January 11-17, 2016 marks the 8th annual StFX Faculty Appreciation Week, presented by StFX Athletics. All current and retired StFX faculty members will receive free admission to this week’s varsity games upon presentation of their StFX faculty ID card.

On Friday, Jan. 15th, StFX Athletics will recognize our 61 CIS Academic All-Canadians (StFX student-athletes with 80% average or higher) at a celebratory breakfast.  Each Academic All-Canadian will invite a faculty member to join in the celebration.

As part of Faculty Appreciation week, StFX Athletics will be profiling various faculty members on our website. Today we feature Dr. Angie Kolen from the faculty of human kinetics.

A native of Saskatchewan, Dr. Kolen completed a BSPE (Bachelor of Science in Physical Education), MSc in Physical Education, and a PhD in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. She is an Outstanding Teacher Award winner (StFX 2005), Atlantic Association of Universities Distinguished Teaching Award winner (2007), and a 3M National Teaching Fellow (2010). Dr. Kolen arrived at StFX in 2001 and currently teaches the introductory Human Kinetics course as well as two courses within her specialization – Child Growth and Development and Health Education. The latter classes provide an opportunity for Service Learning and in particular the chance to work with her and her Fit 4 Life programs. A main focus of Dr. Kolen’s current research relates to the physical activity levels and dietary intake of children and youth living in Nova Scotia. Her other interest relates to the effective teaching of university students. She has served as the faculty advisor for the X-Women basketball team for the last number of years.

What inspires you on a daily basis as a faculty member at StFX University?
 Interacting with the students! They inspire me to want to be more, do more, provide more!

How does involvement in athletics complement success in academics for students?
Student-athletes tend to be the most organized and efficient with their time. Further – involvement in athletics provides students with an out-of-classroom learning experience.

What motivated you to become involved with Athletics at StFX?
I can’t remember what first motivated me … now it is the delightful interactions I have with student-athletes from all sports!

What advice do you have for students trying to manage their time?
Don’t put off doing what can be done now. Most ‘academic tasks’ take longer to do than we think.

Why do you attend StFX athletic events?
B/c I want the student-athletes to know that I appreciate the efforts they put into their sport and I want to be part of celebrating their successes outside of the classroom too!