Pease Honored as NAKHE Fellow
Posted on June 20, 2016
Alumni Named as NAKHE Fellows
Four alumni of the University of New Mexico have been honored as Fellows by the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE). These distinguished graduates earned doctoral degrees from Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences (HESS), a department within the College of Education.
“These four HESS alumni established themselves as outstanding professionals and went on to become true leaders in fitness, physical education, health, and sport, both nationally and internationally,” says Dr. Todd Seidler, chair of Health, Exercise and Sport Sciences. “Their success has enhanced the reputation of UNM as one of the top PE graduate programs in the country and is a point of pride for former and current students and faculty.”
Pease Honored as NAKHE Fellow
Dr. Dean Pease
Dr. Dean Pease (1941-1994), who earned his doctoral degree from the University of New Mexico in 1970, invested much of his professional career in several national organizations for youth physical education and sports. After his passing in 1994, Pease was remembered as the “heart and soul” of one such organization, the National Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (NAPEHE), which would later develop into the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE). For his leadership and service, the NAKHE named Pease to its 2016 class of Fellows.
From 1987 to 1991, Pease was a professor and chair at Iowa State University. There, he and his wife, Sally, established the Pease Family Scholar Endowment, which funds a “scholar-in-residence” program and lecture. Previously, Pease taught at Shepherd College, University of Georgia, the University of North Florida, and Memphis State University.
In 1993, Pease received an NAPEHE Presidential Award for his contributions to the organization, which included chairing a long-range planning committee. Among other goals, this committee restructured NAPEHE, bringing together leaders from multiple disciplines within kinesiology. He also helped lead the organization in redefining its mission to one of interdisciplinary scholarship and service.
Dr. Pease’s legacy includes a number of papers and published articles related to standards in teacher preparation, teaching models in motor skill acquisition, competency-based physical education, and the future of the profession. He was particularly interested in adaptive physical education and in the social-psychological impact caused by the exclusion of youths from athletic participation.
About the Department of Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences
The Department of Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences (HESS) within the College of Education at the University of New Mexico offers undergraduate and graduate degrees to prepare professionals who will positively impact the health and wellbeing of children, adolescents, and adults. The department offers curricula in athletic training, exercise science, community health education, physical education, and sport administration. Undergraduate programs prepare students to be highly qualified teachers and community leaders in health and fitness professions and physical education. The graduate program offers advanced degrees that prepare students for positions in higher education; scientific research; and community, public, and worksite leadership, particularly regarding health, fitness, or sports.
