重口味SM

Gretchen Kerr appointed dean of U of T's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Gretchen Kerr

(photo courtesy of Gretchen Kerr)

Professor Gretchen Kerr, a world-renowned kinesiology and physical education scholar and expert on the treatment of youth and women in sport, has been appointed dean of the 重口味SM鈥檚 Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).

Currently the vice-dean, programs and innovation at U of T鈥檚 School of Graduate Studies, Kerr will assume her new role at KPE on July 1, 2021 for a five-year term.

Being named dean of KPE marks yet another milestone for Kerr at the university. She earned both a bachelor鈥檚 degree and PhD degree from U of T before going on to establish herself as a leading researcher in areas such as safe sport in Canada, ethical coaching practices and women in sport.

鈥淏ecoming the dean of KPE after being a student and professor in the faculty is a bit like closing the circle,鈥 said Kerr, who also helped craft the organizational structure of KPE, which was established in 1998.

 鈥淚鈥檓 fortunate that my background in the faculty has afforded the benefits of understanding its developments across time, including how the faculty has built upon its strengths and has adapted and grown to meet various challenges.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a special unit at U of T given its role in providing academic programs as well as serving the entire university and wider community through its athletic and recreational offerings.鈥

Kerr鈥檚 research on the treatment of women and youth in sport is widely acknowledged to have had a tangible and lasting impact on Canada鈥檚 sports landscape, particularly through her collaborations with organizations such as the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sport and the Coaching Association of Canada.

She also played a key role in developing the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport, which all Canadian national sports organizations must adopt, and chaired U of T鈥檚 Expert Panel on Sexual Violence Education and Prevention, helping to lay the groundwork for many of the programs offered by U of T鈥檚 Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre.

Recently, Kerr was awarded a grant to create a new Canadian Gender Equity in Sport Research Hub.

鈥淧rofessor Kerr鈥檚 research, teaching, academic administration and partnerships have played a key role in establishing KPE鈥檚 international reputation as a centre for excellence and innovation in kinesiology and physical education,鈥 said Cheryl Regehr, U of T鈥檚 vice-president and provost.

鈥淗er vision, leadership and keen insight into critical issues such as safety, inclusion and ethics will be tremendous assets as she takes the helm of the faculty and charts a course for the future.鈥

Kerr brings a wealth of administrative experience to her new role. As vice-dean, programs and innovation at the School of Graduate Studies, Kerr set up a Dissertation Working Group to support graduate students and revamped the school鈥檚 Graduate Professional Development program. Prior to that, she served as vice-dean, academic affairs at KPE, where she oversaw the development of the Bachelor of Kinesiology program and Master of Professional Kinesiology program 鈥 the first master鈥檚-level program of its kind in Ontario.

Kerr takes over as dean from Professor Ira Jacobs. She credited Jacobs with taking steps to strengthen the faculty and contributing to its reputation as one of the top academic programs in the world for kinesiology, physical education, sport and exercise sciences.

鈥淗e has laid the groundwork that will be so critical for the next chapter of development at KPE,鈥 Kerr said.

She said that includes the faculty鈥檚 role in advancing the health of the population through education, research, leadership and the provision of equitable opportunities in physical activity, dance, sport, recreation and play.

鈥淐ritical to meeting this objective will be embedding principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into all that we do 鈥 from the recruitment of students, staff and faculty to the provision of resources and supports, and design of academic and co-curricular programs.鈥

Kerr lauded the KPE community鈥檚 strength in the face of the adversities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淔aculty, staff, students and student-athletes have shown tremendous resilience throughout the pandemic and it鈥檚 no wonder given the evidence showing that engaging in physical activity and sport helps to build skills of resiliency," Kerr said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not to say that this hasn鈥檛 been a challenging time for everyone, but the pandemic presents us with important opportunities to think about doing things better and more equitably post-pandemic.

鈥淚t will be a time of exploring which changes we鈥檒l make permanent, which we鈥檒l revise, and which we鈥檒l abandon in favour of pre-pandemic practices. Given the faculty鈥檚 strengths, I have every confidence that there will be growth emerging from this period of adversity.鈥

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