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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.

A fierce drive for leadership, service and competition has earned Amy Cashin the 2017 WVU Order of Augusta. Cashin, from Werribee, Australia, is one of only eight students who have been honored with the prestigious student award from among 44 students who were named WVU Foundation’s Outstanding Seniors.

The Outstanding Seniors award was established in 1995 in honor of the WVU Foundation’s 40th Anniversary, to honor WVU’s most distinguished graduating seniors. The Order of Augusta further recognizes the students for their superior scholarship, demonstrated leadership and public service.  

Julio Nakasato, Lima, Peru, was overseeing sports marketing for Adidas Peru. After four and a half years, he knew he wanted to do more with his career. That is when he enrolled in the WVU master’s degree program in sports management.

“I found a new place to call my second home, discovered a passion in the NFL and fantasy football and met amazing forever friends. I learned from the best and found out that the Mountaineer Nation is a family,” Nakasato said.

Healthcare innovators from across West Virginia will gather next month in an attempt to prevent and reverse West Virginia’s soaring rates of chronic disease. Sam Zizzi, Pat Fehl Endowed Professor, sport and exercise psychology with CPASS, will share insight and research at Try This for Healthcare Professionals Conference, June 1-3 at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

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

Recent studies have established the connection between physical activity in the classroom and academic performance. Now, new research by a West Virginia University faculty member identifies the importance of removing barriers and providing training for teachers to ensure success of movement in the classroom.

The study, published in Teaching and Teacher Education, one of the top research journals in the field of teacher education, may help to improve teacher preparation at the university level. James Hannon, CPASS professor and assistant dean of academic affairs and research, says the study points to the importance of providing teacher support.

Gonzalo Bravo, CPASS associate professor, was recognized at the West Virginia University Second Annual Scholarship Celebration. The event, organized by the Office of the Provost, honored WVU faculty who produced a major piece of scholarship work during the 2016 academic year.

CPASS Dean Dana Brooks and Sport Sciences Department Chair Jack Watson joined President E. Gordon Gee and Provost Joyce McConnell earlier this spring to honor award recipients at the Wise Downtown Library.  

The College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences has joined forces with WVU Extension Service to develop a program that encourages quality time between fathers and their children at local Monongalia Elementary schools.

Known as iFather, program organizers kicked off spring sessions at Skyview Elementary in March and have since held events at neighboring Ridgedale, Cheat Lake, Mountainview and Brookhaven schools.

Kristoph Cain, Physical Education Teacher Education junior, grew up in Berlin, Germany. Family ties to Morgantown and a passion for teaching and sports inspired Cain to return to West Virginia and pursue a degree at WVU.   

Cain was born in Morgantown in 1995; however, he grew up in Berlin. He made the decision to return to Morgantown for his college career following a year off to work and decide on a field of study.