Honors Faculty

Honors instructors lead the Western Civ Honors discussion sections. They are senior faculty from the Humanities and Western Civilization Program and from other KU departments. Uniquely, they may also come from a small pool of professionals who are well trained in the Great Books. This pool includes medical doctors, lawyers, government officials and business men and women from the Lawrence community who volunteer to lead a discussion section for a semester. These dedicated volunteers give of their time because they themselves have discovered the importance of the ideas explored in this course. Many of them are KU alumni whose lives were influenced by this same Western Civilization course when they took it as undergraduates.

William Bayouth
E-mail: wbayouth@sunflower.com

Bill Bayouth is the owner of Animal Hospital of Lawrence, a veterinary clinic specializing in small animals.  He received his B.S. in Biology and D.V. M. at Kansas State University.  Before opening his Lawrence hospital in 1977 he practiced in Colorado and California.   

Dr. Bayouth has served as director of numerous community and professional boards, and as a member of advisory boards including United Child Development Center, Women’s Transitional Center, Sister Cities, Kiwanis, Lawrence Growing Up Healthy Pilot Program, Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen, and Penn House.  He is on the board of Ballard Community Center and volunteers for Audio Reader.

Michael Blumenfeld
E-mail: mikeblum@sunflower.com

Michael Blumenfeld is a B.A. cum laude graduate of Harvard College and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.  He began his career at Benton & Bowes Advertising in New York where he rose to Vice President and Account Supervisor, handling accounts such as Zest, Gravy Train, Benson & Hedges and The U.S. Committee for UNICEF.    

He then joined the Johnson Administration as Director of Public Affairs and Education at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Later he served as Deputy Health Service Administrator for the City of New York under Mayor John V. Lindsay. In the Carter Administration he was both Assistant Secretary of the Army and Chairman of the Panama Canal Commission. 

Besides stints in government, Mike held senior management positions at what was then The Kansas Power and Light Company in Topeka and at Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New York. His checkered career also included public affairs positions at NYU and at Harvard. 

Mike and his wife, Cathy, retired to Lawrence in 1999 and he has taught Western Civilization Honors courses for six years.

Mohamed El-Hodiri
E-mail: melhodiri@ku.edu

Mohamed El-Hodiri is Professor of Economics at the University of Kansas.  He received a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics at Cairo University, Egypt, and studied at Moscow State University.  He holds two M.A. degrees—Mathematics and Economics—and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota.  In addition to teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in Economics at KU since 1973, Dr. El-Hodiri is an active researcher, author, lecturer, and consultant.  His service to the university, to his profession on an international level, and to the local community is extensive. 

Professor El-Hodiri has led Honors sections of Humanities & Western Civilization for twelve years, and has also taught as a Courtesy Professor for African African-American Studies. 

Joseph Emmons
E-mail: jemmons@ku.edu

Joseph Emmons received his Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas.  He began his career in higher education teaching history and political science at Colby Community College in Colby, Kansas.  He has been State Director of Community Colleges for Kansas, Director of Matanuske-Susitna College in Alaska, and Director of Curricular Affairs for the Kansas Board of Regents.

Since retiring from the Board of Regents, Dr. Emmons has worked  as an educational consultant and served in several interim administrative positions including President of Manhattan Technical college, and Director of Kaw Area Technical School.

Jerry Harper
E-mail: jharper900@gmail.com

Jerry Harper is a practicing attorney and earned his B.A. in English and J.D. from the University of Kansas.  Although he holds an L.L.M. in International and Comp. Law from the University of Brussels, Belgium, he prefers to say that he was a drug dealer after college selling Bayer Aspirin and Dr. Lyon’s Tooth Powder.  He subsequently owned, with his wife, Nancy Kellogg Harper, a small newspaper and served three terms in the Kansas House of Representatives.  He was Principal Legislative Assistant to Kansas Senator James R. Pearson in Washington, D.C. and later Executive Director of the congressional Environmental Study Conference, Energy Project Director for the National Conference of State Legislatures and served as Douglas County District Attorney.  
Together he and his wife have taught Western Civilization as adjunct instructors on and off for a number of years and in Spring, 2008 co-directed the Humanities & Western Civilization Semester Abroad Program in Florence and Paris.

Nancy Harper
E-mail: nharper@ku.edu

Nancy Kellogg Harper has a B.S. in English Education, an M.S. in Journalism and a Ph.D. Educational Philosophy & Administration, School of Education, all from University of Kansas.  She has taught History and Philosophy of Education at KU and at Bethany College where she also led the Teacher Education Department.  In addition she has taught in the School of Journalism, has owned a marketing company, and with her husband, Jerry Harper, two newspapers, the once famous Bierstube located in the basement of what is now Liberty Hall and The Shanty at 14th and Tennessee.

Dr. Harper has served as Assistant Director of the KU Institute for Educational Research and Public Service.  She is a KU Woman Teacher of the Year finalist, a founding member of the Kansas Women’s Political Caucus, and a former member of the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission.  In Spring, 2008 she and her husband directed the Humanities & Western Civilization Program’s Semester Abroad in Florence and Paris and will direct the program in Fall, 2009.   

Philip McKnight
E-mail: pmcknight@ku.edu

Philip McKnight is a Professor in the School of Education where he teaches courses related to the history and philosophy of curriculum.  He has led Western Civilization Honors discussion classes  for many years and served as a HWC Faculty Fellow. He states that the Western Civilization courses he took as an undergraduate inspired him to choose his career.  He received a B.A. in English and History at the University of Kansas, an M.A. and Ph.D. in Education at Stanford University.

Professor McKnight has a distinguished record of service to the university and to the community including membership on the board of directors of KU’s Athletic Corporation, and as Chair of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Awards Committee.  Rotary Club of Lawrence, Warm Hearts of Douglas County, and Cottonwood, Inc. receive much of Professor McKnight’s time.

Doni Mooberry
E-mail: donim@mooberryfinancial.com

Doni Mooberry is holds a B.A. in English and History (with honors) and a J.D. from University of Kansas.  She is an attorney and the owner of Mooberry Financial Management, LLC, where she works for clients on a variety of legal, financial, and tax-related issues. 

Ms. Mooberry is an active community member who is currently Co-President of the Lawrence Community Theatre Board and serves as treasurer of the Lawrence Rotary Club, and the Lawrence Children’s Choir. She is the Campaign Treasurer of Warm Hearts of Douglas County, Inc. She has served as President of Penn House, and as a member of the boards of Ballard Center and Brookcreek Learning Center.  And, Habitat for Humanity knows her as a family partner for two different house-building projects.

Doni has been “hooked” on Western Civ since 2002.

William Skepnek
E-mail: bskepnek@sunflower.com

Bill Skepnek came to KU on a football scholarship and earned a BSE in English and History and a JD degree. He practices law in Oklahoma and Kansas and heads a law firm in Lawrence. He states that he enjoys reading, reciting poetry, teaching Western Civilization, and writing. He is a frequent contributor to the Lawrence Journal World.

He and his wife, Susan, have four children.