A noted author and researcher in the area of foundations of physical education and sport, Dr. Deborah Wuest used both her academic preparation as well as her athletic participation as a collegiate swimmer at SUNY Cortland as a springboard for her professional career. With Cortland at the forefront of the move toward women's intercollegiate athletic competition in the late 1960's, Wuest took advantage of the opportunity to participate on the swim team.
After graduating cum laude from Cortland with a degree in physical education in 1971 and from Indiana University with a master's degree in physical education the following year, the 23-year-old Floral Park, N.Y., native became the Ithaca College head women's swim coach. During the next six years, the Wuest-led Ithaca teams captured four straight state championships and established 22 state records while vying against squads from all divisions. In all, eight of her Ithaca swimmers earned All-American honors.
Wuest served on the New York State Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NYSAIAW) swimming and diving committee, chaired the Central New York Board of Officials for Women's Sports, and was a national meet director for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Junior Olympics synchronized swimming competition in 1975. Wuest annually served as a swimming and diving officating clinician for the National Association for Girls' and Women's Sports. An exceptional instructor and scholar, Wuest twice won the Charles C. Dana Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence while at Ithaca.
Wuest, who earned a doctorate in education from Boston University in 1980, twice earned the Boston University School of Education Outstanding Graduate Scholar Award - the only physical edcuator to be so honored. In 1981, Wuest received a merit award from The Johns Hopkins University for her entry into the Personal Computing Aid for Handicapped competition. Wuest, a former member of the Board of Directors of the Association for International Physical Education for Higher Education, is co-author of the book Foundations of Physical Education and Sport, which is currently in its 11th edition. In addition, she is presently working on another book Curriculum and Instruction: The Secondary School Physical Education Experience.
Wuest is an American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) Research Consortium fellow. Within the Ithaca community, Wuest has served as an American Red Cross volunteer in a number of capacities - as an instructor in aquatics and CPR; as a member of the Chapter Board of Directors; and helping at the blood donor center. Wuest has also worked with the Ithaca Youth Bureau.
