Catherine Ennis Named Alliance Scholar

By Dan Nonte, University Relations

Contact: (336) 334-4314

Posted 4-3-09

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Dr. Catherine Ennis has been named the 2010 Alliance Scholar by the 25,000-member American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

A professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Ennis will deliver the Alliance Scholar Lecture at the group’s March 2010 annual convention in Indianapolis, Ind., as well as at least two additional presentations that have not yet been scheduled. She is the president-elect of the alliance’s Research Consortium.

Ennis’ research focuses on curriculum theory and development in physical education with specific applications to urban schools.

She has been the principal investigator for National Institutes of Health grants totaling more than $1.5 million; published more than 60 research articles; delivered more than 150 presentations to regional, national and international audiences; and co-authored two books, “The Curriculum Process in Physical Education” (1995, McGraw-Hill) and “Student Learning in Physical Education: Applying Research to Enhance Instruction” (2003, 2nd edition, Human Kinetics).

Ennis holds a bachelor’s degree from Lynchburg College, a master’s from UNCG and a PhD from the University of Georgia. She previously held faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Maryland-College Park. The Lynchburg College Sports Hall of Fame inducted her in 1992 for her accomplishments in field hockey and lacrosse. She will receive the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award from the UNCG School of Health and Human Performance during Reunion Weekend later this month.

The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance traces its roots to 1885, when William Gilbert Anderson, two years out of medical school and an instructor of physical training at Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn, invited a group of people who were working in the gymnastic field to come together to discuss their profession. Its headquarters are in Reston, Va.