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Mykal Manswell checked out numerous universities before selecting the WVU CPASS Sport and Exercise Psychology program.

“The CPASS SEP program is special. The major is not offered in many places in the country. Plus, it allows me to combine my interest in athletics and psychology. This program gives me better understanding of the field and how to successfully interact with athletes,” Manswell said.

Katie Sick loves her job as a physical education teacher and she wants to be the best teacher she can be. That’s why she is studying for a master’s degree in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) from WVU Online.

The program is ideal for teachers with demanding schedules. It is a blended, or hybrid, program, which means the students study mostly online, but come to the WVU campus in the summer for two weeks to take intensive classes. 

While many were fleeing the area, Kennedy was desperately trying to return to her office in Brooklyn, where she would spend the night with other New York City’s Transit Authority (NYCT) officials, devising a plan to safely resume operations of the suspended subway system. In the ensuing days, planning would also need to begin on rebuilding the damaged lines by the World Trade Center.

As vice president of the NYCT, Kennedy oversees the Office of System Safety for the largest transit property in North America, one that carries more than two billion passengers a year and encompasses more than 70 miles of track.

Amid constant change and challenges throughout the history of our institution, state and nation, the College’s calling within the fields of physical activity and sport sciences has remained the same — to create and share knowledge that improves lives in West Virginia and around the world. 

This feature touches on just a few of the monumental changes and chapters that have shaped our College into what it is today. From numerous name changes to new, high-tech facilities, we’ve grown since our inception. And we aren’t done yet.

Drs. Lynne and Andy Ostrow understand the value of education. As West Virginia University faculty members, the duo each spent 35 years helping students achieve their dreams. Now, they are taking that passion for education one step further by providing $50,000 for scholarships at WVU.

The Ostrow International Achievement Award ($25,000) will provide financial support to enhance study abroad and international travel experiences for undergraduate CPASS students. The funds may also be used to support students’ participation in faculty-led overseas travel.

On Friday, October 28, 2016, CPASS inducted three graduates into its 2016 Hall of Fame, presented the Distinguished Service Award and named its 2016 Outstanding Alumna.

Thomas Habegger earned his BS degree in sport management from CPASS in 1986 and went on to earn both master’s and doctoral degrees from other institutions. He has been an associate of Columbus State in Ohio for more than 30 years and currently serves as the Dean of the Health and Human Services Division. As the director of intercollegiate athletics at Columbus State, Habegger directed the establishment of the athletic program beginning in 1987, and by the time he left the Intercollegiate Athletics Department, he had forged a nine-sport, nationally recognized program.

CPASS graduate and 2017 Outstanding Alumna Linda Carson was one of four trailblazers in the fields of engineering, agriculture, business and education honored as this year’s inductees into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni, one of the highest honors awarded to graduates of WVU.

Carson joined Dr. George Fahey, Katherine Johnson and William Bayless as an elite group of WVU graduates inducted on May 19 during a recognition ceremony held at the Erickson Alumni Center.

Three CPASS professors — Ed Etzel, professor, Sport and Exercise Psychology, and director of the Center for Sports Ethics; Kristen Dieffenbach, PhD, associate professor, Athletic Coaching Education, and director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science; and Gonzalo Bravo, associate professor, Sport Management — discuss some of the most fundamental questions raised in sports ethics today. How and why must sport be protected, and what are we actually protecting it from? 

Dieffenbach: Sport has a tremendous, long-recognized power to unify people and bring out the best. Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, based the modern games on the positive potential of sport. But the potential positives don’t happen automatically and aren’t as much a byproduct of sport itself as they can only occur when we work together. You need collaboration for competition — a shared set of rules, values and standards. Without opponents and without teammates, sport cannot occur. We know that quality physical activity, which can occur through sport, improves physical as well as mental well-being. It can also provide a way to share culture, communicate without a common language and to promote diversity.

An ongoing interest in international, interdisciplinary collaboration across sport management and athletic coaching education took Associate Professor of Sport Management Gonzalo Bravo to Brazil from August 5 to December 3, 2016, for research and teaching.

Bravo visited the Research Center for Sport, Leisure and Society (CEPELS) at Universidad Federal do Paraná (UFPR) in Curitiba, along with three other universities in Brazil to teach guest lectures, work with graduate students and collaborate with faculty on projects of mutual interest.

Emi Tsuda will be joining CPASS as a visiting assistant professor for 2017–2018. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, and is a licensed physical education teacher in Japan. In 2012, she arrived in the U.S. and completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in physical education teacher education at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on examining the role of motor competence to engage in physical activity and exploring ways to assist teachers in providing effective physical education to enhance student motor skill learning. She is interested in how the tasks teachers develop and select impact student learning. Tsuda’s research specifically focuses on early childhood to middle childhood physical education.

James Wyant will be joining CPASS as an assistant professor of Physical Education Teacher Education in fall 2017. He is a West Virginia native who has experience working in K-12 schools, implementing after-school physical activity programming for underserved youth and mentoring students of all levels. He provides expertise in assessment and evaluation, as well as teacher training. In addition to teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, he coordinates student teaching experiences for the Physical Education Teacher Education program. He is interested in researching the physical education labor market and instructional technology in physical education. Wyant is looking forward to working with the faculty and students at West Virginia University.