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| Vol. 18, No. 30 | May 6, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 30 | May 6, 1999 |
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There was Thomas DiLorenzo, professor and chairperson of the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri, soon to be the new dean of the College of Arts and Science at the University of Delaware, doing what he does every Wednesday at 11 a.m., engaging some 300 students in his popular "Introduction to Psychology" class.
Suddenly the door was thrust open and in walked Richard Wallace, chancellor of MU, followed by reporters, photographers and television crews, all present to record DiLorenzo's receipt of a $10,000 Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence.
"Pizzas for everybody!" was the shocked professor's first response.
"It is very special to receive this award in class in front of your students," DiLorenzo said later. "At the same time, 'confused' may be the best word to describe my feeling as a group of about 20 people came bursting into the room. In the end, I was honored and excited.
"I'm not sure how I'm going to spend the money yet," he said, "although my recently turned 16-year-old son has already hit me up for a car!"
At MU, DiLorenzo is known for making psychology personal for his students. He uses hands-on learning techniques to engage the large lecture class in introductory psychology topics and to develop high-level critical thinking skills in smaller graduate-level courses.
His students show their appreciation for his creativity and talent by participating in class and by giving him high marks on evaluations. A recipient of many teaching awards himself, DiLorenzo has a long-standing reputation for supporting excellence in teaching and the recognition of outstanding teachers. When he became chair of the psychology department in 1990, he created an associate chair for teaching enhancement and faculty development. He also is responsible for developing the Robert S. Daniel Junior Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award and the Teaching of Psychology Practicum. W.T. Kemper Fellowships were created in 1991 with a $500,000 gift from the William T. Kemper Foundation to honor 10 outstanding MU teachers each year for five consecutive years.
DiLorenzo will join UD on July 1.
--Beth Thomas
