FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Dr. Linda Jean Carpenter Named the 2010 J. B. Nash Scholar

Reston, VA,  March 22, 2010 – Dr. Linda Jean Carpenter, professor emerita in the Department of Physical Education at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, has been named the 32nd J.B. Nash Scholar. A prestigious honor, the J.B. Nash Award is administered by the Council for Adventure and Outdoor Education/Recreation, one of eleven Councils that form the heart of the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR). Carpenter delivered the J.B. Nash Scholar Lecture on March 19 at the National Convention & Exposition of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD), held in Indianapolis. 

Established in 1978 in honor of a former AAHPERD president and leader in physical, health, and recreation education, J.B. Nash Scholars are chosen based on their professional commitment, leadership, service, research, and publication. The late J.B. Nash believed that recreation should bring out the best in people, and that it should bring people closer to a spiritual life. 

Along with colleague R. Vivian Acosta, also emerita of Brooklyn College, Carpenter has conducted the Women in Intercollegiate Sport: A Longitudinal National Study since 1977. The report is designed to track women's participation on all levels of intercollegiate sports in the wake of Title IX, which made it illegal for any educational institution receiving federal funds to deny students' participation in programs based on gender. Though it does not explicitly mention athletics, Title IX is largely hailed for providing girls and women the opportunity to participate in school and collegiate sports like their male counterparts. 

Titled "Cross My Heart," Carpenter's J.B. Nash Scholar lecture explores the importance of making promises. The lecture targets those in the field of health, physical education, recreation, and dance (commonly referred to as HPERD), and Carpenter her examines her own evolving commitment throughout her HPERD career. 

"The opportunity to progress and grow professionally through our career and, more importantly, to touch lives for good through our efforts is worth the effort," Carpenter says. 

She lists staying up to date, finding joy on the job, being fair, working hard, and helping one another as the five tenets of making promises to yourself, your students, and your colleagues. 

"When you are strong, you help me be strong. When you honor your promises, I see role models of how I need to remain committed. Commitment to professional covenants strengthens everyone. We are not solely individuals. Our actions have an impact on the people we work with and on those who would, in the future, follow in our professional footsteps." 

A copy of Carpenter's lecture in full is available on AAPAR's Web site.

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Contact:
AAPAR Communications Coordinator
AAPAR@aahperd.org
703-476-3434

AAPAR, one of 5 national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), serves more than 8,600 professors, teachers, trainers, and community leaders who promote meaningful physical activity and recreation across the lifespan. AAPAR advocates fitness and fun for every body, with a focus on inclusive community based programs.

AAHPERD, an alliance of five national associations, six district associations, and a Research Consortium, provides its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support, and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. It is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, recreation, fitness, dance, health promotion and all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. AAHPERD serves 20,000 members and has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia, 25 miles west of Washington DC. To learn more, visit www.aahperd.org.