The Institute for International Sport was founded in 1986 by Daniel E. Doyle, Jr. More than two decades after its founding, it remains guided by international leaders in the academic, business, government and athletic communities. The IIS has fostered an extraordinary number of global friendships through sport, culture and education, connecting tens of thousands of people.
When Doyle administered a series of "coach and athlete" surveys for his forthcoming book, The Encyclopedia of Sport Parenting, a common theme among both present and former surveyed athletes emerged. Many pointed to the profound impact of the sports experience in shaping their views and practices regarding teamwork, self discipline, fair play, diversity- and a term Doyle employs throughout the book - competitive self restraint. Many also pointed to former coaches and athletic administrators as key mentors in their lives.
As a result, Doyle had the Institute embark upon a three year project - the selection of two categories of distinguished sports educators - "The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America" and "The Fifteen Most Influential Sports Education 'Teams' in America."
The core criterion for selection in each category was the effective use of sport as a means to educate.
"In America and in many other countries, we honor elite athletes, winning coaches, wealthy team owners and media moguls. We praise sports educators yet we really do not honor them in a manner befitting their admirable impact on society," said Doyle. "This project is aimed at honoring individuals and organizations who have creatively and effectively used sport in the very best way - as a means to educate and shape positive values," he concluded.
From the time the Institute announced the project in 2004, the organization received over 1500 nominations for individuals and "teams." After reducing the list to 200 individual finalists and 30 "team" finalists, the Institute appointed a final selection committee made up of coaches, athletic administrators, journalists and academicians. David Bloss, former Sports Editor of the Providence Journal, chaired the committee.
Priest, who was among those selected, has been active professionally on the state, regional and national level for over 20 years. She served as President of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) in 1989-1990 and has consistently donated her time and energy to accomplished committees, including the NCAA Women's Committee on Committees (1991-1994), the Executive Council of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (1993-1996), the Executive Board of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) (1996-2000) and the Board of Governors for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) (1999-2002).
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In addition to her numerous responsibilities at Mount Holyoke, Priest has also published many articles and is a frequent presenter at conferences. She has also received several awards for her contributions to women's athletics. In 1991, she received the Mabel Lee award from AAHPERD and in 1992 was inducted into the Northeast New Agenda Hall of Fame. |
In 1997, she was awarded the Massachusetts Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Merit Award for outstanding leadership. Most recently, Priest was named the 2002 Woman of the Year for Division III athletics by NACWAA, and was recognized by the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport as their Honor Award recipient that same year.
Priest received her B.S. in physical education from the College of Wooster (Ohio) and her M.S. in exercise physiology from the University of Maryland-College Park. Prior to coming to Mount Holyoke, Priest served for seven years as director of athletics, assistant professor, and swim coach at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.
"It has been said that athletics success begins in the mind. No game is won through raw strength alone and no matter how talented you are, you always have something to learn. The recognition of these truths lies at the heart of all of Mount Holyoke's programs in physical education and athletics.
That is why instructional classes for ‘non-athletes,’ for example, live under the same roof as our competitive NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program, and why all our coaches are dedicated both to building successful programs for their athletes and to teaching a variety of classes in the instructional program.
It's also why we require all students to take three semesters of physical education classes in their four years here--because we want to give each student the chance to reach her full physical potential--whether that means allowing the athlete within to shine through, or simply discovering enjoyable activities that will enhance the rest of her life." |
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