Change theories and Organization Development strategies have long followed the problem-solving approach of looking at organizations, identifying the weaknesses and introducing interventions to "stop doing the wrong things." In its simplest form, this approach has been successful in a variety of situations and has a popular following. Consultants…

Mind-body dualism has likely influenced how many view human beings and their behavior--mind (i.e., thinking) is elevated over body (i.e., performing)--even in Physical Education Teacher Education. The problem is that such a perspective makes physical education content (i.e., dance, games, play, and sport) subsidiary to more "intellectual" or…

Amy Morris Homans had a vision that graduates of the Boston Normal School of Gymnastics and Wellesley College would make physical education a well-respected profession. The professional preparation received by her students equipped them to be educators, administrators, and future leaders of physical education. The purpose of this essay is to…

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…

How we learn motor skills has always been of interest to physical educators. Contemporary conceptual frameworks about motor skill learning draw from earlier behavioral and cognitive psychology learning theories. As a point of departure this paper foregrounds complexity theorizing, arguing that skill is contingent upon the performer's physical and…

How individuals define themselves has considerable implications within the realms of sport. Considering the large proportion of African Americans participating in high profile college sports, matters of identity likely become quite relevant. This article addresses issues related to athletic and racial identity contextualized in the sport domain.…

To meet the ever-increasing demand for expertise in human movement as applied to civil and criminal litigation, both private and public organizations have begun to seek the help of highly trained kinesiology specialists with advanced graduate-level university education and training. This paper will begin by identifying the key elements of the…

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,…

As numerous Homans' lecturers have attested, Amy Morris Homans was a significant and visionary leader who set the foundation for women's physical education for the first half of the 20th century. Her reign at the Boston Normal School for Gymnastics (BNSG) was ironclad, and through the BNSG she controlled her student's lives, including their…

This article presents the author's nineteenth Delphine Hanna commemorative lecture that focuses on a journey of many dimensions. Dr. Delphine Hanna, noted scholar and teacher, undertook a journey of many dimensions. As stated so eloquently by Minnie Linn, "there is something ageless and prophetic in the portrait of Dr. Delphine Hanna, in academic…

Both modern and postmodern approaches to knowledge view tradition and authority with suspicion, even contempt, though each approach does so in different ways. Our profession vacillates between those epistemological orientations, struggling to find direction and meaning. Leadership, in particular, is in a quandary; what does leadership look like in…

The arguments for using narratives to organize one's leadership practice are helpful in that they justify and organize many of the activities that go into the leader's professional and personal life. This paper explores the complex nature of narratives in a professional setting and the manner in which leaders can use the therapeutic methodology 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…

Economic downturns are sudden and sharp reminders that public universities must shift their reliance on state appropriations to other sources of revenue. The recent economic crisis is another reminder that many sources of revenue must be sought for the continued vitality of public higher education in the United States. The ways and means for…

The recent economic downturn has had a serious effect on public higher education, and problems will linger for some years hence. The impact of this disinvestment has been particularly severe for the University of California. The dramatic decrease in state funding has necessitated large relative increases in education and registration fees for our…