Professor Paul Wright
Paul Wright’s impact is selfless – and indisputable.
More than two decades as “a strong and steady influence” in physical education and sport pedagogy. A renowned researcher with more than 100 publications. A fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology. The 2022 Illinois Scholar of the Illinois Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Chair of the Research Council for SHAPE America. A tireless champion of the legacy of his late mentor, Don Hellison.
At NIU since 2011, Wright is the EC Lane and MN Zimmerman Endowed Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, a Distinguished Engagement Professor, executive director of the Physical Activity and Life Skills (PALS) Group and an Honors Faculty Fellow.
“It is the combination of his scholarly activity, service and student engagement with his moral character that sets Dr. Wright apart,” says Bill Pitney, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
“He is honest, fair, beneficent and responsible, and acts with compassion and dedication toward others,” Pitney adds. “This has allowed him to position himself as a well-respected scholar and leader who effectively communicates the impact and value of his work to improve youth development in our society and, subsequently, advance the reputation and mission of the university.”
Behind it all is Wright’s relentless and boundless ambition to provide young people with transformative physical activity experiences facilitated by caring adults, the underlying concept of Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) through sport.
Such work can positively alter the directions of lives, Wright knows, which continues to lead him throughout the region, across the nation and around the world to deliver foundational and interventional programs while teaching others to do the same.
Whether leading after-school activities for local children in an Anderson Hall gymnasium, or providing professional development to P.E. teachers in School District U-46, or consulting UNESCO in Paris, or instilling his TPSR philosophies to coaches and youth leaders in Belize or Sri Lanka, Wright sets high standards for himself and his participants while promoting respect for diversity and cultural awareness.
Receiving the NIU Board of Trustees Professorship and its stipend now are part of that calling, as Wright has pledged to apply the financial support toward expanding his outreach as an ardent and influential force for good.
Laurie Elish-Piper, dean of the College of Education, calls Wright “an extraordinary professor who excels in all areas of his work in teaching, scholarship and service.”
“Truly, he is a scholar of limitless curiosity, passion and energy in the promotion of Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility though sport and his belief in the potential of physical education to positively impact social and emotional learning and social justice,” Elish-Piper says.
“On our campus, and throughout his international community of practice, he is an incredibly generous, collaborative and highly respected colleague who continues to ‘pay forward’ the mentorship that provided him with direction in his life and nurtured his career in education.”
Everything Wright accomplishes, she adds, “only motivates him to think more broadly about what is possible and within his reach to turn these ideas into actions and then to involve his students in the process so that they are equipped with hands-on experiences that allow them to continue in his example and to dream big themselves.”
Colleague Tom Martinek, professor of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, has witnessed just that in his professional interactions with Wright – and says that Wright’s efforts “will have a lasting impact.”
“His commitment to the betterment of young people is grounded in his belief that all youth have strengths that can be nurtured, and that all youth can make a positive contribution to their community,” Martinek says.
“The field of youth development and its kinship to sport has grown in the past decade; Paul’s work has been an integral part of this work. He is one of a few scholars who has consistently stayed with a line of applied inquiry that views programs through both practical and theoretical lenses,” he adds. “Paul’s work has been able to move us closer to an understanding of ‘how’ and ‘why’ kids respond in various ways to their sport experiences.”
Meanwhile, Martinek says, “many of Paul’s students have followed in his footsteps and have become credible researchers and program facilitators. Their ability to communicate in a scholarly and clear way is a great reflection on Paul’s strong mentorship.”
NIU alumna Karisa Kuipers is among them.
Kuipers, who earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in Kinesiology and Physical Education at NIU with support from Wright, is inspired by “his prominence in the field as well as his commitment to positive change.”
She collaborated with Wright on two published manuscripts as well as a book chapter and, in becoming an instructor in her home department, remains under his mentorship during her first year of teaching a graduate-level research class.
“My insight into Dr. Wright’s excellence in teaching in the classroom came through the opportunities to guest-lecture in his graduate and undergraduate courses. It was clear that he authentically integrates his research and service into the classroom,” Kuipers says. “Furthermore, the feedback that he provided to help me continue to develop in my teaching was critical.”
Current student Tim Mahoney, a graduate research assistant earning his M.S.Ed. with a specialty in Sport and Exercise Psychology, considers himself proud and fortunate to count Wright as a mentor.
The professor “has gone above and beyond to make sure that the students he interacts with are taught with respect and with enthusiasm, while challenging how they think and learn, to become more well-rounded individuals,” Mahoney says.
“It isn’t often that we come across someone so selfless with a willingness to help others grow in ways they might not have thought possible like Dr. Wright does every day,” he adds. “This mentor-mentee relationship has allowed me to learn much about myself, gain more confidence in myself as an aspiring professional and realize how deeply he genuinely cares about the students at NIU while growing the university’s reputation.”
