School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership | Springfield College

School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership

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Welcome

School of Physical Education, Performance and Sport Leadership

Through the School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership, you’ll be prepared to help shape the world of health and wellness. We offer majors in the study of physical and health education, including applied exercise science, nutritional sciences, athletic training, physical education, recreation management, and sport management.

If your goal is a career in sport, wellness, physical education, nutrition, exercise science, athletic training or recreational activities, then Springfield College School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership will prepare you to excel.

School Mission
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Challenge & support students, Cultivate Leaders, Forster meaningful relationships, engage students in building knowledge and skills

The mission of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership is to steward the Humanics Philosophy by engaging students in building knowledge and skills to navigate their future by challenging and supporting their growth, fostering meaningful relationships and cultivating leaders.

School Majors

Our major field of study – applied exercise science, athletic training, athletic leadership, exercise physiology, physical education, health education, adventure education, sports management, strength and conditioning, sport and exercise psychology, and recreation management – are nationally and internationally recognized as among the leading professional programs in the United States. All of our programs are accredited and/or approved by the appropriate national organizations or government agencies. Although each major is unique and prepares students to enter a variety of professions, they all have a deep theoretical foundation augmented by significant real-world experiences built into the curricula. Many of the majors require at least two practical experiences, including a full semester internship, fieldwork or student teaching.

Real World Experience

We have placed student interns with ESPN, the New England Patriots, the Boston Celtics, Disney World, Boston Children’s Hospital, Connecticut PGA, Cooper Aerobic Institute, the Buffalo Bills, Stowe Mountain Resort, National Park Service, the universities of Tennessee, Texas, Auburn, and Massachusetts, YMCAs, and with many other sites. A large majority of our graduates secured their first jobs because of their exceptional performance in these high-quality learning experiences. We place student teachers within a 90-mile radius of the College for supervision and Massachusetts teacher licensing purposes. Springfield College’s eminence in sport, wellness, physical education, nutrition, exercise science, athletic training and recreation is the result of:

  1. Excellent design of our programs
  2. Commitment and dedication of our expert faculty
  3. High quality of our students
  4. Competency and achievement of our alumni

If you’re up to the challenge of top-quality professional preparation at a truly prestigious institution, we’d like to hear from you. Thank you for your interest in the School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way.

East Campus

Outdoor adventure programs have become one of today’s most valuable resources for team-building, managerial training, and goal-oriented growth. Despite being a large city, Springfield is home to an exceptional outdoor learning center, and some pretty great people, too! The East Campus Outdoor Learning Center supports the programs of Springfield College through purposefully designed experiential learning opportunities in an out-of-doors setting with educational, recreation, business, and therapeutic groups.

East Campus Canoe

American Kinesiology Association Membership

The School of Physical Education, Performance and Sport Leadership is a member of the American Kinesiology Association.

An advocate for kinesiology at the national and international levels, the American Kinesiology Association supports educational opportunities in the fields of exercise science and sport studies, health education and physical education, and sport management and recreation management.

Recent News

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Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Psychology

Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Psychology

Springfield College hosted the Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Psychology (SJSEP) symposium from March 23rd-25th. SJSEP brought together over 50 researchers and practitioners in sport and exercise psychology (and other related disciplines) from across the country whose work focuses on social justice and praxis, marginalized communities, participants lacking scholarly attention, or that fall outside the positivist mainstream of sport psychology. Dr. Stephany Coakley senior associate athletic director for mental health, wellness, and performance at Temple University provided the keynote address and Dr. Laurel Davis-Delano, Professor Sociology at Springfield College provided an invited lecture. Multiple faculty, current doctoral students, and alums of the Springfield College Sport and Exercise Psychology program presented their scholarship during the three-day event.


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Springfield College Host the National Strength and Conditioning Association State Clinic

Springfield College Host the National Strength and Conditioning Association State Clinic

Springfield College hosted the 2023 state clinic on March 25th on campus for over 200 students, coaches, trainers, and therapists. With the support of our undergraduate applied exercise science and graduate strength and conditioning programs, the high-performance strength and conditioning clinic featured 12 speakers including 3 Springfield College alums (Michael Boyle, Dr. Michelle Boland, and Aysia Shellmire) along with seven graduate strength and conditioning students who presented on the state level for the first time.


