Summer 2023
Welcome from the Kinesiology Department!
"Change ... transition ... modification ... alteration ... revision ... remodeling ... waiting” .... Along with these circumstances have come mixed emotions excitement ... anticipation ... dreaming ... sadness ....
So many words capture the sense of what the Kinesiology Department has experienced this past year. Personnel, programs, facilities, all have been affected by change. One of the biggest was the news that we had to completely move out of the Natatorium/Gymnasium portions of the Ahearn complex by the middle of the spring semester.
Undergraduate Program Updates
Dr. Rob Pettay
The Kinesiology department is now offering three different degree options to students with the recent addition of an integrative physiology degree and a public health degree. All three Kinesiology degree programs are showing growth in number of students and provide students with a variety of options to prepare for professional school and the workplace. The online Kinesiology degree is finishing up the second year as an option and has also continued to grow giving students around the world a chance to get the same quality instruction in an online format that on campus students receive. It is an exciting time for the department as more and more we realize the importance of human movement in our daily lives.
Internship Spotlight: Jesse Sacrison
Year in school/major: Junior/ Kinesiology
Internship setting: Kansas State University Football Strength and Conditioning Department
Hometown: Spearfish, South Dakota
Future plans: I hope to work as a Strength and Conditioning coach at the collegiate level.
New Faculty & Staff 2022 – 2023
Dr. Peter and Brooke Stoepker. Peter is originally from Grosse Pointe, Michigan and we were pleased to add him to our department in August of 2022 as an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology. At work, his focus is youth physical activity and physical activity leadership. His passion for this field originated from his love to be active as a child.
Outside of work, he is still quite active and enjoys running, watching baseball, and coaching his kids’ sports. Some things you may not know about Pete are that he spent a semester studying at Bond University in Australia, and he is a former college baseball coach. He is looking forward to attending K-State baseball games with his kids.
Brooke Stoepker began as an Academic Advisor in June of 2023 and assists in all areas of student success. She was drawn to this position and our department because of her passion for helping others, especially helping students move towards their dreams and goals. Brooke loves to read and finds herself reading mostly children’s books these days to her three adorable children. As a child herself, Brooke was really good at finding four-leaf clovers (at least 5 that she can recall), and says the trick is lots of patience. She is originally from Wheaton, IL.
Matthew Sidener is an Academic Advisor and serves on the social media and marketing committee for the department. Matt is originally from Abilene, and he joined us in November of 2022. Matt’s interest in Kinesiology began in 2012 when he wanted to learn how to train to run in the state amateur track meet. This eventually led to becoming a certified trainer and a sports performance coach in Kansas City training youth and high school athletes.
Matt is excited to help grow the Kinesiology department and the field of health and fitness. You can catch Matt playing sports, attending K-State football and basketball games, or trying new coffee shops when he’s off the clock. Perhaps the most important thing to know about Matt is that he threw an apple over Haymaker Hall when he was a senior in college. Whether or not he still can is a topic that warrants further investigation.
Scholarship Recipients and Department Awards
Todd Crane, MD, FACEP, Manhattan, KS
Sarah Corn, MD, Wichita, KS
Advisory Board Update
Ty Kane, MPH
Greetings to all Department of Kinesiology alumni, students, faculty, and staff. My name is Ty Kane, Kinesiology graduate 2003. It has been a pleasure to serve on the Kinesiology Advisory Board since spring 2017 and as current board president.
The KAB is a group of professional leaders who advise and assist the department to achieve its mission of education, research, and service. The board was actively involved in various initiatives and activities to support the department during the past academic year.