Families in the 15,000-student Thompson School District of Loveland, Colorado, were offered an intriguing and innovative option this fall as the COVID-19 pandemic barreled into another semester. Called Thompson Connect Online (TCO), it’s a completely virtual “school” created solely to enroll the
Read moreHere We Grow: Sport Management
This is the first in an occasional series exploring high-growth majors and programs in the College of Education. Todd Gilson remembers well the reaction to his plans to study Sport Management at Ohio Northern University, where he earned that very bachelor’s degree
Read moreKNPE, College of DuPage sign 2+2 plan, smooth path to three bachelor’s degrees
Transferring to the NIU Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KNPE) is now an easy option for College of DuPage students who want direct routes to bachelor’s degrees and vibrant careers. Clear 2+2 pathways have been developed for all three undergraduate programs
Read moreProject FLEX 3.0 begins, ready to grow
COVID-19 has proven no match for Project FLEX. It’s true that when the pandemic arrived in the spring, the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KNPE) did suspend its initiative that provide in-person, structured physical activity to young men incarcerated at the
Read moreNoted golf-swing guru Jim Suttie named Fall 2020 ‘virtual’ Educator in Residence
Jim Suttie was only 4 when he first encountered what has defined the rest of his life and his still-growing list of internationally celebrated accomplishments. “My dad was a physician – a pediatrician – in DeKalb. He played golf, and he got
Read morePaul Wright conceives, co-edits tribute to career mentor, friend Don Hellison
One phone call changed Paul Wright’s life. Wright had completed a bachelor’s degree in biology and had spent two years working in a biochemistry lab when he determined that he wanted, or maybe needed, something else. “I thought of everything from going
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these NIU College of Education students and faculty! Eight College of Education students have been named Dean’s Achievement Scholars! Dylan Banker, Kinesiology Roger Bezares, Kinesiology Hannah Clark, Elementary Education-Elementary Mathematics Education Esperanza Correa, Elementary Education-Reading Teacher Genesis Miranda, Special Education-Visual
Read moreTeacher-licensure candidates thrive, grow amid COVID-impacted clinicals
For future teachers, the professional semesters of their higher education provide the classroom immersion and real-life, hands-on experience that apply the icing to the cake. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, most schools simply aren’t operating as usual. Some are all face-to-face, some
Read moreMessage from the Chair
The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, is credited with the proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In 2020, I cannot think of truer words. As the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped higher education, in KNPE we have learned new ways of mentoring students,
Read moreClinical experiences shift for COVID-19, remain meaningful via creative faculty
As a parent who is helping to manage the remote learning of his three young children, Jim Ressler sees firsthand how teachers in the Kaneland School District are shifting their instruction for COVID-19. Ressler, an associate professor of Physical Education Teacher Education,
Read moreKNPE Alumni Accomplishments
Congratulations to these Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education alums! Alexis “Pookie” Gonzalez, B.S. Kinesiology, ’16, M.S. Sport Management, ’18, was named volleyball assistant coach by the Northern Michigan University Athletics Department. Gonzalez comes to NMU after a year-long stint at the
Read moreSport Management alum Jamaal Hines scores job leading after-school programs
Jamaal Hines grew up hooked on police procedurals on TV, imagining that he someday would solve crimes like the detectives on “CSI” and “NCIS” on behalf of innocent victims. Enrolling at Old Dominion University in his native Virginia, he earned a bachelor’s
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