Greetings from the Kinesiology Department Chair
My! My! How time flies! Dr. Andrea Brown served as chair of our department the past three years and she is now retired and enjoying her free time on her boat. Now I’m back for another three years and am excited about the direction the department is headed. Dr. Andy Proctor and Dr. Ray Nakamura are both in the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) which means they are teaching part-time. Dr. Proctor has been with the department for 33 years and Dr. Nakamura for 26 years. Their leadership and wisdom relating to curricular decisions and departmental affairs will be missed.
As you can see, the department has changed the format for our annual newsletter. We are hoping that we can include more information for your perusal and become more familiar with what is happening in our program. We are also hoping to be able to keep closer contact with our alumni and friends through this medium and develop more communication possibilities. Please let us know how you feel about this change.
The department is now in the process of advertising two new positions that will meet the needs of our program now and in the future. One position is a full-time lecturer who will be responsible for expanding the internship program for the Exercise Science and Health Promotion Concentration (ESHP). We have a large number of students in this concentration and the internship is a culminating experience for them. This person will supervise these interns and create new contacts throughout the state for placement of our students. This person will also teach courses in the Health Promotion area.
The other position is a Tenure-Track and will help guide our department into a very critical change of focus. This person will create a Center for Obesity Prevention and Education (STRIDE) and will create collaborations with other departments within the University. This new direction is very exciting and is related directly with what we do in the Teaching and Exercise Science and Health Promotion Concentrations. We are looking for someone who can bring in grants that will help support our efforts in this area.
As most of us know, obesity and obesity-related diabetes are major health issues in the United States and California. Obesity has a significant impact on health care and the economy. The vision of the department is to create a center that will conduct and implement research to address this problem. We foresee collaboration between many departments, including Biology, Food Science and Nutrition, Chemistry and behavioral sciences such as Psychology and Sociology.
This new direction could end up being the corner-stone of our department and a direction that will give our students expertise for dealing with current health problems now and in the future. This endeavor also solidifies the department because it identifies a common goal between the Teaching Concentration and ESHP. I look forward to the development of this program and the new challenges it will bring to our faculty and students.
In conclusion, I would like to personally thank all of you who have donated funds to the Kinesiology Department. Your contributions are used in ways that help our program stay competitive and at the top of our field. I encourage you to continue your support.
Gerald DeMers | Kinesiology Department Chair