STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University School of Kinesiology faculty member Dr. Joe Priest is one of 18 awarded the honor of Regents Professor by The Texas A&M System Board of Regents for the 2023-2024 school year.
The award was established in 1996 to recognize outstanding faculty members for their work and commitment to higher education.
“As a seasoned professional, Dr. Joe Priest has never taken the easy path nor rested on his achievements,” said Dr. Kayla Peak, Dean of the School of Kinesiology within the College of Health Sciences. “Always moving forward is the daily mission that Priest embraces and is precisely how he continues to make a powerful and lasting impact on the students, university and the profession. We are all better because of his unyielding commitment to academic discovery and the educational journey.”
Dr. Priest’s dedication to academic excellence and student success has been evident throughout his distinguished career. Having been a professor at Tarleton State for the past 33 years, his goal has been to help students follow his life mantra of “aiming high.”
“I have had friends and colleagues that have received this award before, and I am honored to be mentioned in the same paragraph as them,” said Dr. Priest. “The best part about this job is celebrating our students’ success. When I see their names popping up as coaches for track or football, or in YMCA’s or in the medical field, it’s gratifying to think that I might have contributed to a little piece of that success.”
Dr. Priest has taught several classes including kinesiology, biomechanics, exercise physiology and exercise electrocardiography, for which he wrote the curriculum. One of his highest achievements is opening the Laboratory for Wellness and Motor Behavior on Tarleton State’s Stephenville campus.
“Dr. Priest is a master teacher, but the best part of his teaching occurs in the Laboratory for Wellness and Motor Behavior (LWMB),” explained Dr. Peak. “The LWMB, established by Priest in 1994, serves as a type of ‘community clinic’ space in which Dr. Priest immerses his students in High Impact Experiences within a real-world setting to prepare the students for future careers in the healthcare professions of physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic care, cardiac rehab and much more.”
Along with establishing the LWMB, Dr. Priest is the author of the book “After Everybody Else Gave Up” which discusses the work that has been done in his lab to help those who suffer from paralysis due to injury or disease.
“Priest has a servant’s heart for those who have been forgotten by traditional healthcare. He is committed to providing ‘exercise as medicine’ so that individuals living with traumatic cerebrovascular conditions can regain hope, social connectedness (with their student trainer and other patients) and a sense of community,” stated Dr. Peak.
Dr. Priest explained that his hope for the future in his field of study is that other universities would see the work being done in the LWMB and would adopt a similar learning space on their campuses so that individuals suffering can continue to find hope and people who will not give up on them.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.