Department History

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro was established by legislative enactment on February 18, 1891. The institution opened on October 5, 1892 with a student body of 198 and a faculty of 15 – and the final enrollment reached 223 at the end of the first year. Classes were organized in three departments: commercial, domestic science, and pedagogy. It was known first as the State Normal and Industrial School, and after 1897 as the State Normal and Industrial College until 1919. During the period 1919-1931, it was known as the North Carolina College for Women.

From 1907-1925 the indoor college gymnasium was located in South Spencer Hall. Before that, the Department for Physical Education had no gymnasium, only a game room in South Spencer.

Mary Channing Coleman: Head and founder of the Department of Physical Education. Shortly after her arrival at NCCW in 1920, Coleman instituted a physical education major program and planned the first physical education facilities. From then until her death in 1947 Coleman built up a department of national renown – one of the leading places in the country to train women physical education teachers. Learn more about Coleman.

The Division (later Department in 1935) of Physical Education was formed in 1921, with Mary Channing Coleman as head. Under Coleman’s leadership, the physical education major program started that year, with an outdoor gymnasium as its first education faculty. In June 1926, nine graduating seniors received the B.S. in physical education.

Rosenthal Gymnasium, home of the Physical Education Division, opened on campus in 1925. The building is now referred to the Rosenthal Annex.

The General Assembly of 1931 combined the North Carolina College for Women, The University of North Carolina (at Chapel Hill) and the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (at Raleigh) into a single Consolidated University. The campus at Greensboro thus became The Women’s College of the University of North Carolina. It is warmly remembered as the “the WC” by its many alumnae of the period from 1931-1963.

Ethel Martus joined the physical education faculty in 1931, and became Head on Coleman’s death in 1947. Marthus was instrumental in developing graduate programs and making UNCG one of the top physical education programs in the country, She became the first Dean in 1971 when the department became School of Heath, Physical Education and Recreation. She married John Lawther, professor emeritus from Penn State, shortly after. Ethel Martus Lawther retired in 1974 after 43 years on the faculty. Read Dean Lawther’s “random thoughts” in the Winter 1974 Alumni News about her time at UNCG along with recollections of several alumni of that time.

Coleman gym opens on campus in 1953. It (and the Rosenthal Gym) became part of the Health and Human Performance Building in 1989. The HHP building was re-named as the Coleman Building in 2015.

An alum of WC and Faculty Member from 1956-1979. Ulrich shared her experiences watching the department grow and change as an alumni and professor emerita of UNCG at the alumni breakfast in 2006. Read Ulrich’s thoughts as she watched the department grow.

JoAnne Drane (on right) and Bettye Tillman entered in 1956.

In 1962, the Board of Trustees recommended that the Greensboro campus become coeducational at all levels of instruction. Subsequently, by act of the General Assembly in the spring of 1963, the name of institution was changed to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Man were first admitted as part of the general student body in 1964.

The first doctoral program in what is now called kinesiology was an Ed.D program, first offered in 1966.

Martus hired faculty with doctoral degrees – Celeste Ulrich, Rosemary McGee and Gail Hennis were insturumenal in designing and implementing all graduate program on the UNCG campus. prior to the establishment of the Ed.D, graduated degrees offered included the MFA (dance in PE) in 1947, M.Ed. in physical education in 1951, and the M.S. in 1959. To learn more about people and programs, check the oral history project interviews, including former faculty: Rosemary McGee, Celeste Ulrich, E.Doris McKinney.

Kate Barrett and Pearl Berlin were the first two faculty members to be hired to specifically develop new programs. Dr. Berlin was charged with helping the department faculty engage in increased research activity, and Dr. Barrett developed an undergraduate and graduate emphasis on physical education – teacher education in close partnership with the K-6 public schools.

E. Doris McKinney, who focused on psychology and motor behavior, also joined the faculty at time. Dr.McKinney was the first African-American faculty member in the department, and one of the first on campus. At the same time emphasis was increasing on research and graduate education, the department maintained its commitment to undergraduate physical education, primarily under the leadership of faculty members Betsy Umstead and Marge Leonard.

Ethel Martus Lawther became the first Dean of the new School in 1971, and served until her retirement in 1974. Margaret Mordy served as Dean 1974-1979.

Richard (Dick) Swanson served as Dean 1980-1992. In 1990 the school changed its name from School of Health, PE, Recreation and Dance to the School of Heath and Human Performance. Dr. Swanson returned to the department as Professor and scholar in sport in sport history from 1992 until his retirement.

Shirl Hoffman came to UNCG as Department head in 1986. During his 10-yer tenure as department head, several faculty were hired as specialists in sub-disciplinary areas, and the doctoral program moved from the Ed.D to a Ph.D program (started in 1987) with specialized concentration areas (Exercise physiology, Biomechanics, Sport & Exercise, Pedagogy). Later, 1996, Dr. Hoffman was instrumental in re-establishing the Ed.D program as a professionally-oriented doctoral program in kinesiology.

The Health and Human Performance Building was completed in 1989. Rosenthal Gymnasium and Coleman Gymnasium were incorporated into the new HHP building. In 2015 the HHP building was re-named as the Coleman Building.

In 1989, Department of Physical Education changed its name to Exercise and Sports Science.

Photo includes Rosemary McGee, Margaret Mordy, Dick Swanson, and Ethel Martus Lawther (Former deans) at the dedication ceremony.

The proposal to reactivated the Ed.D. inESS was approved by ESS Faculty Feb. 27, 1996. The Ed.D. was the original doctoral degree program, but was dormant from 1987 when the dept. Received approval to offer the Ph.D. The opening rationale:

“The department believes reactivating the Ed.D will make available a viable alternative to the Ph.D., a program, tailored to the needs and interests of professionals seeking an advanced degree, but who envision careers as teachers and leaders rather than scholar-researchers.”

The department changed its name from Exercise and Sport Science (ESS) to Kinesiology (KIN).

The Department of Kinesiology has over 600 undergraduate majors, master students in Applied Neuromechanics, Exercise Physiology, Community Youth Sport Development, Motor Behavior, Pedagogical Kinesiology, Sport and Exercise Psychology and Sports Medicine concentrations, as well in the MSAT in Athletic Training. The department has Ph.D. students in Applied Neuromechanics, Exercise Physiology, Pedagogical Kinesiology, and Sport and Exercise Psychology, and the new (2014) Ed.D. online program.