Gregg Twietmeyer
For ļāļāÖą˛Ĩ Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Greggory J. âGreggâ Twietmeyer, the concept of âplayâ has been important to his personal and professional endeavors.
He recognizes that acts of play have made major differences to his life and in those of others by providing experiences, practices and endeavors pursued simply for their own sakes. Such experiences are found most consistently in sports and art for the Pennsylvania State University doctoral graduate who came to Starkville in 2015 from West Virginiaâs Marshall University.
Twietmeyer is well-travelled. His higher education study began at Michiganâs Concordia University Ann Arbor, where he received a bachelorâs degree in art and was a member of the varsity soccer team. He went on to earn a masterâs in sport management from the University of Michigan. In addition to Marshall and Concordia, he has worked at Penn State and Albion College, as well as with the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.
Twietmeyer said he was drawn to teach and conduct research at ļāļāÖą˛Ĩ because its kinesiology department, housed in the College of Education, is home to a new doctoral program.
âIf you can really help mold a future generation of scholars in a good way, then youâre really moving the discipline forward,â he said.
As an added benefit, he finds Starkville to be âa great townâ with a âgood Southern flavor.â While the Michigan native and his wife have joked about the less-than-Michigan âwinters,â they agree that the community is a very welcoming place, he said.
Twietmeyer has given back to the community by launching and continuing to direct the Bulldog Bike Camp, a special program sponsored through the kinesiology department that teaches children with special needs how to independently operate two-wheel bicycles. For more, see .
Since arriving on campus, he also has seen the release of âThe Fundamentals of Sports Ethics.â Printed by Kendall Hunt Publishing Co., his 264-page textbook is designed to introduce basic concepts sport philosophers often take for granted and about which many that are part of the game often struggle. He also has taken the findings of his research to professional gatherings in South Korea and England.
Ėũ