History of Kinesiology
Here are just a few of the highlights in the history of our faculty
How we became a top sport science school
Since 2018, the prestigious ShanghaiRanking academy has rated our faculty as one of the best in North America for sport science. This ranking highlights the performance of more than 300 universities and measures the quality and breadth of our research.
Our faculty has a tangible impact in our society. We are improving the health and mobility for all ages, from youth to older individuals and from recreation participants, to elite athletes and Olympians, as well as those with disability and disease. While we are proud of the calibre of our scholarship, we’re even prouder of how it improves the health of Calgarians, Albertans and other Canadians
Now, we can boost our programs even further. The faculty will soon be home to one of the most advanced post-secondary research facilities dedicated to the study of human performance, movement and sport science, thanks to a remarkable $20-million gift from the Taylor Family Foundation. The Taylor Family Kinesiology Building will take UCalgary from one of the top sport science schools in North America to an international leader, with a state-of-the-art research facility that will enable revolutionary advancements in exercise physiology, neuroscience, nutrition and more.
The faculty also received Joan Snyder’s extraordinary legacy gift of $30 million to establish the Joan Snyder Fund for Excellence in Kinesiology. In addition to supporting research projects for girls and women (an area where they are underrepresented), the investment will advance critical research and our understanding of the essential role movement, exercise and sport play in physical and mental health — and how that can be applied to improve the health of individuals and communities. To further demonstrate her dedication to women’s sport and women’s hockey, Joan Snyder also gifted $2M to the Dinos Program of Excellence in Women’s Hockey.
Our story in Kinesiology
As a result of the 1988 Olympics, the Faculty of Kinesiology was able to develop an excellent environment for research and learning as well as build superb training facilities for coaches and athletes at the varsity, community and Olympic level.
Kinesiology students benefit by receive high-quality and relevant, experiential learning opportunities that inform their future careers and contribute to research and scholarship in the faculty and in the university community.
The faculty is also the home of the successful Dinos varsity teams, Olympic Oval, Active Living recreation programs, the Outdoor Centre and the Sport Medicine Centre.
We continue to work to improve the health and mobility of our society through our research, and provide evidence of the benefits of exercise for all ages.
How the faculty developed over time
1945 – The first physical training instructor for the University of Alberta at Calgary is Lou Goodwin.
1959 – The Department of Physical Education becomes distinct from the Faculty of Education, and 10 students major in physical education.
1962 – The Physical Education Building officially opens and the Bachelor of Physical Education is established.
1966 – The University of Calgary is established and is no longer part of the University of Alberta. Dr. Lou Goodwin is the Head of the School of Physical Education.
1969 – Construction of the second phase of the building, the pool, racquet courts, laboratories and offices begins. It is completed in 1971.
1975 –The words school and director are replaced by faculty and dean. Faculty status is achieved.
1978 – Dr. Lou Goodwin retires as Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Dr. Roger Jackson takes up the reins.
1981 – In September, Calgary wins the bid for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. Dr. Benno Nigg establishes The Human Performance Lab.
1983 -– Site of the Speed Skating Oval will be at UCalgary. The provincial and federal government finance the complex and establish an endowment fund to assist financing ongoing operating costs.
1987 – The indoor speed skating oval and physical education expansion are completed.
The Jackson Simpson family donate $1 million dollars and the Province contributes $2 million creating annual funding to begin the graduate program and to support the Sport Medicine Centre.
Funds for research and computer equipment support the dramatic expansion of the Human Performance Centre, the Computerized Sport Systems Group and the Sport Medicine Centre. Physical activity as a tool for improving public health grows.
1988 – Dr. Jackson retires as Dean to head up the Sport Medicine Centre.
The 1988 Olympics enables new research opportunities, facilities and state-of-art equipment for the faculty. Under the faculty’s leadership, the University of Calgary helped contribute to the most successful games, leaving a permanent legacy with the Olympic Oval for the university, high-performance athletes and the community.
1991 – The University receives provincial funding for a master’s degree program in Physical Education.
1995 – The Faculty of Physical Education becomes the Faculty of Kinesiology to better reflect the collective fields within the faculty.
2003 – The Sport Medicine Centre and the Human Performance Lab merge into one integrated unit. Researcher studies cover a vast array of fields, including anatomy, biology, biomechanics, motor control, physiology and psychology.
2009 – The Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre (SIPRC) is formed and partners with the Sport Medicine Centre, the Human Performance Lab and the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary. SIPRC has strong links to the community with local, regional and national research and injury prevention programs.
2011 – Launch of the Eyes High campaign. Most ambitious campaign in UCalgary’s history that invests in research priorities such as brain and mental health to make remarkable achievements in research and scholarship possible.
2012 – Dr. Penny Werthner is appointed Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology.
The International Olympic Committee Medical and Scientific Department names Kinesiology’s Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre as an international research site for sport injury prevention.
2013 – A new combined degree program offers a BA of Arts in Dance and a BA of Kinesiology - the first in Canada.
2016 – Multidisciplinary projects fit in with the Faculty of Kinesiology's new strategic research themes: Musculoskeletal Health; Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation; Exercise and Nutrition in Health and Sport; and Psychosocial Aspects of Health and Sport.
2017 – Kinesiology researchers play an integral role in shaping an international consensus on recognizing and treating concussion in sport. The document is the International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport.
2018 – The Faculty of Kinesiology is ranked No. 1 in North America and No. 7 globally in the ShanghaiRankings for Sport Science Schools and Departments.
UCalgary receives $12 million CDN from the National Football League’s Scientific Advisory Board to reduce concussions and their consequences in youth sport on a national level.
A specialization in wearable technology is launched - the first program of its kind in Canada.
Dr. Walter Herzog receives the Killam Prize for pioneering work in biomechanics.
2019 – UCalgary begins its first massive open online course to detect, manage and prevent concussions in partnership with Université Laval.
2020 – The Faculty of Kinesiology is once again ranked No. 1 sport science school in North America by ShanghaiRankings.
2021 – For a third time, the Faculty of Kinesiology is ranked the No. 1 sport science school in North America (No. 10 globally).
2022 – Joan Snyder gifts $67.5 million to UCalgary of which $30-million is donated to the Faculty of Kinesiology to establish the Joan Snyder Fund for Excellence in Kinesiology enabling the faculty to invest in critical research for women and girls - $2-million is donated to the Joan Snyder Program of Excellence in Women’s Hockey Fund.
2023 – Dr. Nick Holt, PhD, begins term as dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology at UCalgary.
2024 - Faculty of Kinesiology will become home to one of the most advanced post-secondary research facilities in the study of human performance, movement and sport science thanks to a $20-million gift from the Taylor Family Foundation.