Celebrating Women in Sport and Physical Activity - Profiles
Kathleen Kinkema, '79 - 2017 Honoree
Kathleen Kinkema, '79
Associate Vice President for
Academic Affairs, Western State Colorado University
Learn about and register for the annual event: Celebrating Women in Sport and Physical Activity.
Kathleen Kinkema recalled a time when she and other girls at her high school were not allowed to run more than 800 yards during track events. When the state high school athletic association said it was OK to run one mile, Kinkema was among the first girls to do so.
In the mid-1970s, Kinkema was a member of the track team and the first girls basketball team at Grand Haven High School in 50 years. "It was an amazing time," she said. "The opportunities for girls to participate in sports continued to evolve. This was the beginning of the explosion."
When Kinkema arrived at Grand Valley, she tried out for the varsity basketball team, coached by Joan Boand. She made the junior varsity team and began to spend a lot of time in the Fieldhouse and also joined the softball and field hockey teams.
"I started out in math and computer science but was spending so much time in the gym, including my student job, I found I enjoyed that side of things more," she said.
She changed her major to physical education and recreation. After graduating in 1979, Kinkema worked for the Coopersville Parks and Recreation Department, then began a teaching career after taking a job at a middle school in southeast Texas. She also coached the school's girls basketball team.
Kinkema earned a master's degree and doctorate in exercise science at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Her research emphasis was the sociology of sports, and how race, class and gender impact the culture of sports.
She moved to Gunnison, Colorado, in 1998 and began teaching in the Exercise and Sport Science Department at Western State Colorado University. After holding several leadership positions there, Kinkema was encouraged to apply for an administrative position in the university's Academic Affairs division.
"The university was going through several administrative transitions and I felt I could make a contribution in Academic Affairs because of the good relationships I've built across campus," she said.
Kinkema said she shaped her leadership skills on the fields and basketball court at Grand Valley, first as a player then coach. "I was never the best player on a team but I was a great teammate, I learned a lot of leadership skills and was able to carry that through in my work on campus with various groups and committees," she said.
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