Paul “Babe” Mayer, who taught in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Fitness and Lifetime Sports (now Exercise Science) Department for 25 years before his retirement in December, has been approved by the Penn College Board of Directors for professor emeritus status.
To be eligible for the emeritus designation, nominees must be honorably retired in good standing and have served the college for a minimum of 10 years, demonstrating a record of distinguished service to students, their department, their academic school and/or the college. Nominations are reviewed and approved by the Promotion and Sabbatical Review Committee and are recommended for board consideration by the president.
Mayer was instrumental in the development and delivery of a number of new courses within his department. He brought notoriety to the college for his training and conditioning work with athletes across the region and for his work in radio and television sports broadcasting. Prior to teaching at Penn College, Mayer taught at Williamsport Area High School, where he was instrumental in developing a personal fitness curriculum.
Mayer recently championed the Penn College Fitness and Lifetime Sports Department’s move to change its name to Exercise Science. According to his nominators, during his tenure at Penn College, Mayer oversaw the recruitment of new faculty and set guidelines. He helped to develop courses for the program as well as related electives.
Along with his colleagues, he was successful in transforming the existing traditional physical education program into a modernized personal fitness program focusing on preparing students for a lifetime involvement in exercise fitness and personal health.
Mayer also contributed his expertise by authoring several articles for the college’s magazine, One College Avenue.
Honors Mayer has received include the National Association of Sports and Physical Education's 1988 National Secondary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year, the 1987 Pennsylvania Physical Education Teacher of the Year, the 1988 U.S. Eastern Regional Physical Education Teacher of the Year and Lock Haven University’s Outstanding Alumni Award.
In endorsing the recommendation of Mayer’s former colleagues, Sharon K. Waters, associate dean of health sciences, noted: “The classroom is where his transformative skills unfolded. Babe was masterful at taking a variety of skill levels and creating a ‘can-do’ personal fitness environment.”
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