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Marilyn Buck
Finding balance appears to be the key to success for Marilyn Buck, associate dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Technology and professor of physical education. In her 31 years as an educator, she has worked to find a balance between teaching, research and administration. She still finds time for field work as well as desk work. And she makes sure to balance theory with practical application. All this balancing has paid off in myriad ways. Not only does Buck seem fulfilled by the wearing of many hats, she has received numerous accolades from her peers that confirm her success.
On Nov. 10, Buck was awarded two of the highest honors in her field, Honor Awards from the Indiana Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and from the Midwest District of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. The awards are for overall contributions to the profession.
Buck began her career at the middle school level, where she taught and coached for 12 years. Now in her 17th year at Ball State, Buck has been involved in both her college and the university as a whole since she first arrived on campus.
"I've been involved with the university governance system since my second year here," she said. "I began holding office by my third year at Ball State."
Among her many appointments, Buck has served as first assistant to the chair (now associate chair) of the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science as well as coordinator of the graduate program and the physical education teaching major.
Buck played a role in university governance until this year, when she stepped down after a three-year term as chair of University Senate. She said that while there were some serious issues under consideration during her tenure as chair — including a presidential search and a revision of the core curriculum — it wasn't the rigor of the job that convinced her to step down.
"I love that kind of work," she said. "I've had some tremendous opportunities because of it. It's probably why I'm sitting here as associate dean. The reason I'm not still involved is because it's time for somebody else to have those same opportunities."
Even without the responsibility of chairing the senate, Buck has plenty to keep her busy. She is a prolific author and scholar. In the course of her academic career she has authored or coauthored more than 65 scholarly works and made nearly 100 presentations at the state, national and international levels.
While she is an active administrator, Buck continues to teach a physical education course each semester. Additionally, Buck is a national expert in the use of technology in physical education.
Her expertise lends itself to a partnership the university has with Polar, the maker of heart rate monitors and other fitness technology. Physical education majors at Ball State are required to purchase heart rate monitors with downloading capabilities. The partnership with Polar helps keep the cost to the students down.
Buck explains that students are trained on pocket personal computers and are encouraged to use them in their student teaching. She sees the technology adding a new level of caring to physical education classes.
"It allows each child to be evaluated by their own level of fitness instead of competing against others," she said.
The importance of helping children see the value of exercise is crucial to their future health, Buck explains. By making physical education classes positive learning environments, children will begin to take away important lifelong skills and habits regardless of their current fitness levels.
Instead of judging children's fitness by their size or skill level, physical education instructors can use the technology to monitor student progress. This means an overweight child can be encouraged to train within a safe heart-rate zone and reap the benefits of regular exercise.
"The heart rate monitoring system means we can take away some of the stigma (of being overweight or out of shape)," she said. "It's put dignity back into how we teach each child in a physical education setting."
With all the technology available, however, Buck still sees the need for basic physical education for children. She said that with all the healthy eating and exercise messages on television and in print, most Americans know what it takes to be physically healthy. She feels the key is finding a balance between what we know and what we do.
She sees this as the goal of physical education professionals — to teach others how to live life in a more balanced fashion.
"What we are trying to do is get them to recognize the challenges they face and find ways to overcome them," she said. "We want everyone to be physically active for the rest of their lives."
By Carmen Siering, Update Editor Ball State University2000 W. University Ave.
Muncie, IN 47306
Copyright © 2005.
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