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Nefertiti A. Walker

Nefertiti A. Walker, PhD gives the 2022 Karpovich Lecture Titled: Building Inclusive Sport Culture through the Study of Sport Exclusion

Dr. Walker shared how her research on organizational exclusion in sport has provided the foundation for re-designing organizations to be inclusive. Her methods, which are fundamentally intersectional and adhere to critical theoretical approaches, have guided her towards an equity-minded, intersectional approach to inclusive organizational design in sport and beyond.


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The Wellness Institute

The Wellness Institute Oura Ring Research Study

The Wellness Institute (TWI) at Springfield College is a new initiative formed by the college with the goal of promoting lifelong wellness throughout the college community, local surrounding community, and beyond. The goal of TWI is to provide a holistic approach to wellness through maximizing one’s inner motivation toward a more fulfilling and rewarding life while focusing on the four pillars of movement, mindset, nutrition, and restoration. This academic year, TWI has directed its focus towards promoting wellness on the Springfield College campus, specifically within the realm of employee wellness. In the Fall of 2022, a new campus-wide research study was launched to promote and analyze employee health using wearable technology. Over 100 full-time employees on the Springfield College campus are currently wearing personalized Oura rings, which provide them with insight into their daily activity, sleep, and readiness. The Oura ring tracks 32 metrics ranging from heart rate variability and body temperature to amount of deep sleep accrued each night. By participating in the research study, each participant has received a customized sized ring and 24/7 access to the app with their real-time metrics. Through an additional platform, the research team is also able to track all of the participants metrics anonymously. The goal of the research study is to analyze the overall health and wellness of the college campus. TWI will be analyzing metrics relative to age, gender, and position in reference to different times in the academic calendar. Understanding these constructs of the employee population will help inform future wellness initiatives and college-wide support for Springfield College employees. Following the conclusion of data collection at the end of 2023, data will be analyzed, informed wellness initiatives will be generated, and the findings will be distributed to the college community.

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Charles J. Redmond Distinguished Athletic Training Alumni Lecture

Athletic Training Host the Charles J. Redmond Distinguished Athletic Training Alumni Lecture

The Charles J. Redmond Distinguished Athletic Training Alumni Lecture series highlights distinguished alumni who have promoted, enhanced, and advanced the profession of athletic training through their diligent work as athletic trainers, educators, and administrators. This year’s lecture coincides with the 50th anniversary of Title IX and recognizes Springfield College Athletic Training alumnae who have broken through the “glass ceiling” in athletic training.

The panelists responded to a series of questions crowdsourced from Springfield College students, staff, and faculty. The event will be moderated by Sue Guyer, DPE, dean of the School of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership.

Katie Delude ’11, Head Athletic Trainer, Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.; Kristin Farrell ’06, Director of Manual Therapy/Assistant Athletic Trainer, Utah Jazz National Basketball Association Franchise, Salt Lake City, Utah; LaToya Franklin ’07, Injury Prevention Specialist, Amazon-CLT4, Charlotte, North Carolina; Amanda Kelley ’10, Associate Head Athletic Trainer, The College of The Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass., Staff Athletic Trainer, Team USA Women’s’ Hockey, Lake Placid, N.Y.


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Global Sports and Contemporary China: Sport Policy, International Relations and New Class Identities in the People’s Republic

Sports Management Professor Oliver Rick Published New Textbook

Oliver Rick, Assistant Professor of Sport Management and Recreation publication of his latest book Global Sports and Contemporary China: Sport Policy, International Relations and New Class Identities in the People’s Republic, in collaboration with Dr. Longxi ‘Jack’ Li (G’22). The book is a cultural examination of the intersections of sport, politics and global perspectives in China; commiserate with the typical courses he teaches in the sport management major. Oliver has become the department sport social science expert, both as a traditional scholarly publication and through his podcast series Somatics, where he and colleagues explore the various intersections of sport, social issues and culture.