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Kinesiology celebrating 100 years No department in the College of Education can claim quite as varied and colorful a history as the Department of Kinesiology. From its early years with separate programs for men and women, through its affiliation with intercollegiate athletics and legendary figures like Clarence "Biggie" Munn and Ralph Young to its present focus on kinesiology, the department remains above all a place committed to the ideal of human well-being. That commitment was there nearly 100 years ago when the department was born, and it remains at its core as it looks to a new century of research, service and teaching. "The department has gone through many changes over the course of 100 years, but its mission has remained pretty constant," says Deb Feltz, chairperson of the Department of Kinesiology. "Physical activity and exercise are crucial to well-being both physically and mentally and that is as much true today as it was then. "This department over those many years has been a testament to the important role that exercise and sport play in society." Throughout 1999, the department will celebrate its 100th anniversary with events that includes a national symposium in May featuring department alumni who are now leaders in their various research disciplines. In conjunction with the centennial celebration, the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports also will celebrate its 20th years of service. The institute, based in the department, is committed to studying and improving youth sports in Michigan. For faculty, alumni and staff, 1999 will mark an important and symbolic point, allowing them to look back on the department’s many accomplishments and to the future and the work ahead. In this issue of the New Educator, we spotlight the Department of Kinesiology, its proud history and some of the people and programs who make it a dynamic and special place at Michigan State University. * * * Change is as a much part of the department’s history as is teaching and research. In 1899, when the Department of Physical Culture was established, it had a faculty of one, the Rev. Charles O. Bemies, who also served as the department’s director and coach of the football team. According to Professor John Haubenstricker, who has written a departmental history, the department was created mostly because of concern for the health of male students, many of whom appeared to be sickly, and to bring athletics under faculty control. At one point in its history, the department was part of the School of Business and Public Service. It has been known over the years as the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; the Department of Health and Physical Education; the Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science; and the School of Health Education, Counseling Psychology and Human Performance. In January 1998, the name was changed to the Department of Kinesiology. For Feltz, the change is more than symbolic and that it comes near the end of its first century is more than fitting. "What the new name speaks to is an academic discipline that is worthy of study in its own right, not tied to a profession, not tied to any specific career, but as an area of inquiry that has its place," Feltz said. "That was an important distinction and important message to send in terms of where we are now and where we have arrived as an area of study." |
Perhaps no greater change has come than in the students who make up the department. Haubenstricker, who has been on the faculty for 25 years, recalls the days when the vast majority of students he taught were preparing for careers as teachers. Today, however, only about 20 percent of the 400 students in the department are planning to teach physical education. The majority is planning to pursue careers in physical therapy, medicine, corporate fitness and other areas. The world of physical activity has changed and so has the department. What has not changed is the high quality of graduates attracted to the department’s programs and to professors such as Janet Wessel, a trailblazer in the field of physically activity for the disabled; Vern Seefeldt, who not only started the Motor Performance Study but also the Youth Sports Institute; and former Olympic swimmer and scholar, Bill Heusner It was professors Wayne Van Huss and Huesner who helped build the department’s reputation as a leader in exercise physiology. It is an emphasis that remains to this day. It was Seefeldt who established the department’s enduring interest in children and their growth and development. That focus is now a prominent research interest for many on the faculty. "One of the unique things in this department is the fact that you've got a large number of faculty with a primary interest in children and adolescence," says Robert Malina, who took over as director of the Youth Sports Institute when Seefeldt retired in 1997. "In many departments, you may have one or two people who work in this area. So this department has always been unique in that sense. There is common focus on children and that is to me a very valuable component." * * * The ability to change has fueled the department’s growth and promises to continue to play a role in its future. Already, under Feltz’s leadership, the department has moved to integrate technology into its program. On the research front, faculty members are on the cutting edge of knew knowledge on everything from youths and sports to growth and maturation to the psychology of athletes and coaches. It is clear that the department’s long and proud history has laid a solid foundation. Faculty members continue to make the department a vibrant and important place keenly focused on service, teaching and research. "I think the 100th anniversary is important because it offers us the opportunity to reflect as well as consider a vision for the future," Feltz said. "The centennial celebration has set as its mission recognition of the department’s past, connection with alumni and a vision for the future. "All of those things will be important as we move forward."
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