About The Faculty

The Faculty
Mission: The mission of the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary is to be an international leader in health, wellness, and human performance education, research, and programming.

The University of Calgary, Faculty of Kinesiology is emerging as a world-class centre of excellence in health, wellness and human performance. Our outstanding research, clinical, and fitness-and-sport facilities have allowed us to attract top-calibre students, internationally esteemed researchers, and national- and international-level athletes and sport expertise.

The Faculty of Kinesiology has markedly enhanced its research intensity and productivity. With the recent addition of new faculty members, we currently rank among the top three Kinesiology faculties in Canada in total research funding. Our approach to research is highly integrated, and our collaborative research among Kinesiology, Medicine and Engineering has led to a surge in applications for graduate study in Kinesiology.

We are currently taking steps to ensure that our Faculty will demonstrate extraordinary performance and leadership in the future. At the heart of our planning is the Centre for Health and Wellness, which will allow us to expand the programs and the infrastructure of our internationally renowned Human Performance Laboratory and Sport Medicine Centre. The first of its kind in Canada, the Centre will help people live active and healthy lifestyles, and take necessary responsibility for their own wellness and prevention of disease and injury.

More than 500 undergraduate students are enrolled in the nationally accredited undergraduate program in the Faculty of Kinesiology. These students can major in athletic therapy, biomechanics, exercise and health physiology, mind sciences, pedagogy or a general program. Joint degrees with the Faculties of Education and Nursing, and the Haskayne School of Business are also available to our students. The Faculty of Kinesiology also participates in a collaborative dance program with the Faculty of Fine Arts. In addition, the Faculty of Kinesiology contributes to the Biomedical Engineering specialization in Kinesiology and the Bachelor of Health Science degree offered by Medicine.

The graduate program in the Faculty of Kinesiology has grown to approximately 65 graduate students in the last few years. The Faculty of Kinesiology offers graduate programs in the Master of Science (thesis based), Master of Kinesiology in Exercise and Functional Fitness (course based), and the Doctor of Philosophy (thesis based).

The Faculty of Kinesiology has some of the most comprehensive education-based, community outreach programs and services. These programs and services, as well as the athletes training at our facilities, provide our students with the unique opportunities to learn through experience. They also offer our researchers an enthusiastic �human laboratory� for the testing and application of discoveries.

Research Units
Research in the Faculty of Kinesiology is based on the philosophy of integrating research, primary and rehabilitative medical care, and recreational/athletic participation. The integrated facilities include some of the finest research laboratories, sports medicine research and clinical space, and athletic/recreational training facilities found anywhere in the world.

Several highly productive research units exist within the Faculty of Kinesiology including the Human Performance Laboratory (HPL), the Sport Medicine Centre, and the Sport Technology Research Laboratory.

The Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) is an internationally recognized unit focused on aspects of human health and well-being, ranging from molecular processes to patient evaluation and treatment. It is comprised of one of the world�s strongest biomechanics groups and hosts nationally recognized research units in the areas of exercise physiology, nutrition, obesity and children�s health, neuro-musculoskeletal health and aging. The HPL features generous research spaces equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including a recent expansion made possible by Canada Foundation for Innovation grants. Research in the HPL is highly inter-disciplinary and includes significant collaborations across campus and exchange programmes with some of the leading laboratories around the globe. The research atmosphere is highly creative, supportive, generous and effective, and the general attitude of students and faculty is that anything is possible.

The Sport Medicine Centre (SMC) is a nationally recognized and internationally emerging research unit with a focus on translational, clinical and population research aimed at providing for an evidence-based practice of medicine. The research in the SMC is multi-disciplinary with close ties to the Human performance Laboratory, the Alberta Bone and Joint Institute and individual relationships with the faculties of medicine and engineering. Clinical research is also done with colleagues in the Calgary Health Region including at the Foothills, Peter Lougheed, and Childrens� Hospitals. Areas of research centre on surgery, rehabilitation, sport medicine, epidemiology and rheumatology. The Sport Medicine Centre is a unique facility with clinical practice and scientific research blended in the everyday workings of all staff physicians and rehabilitation experts.

The mission of the Sport Technology Research Laboratory is to improve human performance and learning, through the research and development of technology-based learning models and resources. The STRL includes a Multimedia Demonstration centre and a Virtual Reality Research Lab that focus on innovative and creative approaches to improving sport performance.

