“Pass It On” – 75 Years of Leadership in Kinesiology and Physical Education: Introduction

Abstract

The 2005 annual meeting of the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education (AAKPE) marked the 75th anniversary meeting of the Academy. From the original 5 members to the 460 Fellows identifi ed over these 75 years, the Academy has played a signifi cant role in our profession. The meeting theme was “Pass It On,” the Academy motto, taken from the Academyʼs logo, created by R. Tait Mackenzie (Fellow #2). The unifying concept of the 75th anniversary meeting was for us to learn where we come from, who we are, and where we are going as an Academy, as a profession, and as individuals. I asked each speaker to prepare comments from whatever perspective they believed to be most effective. Some chose to look back, some at the present, and some to the future. Some speakers chose to use a biographical perspective, others an historical, others a thematic, others a research trail, etc. I believe that readers will fi nd the papers interesting and insightful. Clearly, as evidenced in the following papers, Academy Fellows have infl uenced our discipline. We have been infl uenced by those who came before us, those with whom we work, and it is important that we “Pass It On” to those who come after us. Among the important issues that the Academy has addressed over the years is graduate education. The Academy aspires to be “the place” that graduate students, faculty, and administrators turn to for information about doctoral training in kinesiology and physical education. The Academy recently posted a listing of doctoral programs in our discipline at www.aakpe.org. Additionally, for the past 10 years, the Academy has been developing a project that provides students, faculty, and administrators greater insight into our disciplineʼs doctoral programs. The closing paper of these Academy Papers is the result of the work of many committee members, Fellows, and others in our profession. The doctoral program rankings presented by Thomas and Reeve are but the fi rst of what the Academy hopes will be ongoing evaluations of this type conducted by the AAKPE every 5 years. Much like other academic and lay projects, the AAKPEʼs Doctoral Program Review Committee has striven to create objective methods that refl ect programs, faculty, and students, important considerations for those making evaluative decisions about doctoral study in kinesiology and physical education. Enjoy the following papers and “pass them on” to your colleagues, students, and administrators as we celebrate 75 years of leadership.