UW Gazette, July 24, 1996
     
     Looking back on his 30 years at UW, kinesiologist Dr.
Neil Widmeyer sees his career as a "flip-flop" of the
standard progression in which teaching and research  lead to
an administrative position.
     Because kinesiology was "a small, young department"
when Widmeyer arrived in 1966, he was thrust into
administrative duties during the first half of his career,
holding posts as associate chair for undergraduate studies,
acting department chair, and associate dean for under
graduate affairs. In the second 15 years he has been able to
pursue his research interests.
     Group cohesion has been the main focus of  research,
and with his team, Widmeyer spent four years developing the
Group Environment Questionnaire as an assessment tool.
     "Instrument development is not particularly fun," he
said, "but it's very rewarding. Seeing how many people use
it today is exceptionally rewarding."
     Applying his interest in group cohesion on the macro
level, Widmeyer has observed changes in the cohesiveness of
the university community since his arrival.
     "We've gone from being a close-knit family across the
university to a multitude of different families which are
not closely linked together. There used to be a lot more
cross-campus activity, such as faculty and staff volleyball
nights. We've lost a lot of that interaction, and I've felt
a bit sad about that."
     On a positive note, "the big growth in co-op education
and in the reputation of the university has impressed me,"
he said. "With the co-op program, students have a greater
hand on the pulse of what's going on out there, and can
bring it back to us.
     "The university can't exist in isolation from
society," he added. "We're here to generate and pass on
knowledge. There's room for both basic and applied
research."
     Although Widmeyer wasn't planning to retire until he
was 68, there were several factors he considered in opting
for an early retirement.
     "The package was attractive, I was able to continue
teaching as an adjunct, and it meant I could spend time with
my grandchildren." In addition, there was an opportunity to
continue working on his research.
     As a team-building facilitator, he applies the
principles of group cohesion to environments as diverse as
dental offices and sports teams. Widmeyer's most recent
project has been with the Guelph Storm hockey team, where he
worked on developing concentration, confidence and goal
setting, and taught the team visualization techniques.
     "I learned a great deal from them," he said, "and it
was thrilling for me because the coach was my first PhD
student."
     Despite the early "flip-flop", Widmeyer's career has
come nearly full circle. He started as a high school teacher
and coach, and in his retirement will be devoting more time
again to teaching and coaching. He intends to continue
supervising grad students and teaching correspondence
courses, and plans to combine his love of teaching and
travel with a stint at the University of Western Australia
in Perth next winter. In his spare time, he will be acting
as a mentor for a student at Grand River Collegiate
Institute.
     Widmeyer retires with a nomination for the
Distinguished Teacher Award this year, a high point of his
career. "I have always enjoyed teaching and would like to
continue teaching as much as possible."