Non-Academic Units
The Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary includes several large non-academic units. These units are integral to the Faculty of Kinesiology and contribute to an enriched environment for students, staff, and faculty.

The University of Calgary Sports Teams (the Dinos) have been in existence since 1964. During that time, the Dinos have brought home 99 Canada West Conference Championships and 32 National Championships. The Dinos consist of 22 teams competing in 12 varsity sports (Men's & Women's - basketball, volleyball, hockey, soccer, swimming, wrestling, track & field, cross county running, tennis, golf, men's football and women's field hockey) In 2002-03, the Dinos excelled both on the court and in the classroom. Eighty-three Dinos earned Royal Bank All-Canadian awards with a GPA of 3.20 or higher. Over 55 Dinos have represented Canada at the Olympic Games since 1976. Nearly 60 Dinos have gone on to play or coach professionally in the CFL & NHL. Numerous others have played professionally in Europe and Asia.

Campus Recreation and the newly named Health and Recreation Centre provide programs and services that motivate educate and facilitate healthy lifestyle practices among the University community of students, faculty, staff and alumni through regular physical activity and personal development. On a yearly basis, more than 68% of the University of Calgary student population uses the fitness centre, with nearly 500,000 recorded visits to our facilities. In addition, there are approximately 70,000 registrants in programming associated with Campus Recreation and the Health and Recreation Centre.

The Olympic Oval was the first covered speed skating oval in North America and was built for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games. The Oval continues to be recognized as one of the world�s premier competition and training venues, often being referred to as the fastest ice in the world for producing the environment for over 200 world records since its inception. Now a multi-sport facility, the Oval is the training centre for elite athletes from across Canada and around the world. We currently offer high performance training programs in the long track speed skating, short track speed skating, cycling and female hockey. Oval based sports have produced numerous gold, silver and bronze Olympic medal performances by Canadian athletes. In addition to being a world class training centre, the Oval is also a recreational facility, serving University of Calgary staff and students as well as the Calgary community.

The Faculty of Kinesiology is home to the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary (CSCC). The CSCC is one of the top Olympic sport training environments in the world, and a proud member of a network of eight centres across the country. Their mandate is to give Canada�s national team athletes the physical, psychological and competitive edge to win medals in top international competitions, such as world championships and Olympic Games. Athletes are provided with world-class facilities and leading experts in the fields of coaching, sport medicine, strength and conditioning, nutrition, sport psychology, and exercise physiology. While podium performance is the goal, their long-term objective includes the development of athletes both as unique individuals and community leaders.

Kinesiology Facilities
The Kinesiology Complex at the University of Calgary is a multi faceted facility comprised of over 70,000 sq. meters of indoor area and over 30 acres of outdoor activity space. The complex receives over two million visitors annually both from the university and the general public.

The facility is broken down into four main component parts. Kinesiology A building, Kinesiology B building, the Olympic Oval and the outdoor playing fields. Kinesiology A&B (approx 46,000 sq. meters) consists of five gymnasia, two dance studios, a 50 meter swimming pool, two combatives rooms, a gymnastics center, two indoor climbing walls, a large fitness center with separate weight room, a 200 metre six lane track, two aerobics studios, 13 squash courts, 7 racquetball courts, eight classrooms, four lecture theatres and multiple meeting and conference rooms. These two buildings are also home to a state of the art Sport Medicine Clinic and a world recognized research facility that recently completed a 2500sq meter expansion. The outdoor activity area is comprised of 7 natural grass playing fields, 1 multi use hard court area and a recently completed synthetic field hockey pitch. There is land available to build a future playing surface and a field support center.

The Olympic Oval (approx 26,000 sq. metres), built for speed skating during the 1988 Olympic Winter Games is now a multi-sport training and competition facility. The Oval houses a 400 meter oval speed skating track, two international size ice hockey surfaces, a 450 meter two-lane running track, 110 meter eight lane sprint track, one long jump pit, a pole vault area, a high performance weight room, several meeting rooms and client services space.

Many of the areas and functions of the Kinesiology Complex are integrated to provide a complete experience in education, research and programming rarely found anywhere else in the world.

The Faculty of Kinesiology Comprehensive Plan Executive Summary
The Faculty Council of Kinesiology passed an extensive Comprehensive Plan in October 2004. The following is an excerpt from the larger document.

