Department of Health Studies

History of Health Education

Education encompassing health and well-being has a long and important history at the University of Richmond. The current Department of Health Studies can trace its roots to the founding of Westhampton College. Explore the following timeline to see the women and men who contributed to the education of students in the fields of health, physiology, hygenie, physical education, and sport sciences for the past 110 years. Their contributions to the university are still evident on campus today.

Health Studies Timeline

1914 – One of the first 5 faculty members hired at Westhampton College was Fanny Crenshaw.

Ms. Crenshaw, a graduate of Bryn Mawyer, was hired as the Director of Athletics and Physical Education. Dean May Keller hired Ms. Crenshaw to provide the students with the physical rigor necessary to prepare them for their academic studies. Dean Keller said, "The work I’m going to give these girls, they can’t do unless they get some exercise!"

To learn more about the early history of Westhampton College and hear interviews with Fanny Crenshaw, access the Digital Collections here.
1919 – Dr. Margaret P. Kuyk joined the faculty as a professor of physiology and hygiene.
1926 – Dr. Margaret Nolting joined the faculty as a professor of physiology and hygiene.

Dr. Nolting graduated from the Medical College of Virginia. She was one of the first 2 women in the state of Virginia to earn a medical degree.

During the 1920s, the Department of Physiology, Hygiene and Physical Education offered a series of courses labeled Community Hygiene with individual courses in Nutrition, Sanitation and Public Hygiene, and Mental Hygiene. These courses included labs.
1934 – The Department of Physical Education and Physiology and Hygiene offered its first BS degree.
1943 – Mac Pitt stepped into the role of Athletic Director at Richmond College.
1949 – The department was renamed the Department of Health and Physical Education.
1951 - Matilda Chalkley became Assistant Professor of Physiology and Hygiene on the D. A. Kuyk Foundation.
1950s - Anatomy, Physiology and Personal Hygiene courses were offered to Richmond College students.
1960s – Personal and Community Health became a required Freshman course.
1970s – The Richmond and Westhampton College departments combined but maintained separate chairs until 1977.
1982 – The “non-teaching” endorsement developed 4 tracks of study including Health Science.
1990 - The Department of Health and Sports Science offered BA and BS degrees for Health majors.
2001 - The Department of Health and Sports Science closed.
2007 - Drs. Rick Mayes and John Vaughan launched a new minor in Medical Humanities.
2012 - A new interdisciplinary major in Healthcare & Society was offered.
2021 - UR began offering a Bachelor of Arts in Health Studies.