In this age of postmodern supercomplexity, universities face increased demands from many precincts in our society to respond to such issues as broader access, graduation rates, costs, and relevance, to name just a few. The cultivation of professional conditions that will help higher education and its kinesiology professoriate to not only to…

Investments in the select few who already are or will become academic leaders are essential but insufficient. Investments also need to be made in collective leadership because leadership is an activity or function, not merely a person. Both good leaders and collective leadership are needed in the never-ending journey toward selective excellence. A…

In this essay I argue in favor of a holistic vision for our field under the heading of complementary kinesiology. I argue that battles over reified dichotomies and even compromise solutions have impeded our progress as a profession. I describe the theory of complementation as an alternative. I say it is a strange and paradoxical way of…

Recent enrollment growth in kinesiology places it second among academic areas of study in higher education. This article addresses issues that have prompted that growth, will allow it to continue, and examines other likely changes in the field. A major factor in growth has been the value of kinesiology as a major for allied health professional…

This article describes the elements of the undergraduate core in kinesiology that have been established by the American Kinesiology Association. The American Kinesiology Association also describes a set of ten student-learning outcomes that emanate from the four core content elements. This information has been developed by the American Kinesiology…

Increasing the involvement of African Americans in the field of kinesiology has been an ever present issue. While many colleges and universities are making attempts to diversify their undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty, many are finding this a difficult task due to the lack of minority undergraduate kinesiology majors pursuing…

In this paper, I engage in discourse centrally located in the ideology of race in the United States of America juxtaposed to social justice with promise for tomorrow in higher education and beyond. I assert that social justice in kinesiology requires that once hired, retaining, securing tenured status, and promoting faculty of color means having…

This article discusses the need for chairs to recognize the changing and interconnected nature of postmodern times by engaging with policy makers, politics, and coalitions in this age of supercomplexity. Chairing a kinesiology department is a rewarding and complex position fraught with uncertainty; nevertheless, tolerating and planning for…

Presenting research well with regard to persons with disabilities is as important as conducting research well. Disembodied, technical writing does not accurately represent the dramas of athletes, fans, and people who are trying to exist in damaged or violated bodies. Our stories are left incomplete if we omit the metaphoric and symbolic codes we…

In his essay, "The Heart of a Teacher," educator Parker Palmer (1997b) examines the themes of identity and community which intersect with similar strains in American philosophy, most notably the transcendentalism of Henry David Thoreau. In this article, I argue that transcendental themes help provide insight into these pedagogical issues of…

Twietmeyer (2012) reviews the historical and contemporary state of kinesiology and appraises what he calls unexamined philosophical commitments. He begins with a historical and philosophical review of the foundations of kinesiology, beginning with Aristotle's ancient influences and Polanyi's and C. P. Snow's modern influences. He then focuses on…

In 2010, the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) conducted its second national doctoral program survey, based on faculty and student data from 2005 to 2009. Total T-scores for each school were derived from the sum of nine faculty indices and seven student indices. Faculty indices, based on research, presentations, grants, and honors, made up…

This article employs Barnett's (2004) specifications of the aspects that describe the times of "supercomplexity." This term characterizes the challenges universities are facing regarding the expanding and competing forces that are affecting higher education, particularly in the West. Outside forces related to globalization, digital technologies,…

In this article, the author explores the question: What if the Hokey-Pokey is "really" what it's all about? He suggests that people would make the Hokey-Pokey the supreme object of their professional enterprise. Everything they would do would be centered on an analysis of, and engagement with, the Hokey-Pokey. It would be the ultimate focus of…

The complex and diverse mission of leading and administering the Physical Program and Kinesiology major at the United States Military Academy at West Point requires a broad and flexible application of leadership theory coupled with strict adherence to established and codified Army Values and Core Leader Competencies. This paper provides a closer…