The vision of the Faculty of Kinesiology is to create the future of integrated health, wellness, and human performance, and our mission is to be an international leader in health, wellness, and human performance education, research, and programming.

Our Faculty has aligned its vision and mission precisely with the U of C Academic Plan. Over the past five years, Kinesiology�in partnership with other faculties (e.g., Medicine, Engineering, and Education)�has developed an ambitious and highly focused plan for Advancing Health and Wellness (one of the U of C�s four pillars) through high quality research and undergraduate and graduate education.

While some members of our Faculty will continue to have fruitful links to many of the other recognized areas of promise and prominence at the U of C, Kinesiology�s principal focus has narrowed to two areas of the U of C�s areas of international promise and prominence: health, wellness & human performance and bioengineering (biomechanics/bone and joint health). We recognized in our strategic planning that we can be excellent in only a few key areas, and over the past five years, we started to make programmatic and re-organizational decisions to support and deepen our areas of excellence.

The Faculty of Kinesiology is multidisciplinary in nature resulting in a range and depth of interests that naturally comprise the Health and Wellness pillar. Interests in Kinesiology range from studies of musculoskeletal aging, diseases and injuries on the molecular and cellular level to dealing with optimal health and wellness, human performance and education of elite athletes, the general population, and individuals with chronic disease or injury to psychosocial, cognitive, and historical aspects of human health, exercise, and performance. Our range and depth of interests are a unique strength that we endeavour to maintain and enhance in the future.

Priorities

• Strengthen internationally recognized research in biomechanics, sport medicine, and exercise physiology
• Enhance joint educational programs with partner faculties including the Bachelor of Health Science and Biomedical Engineering programs
• While our graduate enrolment has increased by more than 160% since 1995, we will now concentrate on expanding our PhD program enrolment by 60% in the next 5 years
• Complete the building expansion for the Centre for Health and Wellness Research
• Complete the re-organization of all Faculty units, focusing on research, teaching, and central support functions
• Consolidate, refocus, and extend Campus Recreation, Community Programs, and Health & Wellness Programs to enhance delivery and revenues
• Expand collaborations between credit and non-credit programs
• Expand our service components (e.g., Sport Medicine Centre, Olympic Oval, and Outdoor Centre) to increase revenues; reorganization and renovation of the Sport Medicine Centre, for example, will double its physiotherapy area and increase the number of physiotherapists and physician examining rooms to increase client visits
• Better integrate research and programming for high performance sport
• Maintain our undergraduate enrolment limits at the current level (number of undergraduate degrees awarded per year has increased by 48% since 1995); undergraduate demand is high and increasing, and thus, we will be even more selective in the future to maintain current enrolment limits
• While there has been a 375% increase in entering undergraduate Kinesiology students� scholarship awards since 1995, we will aggressively pursue developing undergraduate scholarship endowments

Strengths

• Internationally recognized research including the two Killam scholars at the University of Calgary one in Genetics (Dr. Roy Gravel) and the other in Biomedical Engineering (Dr. Nigel Shrive).
• Strong educational program and research links with other faculties (especially Medicine, Engineering, and Education)
• Growing PhD program
• High quality undergraduate program that is nationally accredited
• World class facilities
• High quality non-credit programming (including Campus Recreation, Community Programs, and Health & Wellness Promotion Programs) that services thousands of participants yearly
• Extensive service components (e.g., Sport Medicine Centre, Olympic Oval, and Outdoor Centre)
• High performance sport environment unique to the U of C allowing educational and research programming to span from developmental to elite athletes

The University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a comprehensive research university that, in its 37-year history, has grown to take its place among the major institutions in Canada. The University aims to provide a research and scholarly foundation for students eager to acquire the knowledge and skills essential for a successful personal and professional life.

With that goal in mind, the university offers quality undergraduate education that is characterized by the synthesis of research, teaching and learning. The university's objective is to enhance the undergraduate learners' experience by using a student-centered focus that maximizes opportunities to provide a distinctive learning experience that fully integrates the features of a research university. The university is broadening opportunities for students to take inquiry-based courses that lead to greater critical thinking skills, increased exposure to research methods and greater access to leading edge scholars.

The University has 15 faculties, 53 departments and more than 30 research institutes and centers. With some 2000 teaching and research faculty and over 2,700 full-time equivalent support staff, the University is Calgary's fifth largest employer. Just over 28,000 full-time equivalent students in 2003-2004, including over 1,200 international students from 87 countries, are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Last year, the university awarded a degree to its 100,000th graduate.

