About us
The Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation is Canada's leading physical education and recreation faculty and is, truly, where the “Art and Science of Human Movement come Alive!”
With 43 faculty members on board, 15 coaches, over 1000 undergraduate and graduate students, more than 400 student-athletes, in a Faculty that spans studies from the cell to society, our Faculty is complex in nature, richly-diverse in its research, integrated in its make-up, weaving scholarly endeavour in human movement across the life and abilities spectra through its teaching, service and outreach.
This is a vibrant academic community with its sights set on providing a rich and intellectually-invigorating environment in which to learn, grow - and thrive. We value teaching and research equally and are committed to excellence in both.
Our vision is “to inspire the human spirit through meaningful achievements in physical activity, sport and leisure that impact the health and quality of life in all levels of society.”
Our Faculty is comprised of four distinct, yet integrated, units:
Academic – offering 4 undergraduate and 3 graduate degrees including a master of arts, master of science and a doctoral degree and a vast array of research spanning every aspect of human movement studies. Our academic unit includes both teaching and research.
Some of our research looks at issues that include
- how the built neighbourhood impacts body mass index (BMI)
- how electrical stimulation can help people who have spinal cord injuries to regain mobility
- how physical activity can help breast cancer patients survive
- how culture shapes athletes
- cultural concepts of leisure
- how physical literacy can help female athletes prevent injury, or issues related to the Female Athlete Triad, among many others.
Campus Recreation – offering recreational and sporting activities to the University community and the broader Edmonton community.
Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics – offering high-performance student-athletes the opportunity to reach their potential in a wide range of sports.
Operations – our facilities, such as Foote Field, Saville Sports Centre, Van Vliet Centre, and the Universiade Pavilion, are all administered and managed by this unit, which also offers a wide variety of summer camps, and year-round activities open to all members of the public.
Our academic ventures are interwoven with our athletics and campus recreation programs. Our researchers – whether faculty members or students – often work with high-performance or recreational athletes to conduct research. Coaches instruct sport-related classes; Campus Recreation staff teach physical activity classes - and all take place in well-appointed facilities managed by Operations.
We take a very broad-based approach to research. This multi-disciplinary approach sparks collaborations between faculty members and with other researchers across campus and beyond. Many of our researchers regularly collaborate with colleagues around the world from New Zealand to Iran, from China to Finland.
Affiliated Centres
Integral to our Faculty’s ability to achieve excellence in its teaching, research and service goals is its close association with several affiliated research centres.
These centres enrich the Faculty with new resources and best practices, and are instrumental in linking internal academic communities to external communities, and advancing Faculty-based research programs. Our students are often engaged in activities in these centres – either as researchers, or the centres are sites for practicum experiences that are prescribed as part of every undergraduate degree program.
Our faculty members are also engaged in these centres, whether as directors, or researchers, contributing to the academic richness of knowledge perculating in, and emanating from, the centres. The centres in turn transfer and transmit that knowledge directly to those who can use the information, through their many networks and partnerships across the province and the country.
Centres include:
Some are academic centres, others are hosted community-based centres, or they are designated as national training centres.
More about these centres under Research Centres.
At our core, our vision and mission underpin our aspirations and guide our actions.
Vision
To inspire the human spirit through physical activity, sport, and leisure.
Mission
The Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation creates and shares the best understandings and applications of physical activity, sport, and leisure to inspire the human spirit.