KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 27, 2025

Kennesaw State University professor Brian Culp was recently inducted as a Fellow of the International Organization for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP), an international society for scholarship in physical education and activity.

Culp becomes the first KSU faculty member to achieve the honor, which celebrates his exceptional physical education and sport pedagogy research contributions. His formal induction occurred during the AIESEP Annual Meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, in late May.

“I am happy that my interdisciplinary approaches have transcended outside of the U.S., but more importantly that they have been useful for other researchers, policymakers and communities to help design solutions to challenges we face,” Culp said. “I'd like to think that I was selected for this honor because I have a way of getting people to challenge existing paradigms and then putting some real work into developing sustainable solutions.”

Culp joined the faculty of the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services in 2015, bringing expertise in the history of physical education, placemaking for physical activity, curriculum planning and spatiality. To those ends, he has led a study abroad trip to the Dominican Republic for KSU physical education and public health students and has served as chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Education. He passionately advocates for the philosophy of movement as medicine.

“Movement is just such an underrated category, not just the idea of physical movement, but just the mental space of feeling like you can actually move,” he said. “We’re working on bringing a movement focus to physical education and not just a sport focus, because movement reaches more people.”

While at KSU, he has published in more than 30 international journals and given lectures on four continents. He has also been named a Fellow of the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education and the North American Society of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance Professionals. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at Concordia University in Montreal for the 2014-15 school year.

AIESEP is an international, nongovernmental, nonprofit, professional association that aims to promote high-quality research around the world in physical education, physical activity, and sport pedagogy across the lifespan. AIESEP is multilingual, multicultural, and comprises universities, colleges, institutions, and individual members from across the globe.

Culp joins 68 Fellows in the 62-year-old organization, all of whom were nominated by at least two of their peers in physical education, then approved by a board of directors. Andrew Peachey, department chair and professor of health promotion and physical education, said the recognition confirms Culp’s place among international leaders in physical education.

“Dr. Culp’s recognition as a Fellow of AIESEP is a testament to his unwavering commitment to advancing teaching, research and global collaboration in physical education,” Peachey said. “His passion and expertise as an internationally renowned scholar inspire students, colleagues, and the field at large.”

– Story by Dave Shelles

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.