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In May 2016, a group of eight West Virginia University students, seven from CPASS and one from the College of Business and Economics, joined a group of six students from the School of Hospitality in the Sport and Recreation Management program at James Madison University. The group embarked on a 10-day trip to the Dominican Republic to explore the business and culture of baseball in the capital city of Santo Domingo.

The trip was inspired, in part, through the WVU Sport Management curriculum, which aims to provide insights of the globalization of the sport industry. Gonzalo Bravo, lead WVU faculty for the study abroad trip, has taught the course, “Sport in the Global Market,” for almost a decade.

In our busy modern world, fathers often have trouble finding enough time to spend with their children. CPASS and the WVU Extension Service are looking to help change that with an ongoing program called iFather.

Its creators designed the program to not only increase the time fathers spend with their children but to also increase quality time, specifically by encouraging playtime between fathers and children. Launched at local Monongalia County elementary schools, this joint effort between CPASS and Extension kicked off their spring sessions at Skyview Elementary in March and have since held events at neighboring Ridgedale, Cheat Lake, Mountainview and Brookhaven schools.

Faculty in Physical Education Teacher Education and Athletic Coaching Education are using an innovative, hands-on technology called Beep Ball to “practice” how to teach baseball to individuals with visual impairment.  

Beep Ball is a baseball-like game that uses a large beeping softball. Non-visually impaired players wear blinding goggles to neutralize their sight, but the differences don’t stop there. In this game, only first and third bases are used, which are blue and stand five-feet tall. Each team’s pitcher pitches to their own batter. Electronics inside each base create a buzzing sound when a player makes a hit, which tells the batter where to run. The batter scores if they reach the base before the ball is fielded.

Healthcare innovators from across West Virginia gathered in June 2017 in an attempt to prevent and reverse West Virginia’s soaring rates of chronic disease. Sam Zizzi, Pat Fehl Endowed Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology with CPASS, offered insight and research at the Try This for Healthcare Professionals Conference at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

The conference offered practical strategies for engaging patients and communities in movement, food and stress management. Topics included reversing diabetes, approaches to childhood obesity and dietary approaches for opioid dependence.

CPASS Physical Education Teacher Education students and faculty collaborated with the WVU Student Family Resources to host the sixth Annual Kids Safety and Fitness Expo, May 23, 2017, at the Student Recreation Center fields. The free, family-centered event featured bike safety lessons, an obstacle course, sports, games, the annual tug-of-war competition, hands-on demonstrations and health information for parents.

More than 200 children and families from the community came out to celebrate, move and explore. CPASS, PETE and Lifetime Activities faculty and students provided event assistance.

CPASS undergraduate student Cody Heffelfinger knew he wanted a future in sports so he chose the WVU sport management program to be on the business side of the industry.   

After listening to Dr. Gary Lhotsky talk about his hands-on experiences during the Intro to Sport Management class, Heffelfinger was convinced about what to do next. “The class helped me realize that I need to get out and see for myself how the industry is run,” he explained.  

Luciana Braga, assistant professor of Sport Pedagogy at California State University Chico, is establishing a research foothold in physical activity promotion among children and adolescents.  

Braga, CPASS Coaching and Teaching Studies, Ph.D. (2014), recently received the 2017 early career research grant from SHAPE America. “This is a competitive grant. The award means recognition of the potential of my scholarly work. This is my first externally funded research project as a principal investigator. I am excited to take on this new challenge. I wrote this proposal with Kevin Patton, my colleague in the PETE program at Chico State,” said Braga.  

Joe Abel, Physical Education/Sports Management, B.S. (1985), believes that a college degree helps prepare students to become better learners in business and life. Abel serves as the director of Leisure Services with the Seminole County Government, Seminole County, FL, outside the Orlando area.  

Abel credits the sports focus of his education in expanding his knowledge and understanding of a multitude of different sports, the game and comprehending how to administer sports programs and facilities.   His career experience ranges from managing athletics, pools and community centers to a department that is now made up of libraries, extension, natural lands, trails and parks. His professional experience began in his home state of West Virginia and has continued for the past 28 years in Florida.  

Jamie Shapiro, associate professor of Sport and Performance Psychology and assistant director of the Master of Arts in Sport and Performance Psychology (MASPP) program, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, at the University of Denver has received tenure at the University.  

Shapiro earned a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from West Virginia University (2009), an M.A. in Community Counseling from WVU (2008), and an M.S. in Athletic Counseling from Springfield College (2005). She earned a B.S. in Psychology from Brown University, where she competed on the gymnastics team for four years.  

Ashley Cranney, sport and exercise psychology doctoral graduate, has received Association for Applied Sport Psychology funding as an extension of her dissertation work.

Cranney emphasizes the importance of the grant. “This grant will maximize participant recruitment, expedite transcription, and refine analysis. Getting this grant affirms the importance of this line of research which will be a valuable step toward future grant applications and the development of an instrument of sport overconformity,” she explained.

West Virginia University Lifetime Activities registration remains open for summer 2017 fitness, wellness classes and camps. Featured class sessions include Wilderness First Aid, scuba, Martial Arts and youth summer camps. The National Youth Sports Program camp, for ages 9-15, emphasizes sports, emotional and physical well-being. The WVU NYSP camp provides a summer food service program. Eligible campers will receive a snack and lunch. 

The Gold and Blue Healthy Kids Camp, for ages 5-11, includes weekly themed activities, teamwork and leadership skills, located on the downtown campus. Space is limited in each class and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit the web site for a complete list of classes, times, pricing and NYSP food service program eligibility.  http://lifetimeactivities.wvu.edu/ or call 304-293-0859. WVU Lifetime Activities is managed by the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.

CPASS Physical Education Teacher Education students and faculty collaborated with the WVU Student Rec Center to host the 6th Annual Kids Safety and Fitness Expo, May 23 at the rec fields. The free, family-centered event featured bike safety lessons, an obstacle course, sports, games, the annual tug-of-war competition, hands-on demonstrations and health information for parents. 

More than 200 children and families from the community came out to celebrate, move and explore. CPASS, PETE and Lifetime Activities faculty and students were well represented. "The event enhances the well-being and quality of life for the community," explained Valerie Wayda, associate professor and chair, Coaching and Teaching Studies department. 

In 2015, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences made history. It became one of just 13 programs in the country to be selected by the National Inclusion Project to implement a program designed to break down barriers between those living with disabilities and those without through one simple, yet powerful, everyday activity — play. 

The National Inclusion Project’s program model, called Let’s ALL Play, has since been incorporated into the College’s already diverse Lifetime Activities (LA) offerings, creating new environments where children with disabilities ranging from autisum to ADHD can play and benefit from interaction with their non-disabled peers — and vice versa. 

The sport management  graduate program at West Virginia University’s College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences is listed as the 44th best sport management program worldwide (Top 50), and 10th in the United States, according to a global ranking and rating agency evaluating masters and MBA programs.

The CPASS sport management program has appeared in the rankings for the past four years. Eduniversal Best Masters has released results for 2017 in its list of 50 best masters in sports management. 

As vice president of the NYC Transit Authority, Cheryl 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.

The former Mountaineer basketball player and 1982 safety management graduate is tasked with the daily safety of NYCTA’s eight million bus and rail passengers as well as its 46,000 employees. Additionally, Kennedy is the federal, state and local safety contact charged with the oversight of the organization and its unions.