Professor Thom Lambert was presented with a William T. Kemper Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching today, in a surprise announcement during his Business Organizations class.

The fellowship was presented by MU Interim Chancellor Hank Foley and Commerce Bank Chairman and CEO Teresa Maledy, who were joined by Interim Dean Ken Dean. The fellowship, which includes a $10,000 stipend, is awarded to only five outstanding teachers at the University of Missouri each year.

Professor Lambert, the Wall Chair in Corporate Law and Governance, joined the law school facuty in 2003. His teaching philosophy includes the primary goals of attempting to inform, equip and inspire his students while serving as a model of professionalism.

“Professor Lambert has passion, not merely for teaching legal rules and judicial opinions, but for inspiring fascination with law and its practice,” Interim Dean Ken Dean said. “He rejects the separation of scholarship and teaching; he brings students with him on intellectual journeys into the intriguing questions of law and policy. Professor Lambert’s teaching is all the more effective because of his humor and obvious joy in what he does.”

Photo by Peter Yankowsky

Bradley Craigmyle, 3L, says that Professor Lambert’s teaching ability is second to none.

“Professor Lambert is well-known for giving the most difficult exams in the law school,” Craigmyle said. “It speaks volumes that law students — who are competitive and ranked from first to last in their class — literally line up to take his courses, while knowing that his finals will be the most difficult of the semester.”

According to Professor Lambert’s students, it is his commitment to his students’ careers and well-being that makes him stand apart as a professor at School of Law. His students say he has had an immeasurable impact on their lives.

At the School of Law, Professor Lambert teaches courses on contract law, anti-trust law and business organization. He is also an accomplished scholar; he has authored or co-authored more than 20 journal articles in various publications, including the Antitrust Bulletin, the Boston College Law Review, the Minnesota Law Review, the Texas Law Review and the Yale Journal on Regulation. He blogs regularly at Truth on the Market, a site focused on academic commentary on antitrust, business and economic legal issues.

Professor Lambert has received multiple awards for teaching while at MU, including the Blackwell Sanders Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award and the Gold Chalk Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence was established in 1991 with a $500,000 gift. Kemper, a 1926 MU graduate, was a well-known civic leader in Kansas City until his death in 1989. His 52-year career in banking included top positions at banks in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Commerce Bank manages the trust fund.