A gift of $150,000 from the William T. Kemper Foundation will extend the foundation's faculty award program at KU – and its annual "Surprise Patrol" – for three years.

The gift, combined with matching support from the KU Endowment Association, will fund 20 William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence anually. The $5,000 awards honor faculty members from all KU campuses who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and advising. Representatives from the foundation, KU and KU Endowment annually visit classrooms each August to surprise recipients.

"The Kemper Foundation's support demonstrates its commitment to outstanding teaching and advising at KU," Chancellor Robert Hemenway said. "The university is delighted that the foundation renewed its support for the Kemper Fellowships."

The foundation established the fellowships with a $250,000 gift to KU Endowment in 1995. The foundation's most recent gift brings its total support for the awards to $650,000.

The William T. Kemper Foundation was established in 1989 after the death of Kemper, a Kansas City, Mo., banking executive and civic leader. It supports Midwest communities and concentrates on initiatives in education, health and human services, civic improvements and the arts.

KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU.

Since its founding in 1891, it has provided $1.2 billion in private support for the university.