Fall 2018, a time in the school year where everything feels new and the start of a new semester is underway, is also the time in which the new Center for Coaching Excellence is set to open. This particular facility was brought forth and launched to further advance the School of Health, Physical Education and Sport Sciences (HPESS) to bring in additional help and resources to set up students with the best possible chance to make an impact on a career field centered around research and innovation.  

The center will be a cornerstone for not only the Athletic Coaching majors but other research and investigative based majors in the HPESS field of study. 

Seeing a disconnect between the students involved with the programs in the HPESS majors and their desired career fields both keyed on cutting edge research and innovation, Kerry Bebie, Associate Professor for the Health and Physical Education Department, set out to further provide for her students in a way that has limitless possibilities and avenues for students and community members to pursue.  

“Dr. Bebie saw a need for a center that can provide a culturally diverse environment for those who are seeking to enrich the lives of others through sport,” said Amy Jo Sutterluety, Associate Dean and professor for the HPESS majors. 

When asked about the facility and its potential, Bebie was all smiles. “This facility is something we [The School of HPESS] are especially proud of because of the opportunities and possibilities it allows students to pursue.”  

The Center for Coaching Excellence will utilize outside collaborations to help students to gain valuable insight and intuition from real world practical knowledge that is used in their particular field and to utilize contacts made by networking and collaboration within the center.  

These collaborations and opportunities will become readily available with the opening of this center all which cover different areas of specificity including but not limited to “Positive Coaching Alliance, The Cleveland Browns and USA Football to name a few examples of opportunities for collaborative research, workshops, and ongoing research,” said Sutterluety. 

Research and collaborations with outside institutions is nothing new to the School of HPESS when it comes to core curriculum and academic rigor. This past fall, a group of students along with faculty and staff worked with future collaborators with the new facility, USA Football, to compile data involving local middle school football teams using catapult GPS systems to further research the science behind concussions in contact sports such as football. This baseline collaboration is what the Center for Coaching Excellence is set out to accommodate for students and will continue do so come the fall. 

With the groundbreaking new facility on the horizon for the School of HPESS, a real energy is felt as a new wave of potential and possibility will soon become available for these ambitious and eager students who crave the chance to diversify their experiences within their desired field and to ultimately make a lasting impact within the university and surrounding community.