DIRECTORS OF THE SCHOOL OF RECREATION
AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION/KINESIOLOGY
During the period 1969 and 2012, seven individuals have served as the Director of the School. There have been numerous occasions when various faculty members have served as Acting Director for a variety of reasons for a period of time. For the initial two appointments, Gib Chapman and James Bayer, their title was Dean of the Department/School of Physical Education and Recreation and Director of Athletics. In 1985, the Physical Education program and Athletics became separate entities and henceforth, had different directors. Academic unit Directors are typically appointed to serve for a six-year term. Click on the name to read more about each Director.
DEAN GILBERT CHAPMAN 1969 - 1976
Gilbert Chapman was one of the founding members of the academic program and he served as the first Dean.
DEAN JAMES BAYER 1976 - 1985
James Bayer had an extensive background in the practise of sport and recreation which he was able to use in curriculum development, as well as forging relationships between the academic program and the professional field.
DR. ALEX WRIGHT 1985 - 1986
Dr. Alex Wright stepped in to serve as Acting Director during the late stages of Dean Bayers fight with cancer, and following his death.
DR. WENDY BEDINGFIELD 1986 - 1992
Dr. Wendy Bedingfield was seconded to Acadia from the University of Alberta, when an academic review recommended closing the programs. She was tasked with developing a plan to address the deficiencies identified in the review. She served an initial year and then an additional year at which time the decision to close the programs was reversed. She was invited to stay on permanently and was appointed as Director. Her work was to build programs that had academic credibility within the field, staffed by qualified academics, who felt supported in their work. To that end, she engaged in the following: established separate degree programs for Physical Education (BPE) and Recreation Management (RM); created processes to develop curriculum with academic credibility in keeping with the standards of the academic and professional fields; worked with each individual faculty member to develop and carry out a professional development plan; built a cohesive and functional working team of faculty and staff; created a more functional academic working environment by carrying out extensive renovations to the main floor of the old gymnasium complex; built partnerships with other academic units of campus, other universities, and professional organizations\agencies; created and supported student professional societies; and fostered the development of a national identity and reputation for the Acadia BRM and BPE programs.
DR. WILLIAM (BILL) MCLEOD 1992 - 1997
Dr. William (Bill) McLeod assumed the Director position when Wendy became the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Education (later renamed Professional Studies). A primary area of interest for Bill was finances, and he developed and managed a comprehensive system of financial accountability for the School.
DR. ALEX WRIGHT 1997 - 1998
Dr. Alex Wright once again assumed the position of Acting Director facilitated by Bill McLeod’s departure to assume the position of Dean of Professional Studies, which was vacated when Wendy Bedingfield accepted the position of Dean of Graduate Studies. During this period, an Honours stream was established within the School.
DR. GARY NESS 1998 - 2010
Dr. Gary Ness faced the significant task of transitioning the Physical Education program to Kinesiology. This involved such tasks as curriculum modification, faculty recruitment, and student recruitment. Gary also spearheaded facility renovations including the creation of Kinesiology labs in the former old pool area, and creation of a classroom space in the old gymnasium area. He also worked extensively with other units on campus such as biology, nutrition, psychology to create agreements that would enable Kinesiology students to pursue a secondary area.
DR. RENE MURPHY 2010+
Dr. Rene Murphy replaced Gary Ness when he retired, and he continues to serve as Director of the School of Kinesiology (2020). Two significant changes that occurred during his tenure include the renovations to the second story office area in the old gym complex and to the Kinesiology student lounge; and the transition that occurred when the Recreation Management program was replaced with a Department of Community Development, which was no longer affiliated with the School and was housed elsewhere on campus.