There will always be a special place in our hearts for our teachers, and even though we don’t show our appreciation as often as we should, we all know that we would not be where we are today without them. One teacher at KU goes above and beyond his duties, and that teacher is Professor Paul D. Schumaker.
Professor Schumaker has been teaching at KU for over 40 years, concentrating mainly on political science classes such as Intro to Political Theory, Theories of Justice, Democratic Theory and American Political Ideas. Intro to Political Theory (POLS 301), a class developed by Schumaker, is required of all political science undergrads. The approach that Schumaker does with this course isn’t the traditional route – instead of focusing on ideologies, he concentrates more on issues that encourage student involvement and understanding.
Last year, Professor Schumaker was awarded the Gene A. Budig Teaching Professorship Award, making him 2012-2013’s Budig teaching professor of the year. “I was stunned. They came into a departmental meeting and they sort of snuck in the back-door, I didn’t even see them coming. All of a sudden there was the Dean there and there was this camera and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what did I do? Are they going to fire me?’” said Schumaker.
He also has written his own textbooks for his classes, and the royalties earned from book sales he gives back towards the Cigler Fund, which is used to support KU undergraduates as they do their own original research in political science.
Professor Schumaker is a teacher that genuinely cares about his student’s well-being. Seeing his students understand what they’re learning is one of his favorite aspects of teaching. He is also a teacher that is not afraid to admit that he’s still learning everyday, just like you and me. Our teachers are one of the most important people we have in our lives, and Schumaker is a prime example of why that is.