BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University Associate Professor of English Wes Chapman has been named the 2010 winner of the Kemp Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence on Wednesday, April 15, at the annual Honors Convocation in Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall.
The teacher-scholar Kemp Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence is the University’s top teaching honor. The recipient is selected by Illinois Wesleyan’s Promotion and Tenure Committee based on nominations received from members of the faculty.
This is the first year the award has been named with the support of the Kemp Foundation. The Kemp family has a long tradition with Illinois Wesleyan. Parker Kemp is an emeritus member of the University’s Board of Trustees. His brother, John Jackson Kemp III, was a member of the class of 1950. Kemp’s parents are graduates of Illinois Wesleyan – Glen Kemp in 1922, and Rozanne Parker Kemp in 1927. Parker Kemp’s uncle, George “Hub” Parker, is an alumnus, as were two other uncles, John T. and Robert J. Parker.
Provost Beth Cunningham said of Chapman, this year’s winner, “He is a skilled teacher and mentor, a respected and valued colleague in all matters of the University, and a scholar who places himself at the cutting edge,” said, noting he is known as an effective and demanding teacher, always challenging his students. “He pushes his scholarly endeavors to the edge as he does his courses and his students.” She added a description of Chapman from one of his former students as “someone who made me feel knowledgeable, comfortable, and capable of discussing complex literary theories. He is a truly incredible teacher and individual.”