Ted Powers Receives Prestigious Award for Excellence and Leadership

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Media contact: Tonya Lewis, (254) 710-4656
WACO, Texas (Oct. 22, 2013) - The Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD) has awarded Ted Powers, Ph.D., retired departmental chair and Professor Emeritus of health, human performance and recreation in Baylor University's School of Education, with the 2013 David K. Brace Award for excellence and leadership.
"Our organization acknowledges recipients for their accomplishments and professionalism in the disciplines of health, physical education, recreation and dance," said Executive Director of TAHPERD Diana Everett. "Dr. Powers has earned this distinguished recognition for demonstrating leadership, achieving excellence and being an outstanding representative of the teaching profession."
Though now retired, Powers still comes back to Baylor a few times a week to "mess with my computer and bother everyone." He can't seem to stay away from the atmosphere of learning and teaching.
"I enjoyed just going into a classroom and sitting there and talking to students," Powers said. "That was the thing that kept me going. I taught a long time and I enjoyed it; it was not a chore."
Deborah Johnston, Ed.D., associate professor of health, human performance and recreation in Baylor's School of Education, worked with Powers and had him as a professor during her graduate studies at Baylor University.
"Ted Powers shaped our profession and our department and the type of education and leadership we provide for students," she said. "He is an exceptional communicator and gifted teacher. He has been a valuable Christian role model for many students and all of his colleagues. He possesses the gift of being able to apply our profession to how we live our lives."
Johnston continued on to praise Powers for the profound effect he has on students.
"He is a humble, approachable and loving professor who enjoys sharing his knowledge and wisdom with others," she said. "Dr. Powers has played a major role in guiding his students toward a career of helping others and to do so by achieving exceptionally high standards in both their profession and personal lives."
Receiving the David K. Brace Award meant a great deal to Powers, he said, because Brace was actually one of his professors during his doctoral program.
"Dr. Brace was my mentor, my professor and my teacher when I was working on my doctorate and he was very helpful in that respect," Powers said. "He was important to me in my life and . . . this is simply a recognition of that relationship."
Powers will be recognized for his award at the 90th annual TAHPERD Convention on Dec. 6, 2013. For more information on the event and the David K. Brace Award, click here.
by Rachel Miller, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
ABOUT BAYLOR SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

The Baylor School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and consists of four departments: Curriculum and Instruction (preparation for classroom teachers and specialists); Educational Administration (post-graduate preparation for school leadership); Educational Psychology (undergraduate and graduate programs for those who are interested in learning, development, measurement, and exceptionalities); and Health, Human Performance and Recreation (preparing for sport- and health-related careers, athletic training and careers in recreational professions, including churches).The School of Education enrolls more than 1,000 undergraduate students and 300 graduate students, employs 70 faculty, and is one of the few schools in the State of Texas that offers a yearlong teaching internship.