The 213-hectare campus is a beautiful setting with impressive facilities. The MacKimmie Library -- one of Canada's largest -- is a leader in on-line access to journals and documents. It is also a leader in digitization projects. The University of Calgary has Canada's finest athletic facilities: one of only three covered speed skating ovals in North America, two Olympic-size hockey rinks, tennis courts, a triple gymnasium, the city's largest racquet centre, an Olympic swimming pool, weight rooms, jogging tracks and an indoor climbing wall. Each year hundreds of musical and theatrical events, art exhibitions and dance performances attract thousands of people to the campus.

The University is proud of various partnerships it has created with the University of Alberta, other universities and colleges in the province, and with the Calgary Health Region. It is also proud of the various forms of support it enjoys from its surrounding communities.

Calgary Health Region
The Calgary Health Region is one of Canada�s largest integrated health care organizations, with an annual operating budget of over $1.5 billion. It is committed to excellence in providing an accessible, accountable and integrated community-based health system, which promotes shared responsibility for improved health. The Region has a five-year plan in place to ensure that the Calgary Health Region, its physicians, and other health professionals provide a high level of medical care in the future.

The Calgary Health Region works with over 2,200 physicians. Physicians generally relate to one of the 13 Medical Departments. These departments have a regional mandate and span all acute care sites and community health facilities. The Region is committed to working with physicians in order to provide state-of-the-art health care to the Region�s residents and its referral area in Southern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia.

The Calgary Health Region has produced a new publication, entitled Report to the Community: Committed to Excellence, that documents how the health-care system is working to serve people in the community. The 32-page report focuses on six key areas in health care: innovation, technology, research, patient safety, wellness and philanthropic giving. It also provides an update on the Region�s progress on targets set in its 2001 Health Plan and lays out future plans to ensure safe and accessible quality health care.

The City of Calgary
Now Alberta's largest city and the fifth largest in Canada, with a population of just over 925,000, Calgary (www.calgary.ca) was incorporated as the first town in Alberta in 1884 and officially became a city in 1893. Calgary is rapidly developing high-tech businesses to complement its record as home to much of the Canadian oil and gas industry. Surrounded by ranch land and within an hour's drive of the Rocky Mountains, Calgary is a vibrant modern city filled with skyscrapers and world-class cultural amenities.

The city spreads across the river valley and surrounding hills, and care has been taken to ensure that numerous green areas are easily accessible. It is located in the southwestern part of a province known for its natural beauty and its extraordinary recreational opportunities. The region is rich in camping areas, trophy-lakes, trout streams, vacation resorts, golf courses, down-hill and cross-country skiing facilities. Calgary hosted the 1988 Olympic Winter Games leaving a legacy that includes world-class training sites for bob-sled, luge and ski-jumping. Located one hour west of the city is the Canmore Nordic Centre which houses a cross country ski training centre. It is expected that Calgary will play an integral role in preparing athletes for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia. The Vancouver organizing committee has set the goal of a successful games being one in which Canadian athletes achieve podium performance. For Calgary based athletes, accomplishing this feat will require unprecedented cooperation between sport, research and support services, many of which exist within the University environment. The outstanding facilities and programs at the University of Calgary will continue to provide the successful environment for national teams based in the City of Calgary. Finally, Calgary is home to professional sports franchises in the National Hockey League (Flames) and the Canadian Football League (Stampeders).

With the highest concentration of university-graduates among Canadian cities, Calgarians are exceptionally supportive of arts, cultural and educational institutions. Public, Catholic and independent schools are high quality as demonstrated in international evaluations of achievement) and provide considerable choice. Calgary boasts an internationally recognized symphony orchestra, two mainstream professional plus one well-established alternative theatre company, all located in the downtown Performing Arts Centre. Six other professional theatre companies; three professional dance companies, including the Alberta Ballet; an opera season; several international chamber music series; and both public and commercial art galleries reflect the City's lively arts scene. In addition to the offerings of the University's Faculty of Fine Arts, there are several degree programs at the Alberta College of Art and a music conservatory program at Mount Royal College.

Calgary is Canada's third most diverse city, ethnically and culturally. The city is second only to Toronto in number of corporate headquarters. Its business community is both ambitious for and supportive of the University of Calgary and the Faculty of Kinesiology.