Back HoMe

2021 homecoming and alumni awards

BY JEAN HUNT

The homecoming crowd. Luke Hales/Michigan Photography.

n a gorgeous September Friday, Kinesiology alumni, students, and guests gathered for the 2021 Kinesiology Homecoming. Refreshments and the award ceremony were staged on Ingalls Mall South, and for the first time we were able to offer our guests building tours of the newly renovated School of Kinesiology Building (SKB), our home sweet home on the Diag. Dean Lori Ploutz-Snyder opened the program by welcoming guests and describing highlights of the Kinesiology Building facilities, citing the increased number of classrooms and 36,000 square feet of research space—all with improved technology and flexibility. The dean also mentioned the school’s high COVID-19 vaccination rates, allowing students and faculty to participate in person for nearly all classes.

Kinesiology Alumni Society Board Chair Liz Sibilsky Enselman (SM ‘07, AT ‘08) then welcomed the attending Alumni Achievement Award recipients. The 2021 honorees include:

Dr. Victor Katch. Courtesy photo.

DEAN’S MEDAL

Given to an individual whose accomplishments merit special recognition.

Dr. Victor Katch joined the U-M Department of Physical Education in 1972 and retired from the School of Kinesiology in 2015, after a long and distinguished career. Katch has been a prolific writer, reviewer, and editor, lending his expertise to numerous scientific journals like Pediatric Exercise Science, Annals of Human Biology, and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. He authored the award-winning, best-selling textbook Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance, now in its 8th edition and considered to be the gold standard in exercise physiology.

A number of Katch’s former students and colleagues created our school’s new Victor L. Katch Award for Excellence to support outstanding Movement Science and Applied Exercise Science students who have conducted significant research prior to graduation.

Left to right: Joshua Bartelstein. Brandon Rhodes, Andrew Karson, and Dr. Patty Freedson. Courtesy photos.

EARLY CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Given to recent Kinesiology alumni excelling in their chosen field.

Joshua Bartelstein (SM ‘13) is executive vice president of operations and chief of staff at the Detroit Pistons. Previously he was VP of strategy and chief of staff at Palace Sports & Entertainment, where he oversaw major initiatives, such the Pistons’ move from The Palace of Auburn Hills to Little Caesars Arena, and the bid to bring a professional soccer team to Detroit. During his senior year at U-M, Bartelstein was team captain of Michigan’s 2013 Final Four men’s basketball team. He later published a book about his experience, titled We On: An Inside Look at Michigan Basketball’s Final Four Run.

Brandon Rhodes (SM ‘13) is vice president of business development at the sports network Overtime, where he leads strategic multi-pillar partnerships, revenue generation, special projects, and athlete relations. Prior to Overtime, he worked at Gatorade, where he performed several job roles, including social strategy, digital media planning, data acquisition, and product management. As a U-M student, he co-founded the Michigan Sport Business Conference (MSBC), the #1 student-led sport business conference in the country, per Forbes. Rhodes is a current member of MSBC’s Board of Advisors, and a past member of our school’s Sport Management Advisory Board.

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Given to Kinesiology alumni who have shown outstanding professional and personal achievement throughout their career in their chosen field and/or public service in any field.

Andrew Karson (SM ‘04) is senior VP of brand marketing and solutions at BSE Global, where he leads the marketing, content, creative, game presentation, and partnership strategy efforts for the Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center, the NBA G League’s Long Island Nets, and the NBA 2K League’s NetsGC. Prior to BSE, Karson spent 13 years at the Madison Square Garden Company, ultimately becoming vice president of marketing partnerships. In this role he brokered strategic partnerships with leading digital media companies, and expanded digital product offerings.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Given to an individual whose service to Kinesiology has enhanced and changed the school over time.

Dr. Patty Freedson (PE ‘75, MS ‘76, PhD ‘80) is professor emerita and former chair of the Kinesiology Department at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she served on the faculty for 35 years. She was founding editor of the Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behavior. Freedson is a Fellow of the Research Consortium, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Academy of Kinesiology. She has also served as president of the National Academy of Kinesiology and the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. During her career Freedson published nearly 200 papers. n