of psychology; Marsha Haufler, professor of art history; and Mark Mort, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

“This is the 12th year of the program, which means more than a million dollars has been distributed to the winners,” Heider said.

Heider said that making the presentations has always been fun and is something he looks forward to even if it’s hot outside.

“I was trying to convince the chancellor to let us wear polo shirts,” he joked.