FALL 2013
KINESIOLOGY The undergraduate Kinesiology major is going through some exciting changes. We have transitioned from a 2-year major to a 4-year major with direct admit students and are now in the second year of the new program. As we adapt, we are evaluating our current students’ needs, as well as looking to the future to see what knowledge, skills, and abilities will be required for a student graduating with a degree in Kinesiology. To this end the kinesiology curriculum is in the process of being realigned in an effort to maintain and strengthen the level of academic excellence we offer to our students. As part of our commitment to anticipate student needs we are in the planning phase of adding two new faculty members whose academic and research agendas will add to the academic experience of our students. One will focus on exercise and physical activity in children/youth, while the other will examine the neurological aspects of the human body. This planned growth is deliberately slow to continued on p. 2
Editor: Arthur Weltman, Chair Department of Kinesiology Kinesiology is published by the Curry School of Education and is sponsored by the Curry School of Education Foundation, P.O. Box 400276, Charlottesville, VA 22904 curry.virginia.edu/kinesiology-newsletter
P HOTO BY TO M C O G I LL
KINES Undergraduate Program Update
/// Art Weltman, Department Chair
The New Kinesiology Department
D
epartmental structures in colleges and universities are generally somewhat fluid. Our kinesiology programs here at the Curry School has been grouped administratively in the Department of Human Services since 1985. This fall, however, the U.Va. Board of Visitors approved a new Department of Kinesiology within the Curry School, adding a fourth department to the school’s structure that last changed in 1996. Arthur L. Weltman, professor of exercise physiology, was named the inaugural department chair. “Our Kinesiology program has long maintained an excellent reputation on and off Grounds and has contributed many outstanding leaders to the field,” said Bob Pianta, dean of the school. “This change enables our academic and research offerings in the field of kinesiology to thrive and grow, increases visibility and external recognition, and enables the faculty and staff to plan future growth.” Departmental status will also enable faculty to engage more fluidly in the kind of cross-unit, interdisciplinary research that further advances the aims of the school and University, Pianta said. Weltman said that one of his immediate goals is to review and further enhance the undergraduate and graduate programs in kinesiology. “This will involve mapping the curriculum and research in each area to ensure that we are providing the highest level of instruction, advising, scholarship and service.” The faculty will undertake both an internal and external review to help in identifying the resources needed to maintain our stature as one of the top kinesiology programs in the country. As you know, our program has been a leader in its field for decades. We established the nation’s first doctoral program in sports medicine in 1976. Our alumni are among the leaders in research and practice in a variety of disciplines. In its latest rankings, the National Academy of Kinesiology ranked our Ph.D. program ninth-best in the nation. K I N E S I O L O G Y • FA L L 2 0 1 3
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