Professor Laurie Black

We would like to take the time to introduce Professor Laurie Black, one of our newest faculty members and an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology here in the College of Allied Health.  Professor Black holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise and Wellness as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science with a Minor in Nutrition.  She is also currently defending her dissertation in April in order to earn her PhD in Physical Activity.  As you register for classes, know that this fall she will be teaching Applied Movement Anatomy, Contemporary Health Issues, Measurement and Evaluation, and Advanced Fitness Assessment and Prescription.

Professor Black grew up just outside of Columbus, Ohio which is also where the majority of her family still resides–making her a huge college football fanatic and Ohio State Buckeye fan!  Her favorite memory with her family is shopping for their angel tree kids that they selected each Christmas as well as delivering those gifts as a family.  Locally, she has a wonderful, supportive fiancé that shares her passions for improving the quality of life of others through the health and fitness field.  Growing up, she faced a lot of health related challenges which ultimately inspired her to work in the health field.

Here in Riverside, Professor Black has learned the true meaning of “if you find a job you love that you’ll never ‘work’ a day in your life.”  When asked why she chose to work at CBU, she stated that “She has always desired to work at an institution that placed a large emphasis on faith and developing students as integral parts of the community through spiritual and career leadership.”  Professor Black is involved as a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association as well as the American Diabetes Association.  She also volunteers with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation marathon training team and works with the school breakfast and lunch program in low socioeconomic Hispanic communities.  She also states that she is “thrilled to be a part of the Kinesiology department as we plan for a new facility and new opportunities for both faculty and students to have a greater impact on health improvement in our immediate community and beyond.”

As a new Riverside resident, Professor Black is still seeking out her place in the community.  She has been attending church both at Sandals as well as her home church in Arizona as she works on her dissertation.  She loves to bake and do anything outdoors and with her family.  This includes hiking, fishing, playing with her dogs and yoga.  Her personal mottos include a great quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which states that “human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be coworkers with God,” as well as a short and simple health tidbit that reads “all in moderation.”

For you student readers, Professor Black desires that you retain the knowledge that “critical thinking and the respect of other individuals will take you further than any textbook knowledge you will ever receive.”  This knowledge goes hand in hand with her favorite Bible verse, “for this light momentarily affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Thank you Professor Black…and Welcome to CBU!

Lauren Bolda
Health Science, Pre-Physician Assistant
Leadership Allied Health
Student Blogger