Chair's Corner

Welcome to our Spring 2023 Communicator. We are thrilled to report that we made it through the academic year starting and ending on campus! In person graduation celebrations took place, and we reveled in our students’ accomplishments with their families and friends. In addition to our graduates,
we also celebrate Jodi Engelhardt, who was our American Kinesiology Associate award winner this year. Additionally, we honor our Kinesiology Scholar Award Winners: Gabriel Carlota (gold), Jodi Engelhardt (silver), and Melanie Kim (bronze); and our Kinesiology Service Award Winners: Melanie
Kim (gold), Gabriel Carlota (silver), and Jodi Engelhardt (bronze). Congratulations to them all!

Last November, we participated for the first time in the SJSU Day of Giving Efforts. As a result of the generous contributions from our community, we were able to support eight students to attend academic conferences. A hearty thank you to those who contributed to our fundraising efforts to support student travel!

This week we had a surprise visit from the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco! As part of his meeting with President Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Consul General Noguchi Yasushi made a visit to Yoshihiro Uchida Hall (YUH) to learn about the history of the building. We shared with him that in May
of 1942, the men’s gymnasium was a registration center for people of Japanese descent before they were forcibly removed to camps across the US. Transitioning from this harrowing time in our history, we discussed the incredible contributions of Coach Yosh Uchida, for whom the building is now named. After a visit to the trophy display case, which provides a history of Coach Uchida’s achievements, we visited the dojo, where a judo class was in session. It was an honor to share both the troubling and triumphant historical aspects of our campus. On April 1st, 2023, we celebrated the 103rd birthday of Coach Uchida and hosted the Judo Collegiate Nationals in YUH. It is important that we remember our history and share it with our community and learn from the mistakes of the past.

I want to continue to update you on our strategic planning process. We have identified working groups for the priority areas of: Academics & Academic Support, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. To increase our connection with alumni and prepare our students to be exemplary professionals, we have
reconvened the Advisory Board and had our first meeting this spring. Many thanks to the members of the Advisory Board, and we look forward to their substantive contributions in the future. We have also worked with our students to revive the Kinesiology Ambassador’s Club and look forward to continuing to support them in their efforts.
As always, I want to thank all our students, faculty, and staff who make the Department of Kinesiology a vibrant place, where we continue to work to keep us all moving. Your continued generosity helps us to support the academic mission of the department and support our students.