University of Missouri
03/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/17/2026 12:16
Karthik Panchanathan receives first 2026 Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence
March 17, 2026
Contact: Eric Stann, [email protected]
Each year, the University of Missouri honors five exceptional educators with the distinguished William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. Selected through peer nominations, each recipient receives a $15,000 stipend. This week, university leaders and Commerce Bank representatives are making surprise visits to present the awards.
The William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence were created in 1991 through a $500,000 gift. Kemper, a 1926 MU graduate, was a prominent Kansas City civic leader until his death in 1989. During his 52-year banking career, he held top roles at financial institutions across Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Commerce Bank oversees the trust that funds the fellowships.
Karthik Panchanathan
Karthik Panchanathan is an associate professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Science.
Panchanathan's research on evolutionary anthropology is inherently interdisciplinary, and he draws on numerous disciplines, such as biology, psychology, economics and sociology, to connect his research to his lectures. It's those types of lectures that inspired him when he was a student.
"With patience and hard work, most people can become effective teachers," Panchanathan wrote of his teaching philosophy. "Add in passion and personalization, and they can become excellent teachers, making a profound impact on students - both in the classroom and beyond. I am who I am because of those kinds of teachers. Most of us are."
Panchanathan's patience, hard work, passion and personalization have won over students and colleagues alike.
"Karthik is quite simply the best teacher I have ever encountered in over 50 years in academia at institutions ranging from Rutgers, Princeton and The University of Chicago, to the University of California, Irvine and the University of Missouri," Theodore Koditschek, professor emeritus from the Department of History, wrote in a letter in support of Panchanthan's nomination.
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