Department of Movement Sciences welcomes New Chair

When Philip Scruggs landed in Moscow as an assistant professor six years ago, he found a place that, personally and academically, he and his family could call home.

“I fell in love with the mountain West,” the Texas native said.

Scruggs received his doctorate from the University of Utah and had been working at the University of Wisconsin when a position opened in the College of Education’s Department of Movement Sciences. He embraced the opportunity to become part of the Vandal family and return to the West.

Scruggs, now an associate professor, further cemented his roots here by being selected as the department’s new chair. He stepped into the role in January.

“As chair, I enjoy how much I get to engage and interact with the faculty and staff in all the program areas, and learn what they are doing professionally in order to recognize the work they are doing.”

During his 3½-year appointment, Scruggs said he hopes to find new ways to market the department’s programs and to partner closely with faculty and staff members to solve problems and work through challenges.

“Even though I’ve been a part of the department, I’m now able to work with the program areas in such a way that I’m able to learn about their intricacies and better promote them. As we continue to move along, I want to advocate and promote the excellent instruction, scholarship, outreach/engagement and service to help faculty find the support for work they do,” he said.

A foundation in movement science and a healthy, active lifestyle are key to that work, and are disciplines that Scruggs believes play a central role not just within the university, but in the community and all schools. He is looking forward to capitalizing on the department’s abilities to play a more significant role in promoting that lifestyle.

For starters, he tries to embody the lifestyle himself by walking or biking the streets of Moscow to work yearround — even in the winter. He has studded bike tires that help him get around in harsh weather.

When he isn’t at work, Scruggs is often either serving in his church, or spending time enjoying camping, sports, music, backpacking and gardening with his wife, Shelly, their four children, Ethan, Spencer, Aspen and Bryant, and the family’s yellow Labrador, YoYo.