At the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel bestowed on December 9, 2009 Dr. Daniel R. Gould, Professor of Applied Sport Psychology in the Department of Kinesiology and Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa. In the presence of his wife Deb, Dr. Gould received his honorary degree from Rector Prof. Paul De Knop, Mr. Eddy Van Gelder, Chairman of the university’s Governing Council and his proximus Prof. Paul Wylleman.
Dr. Gould received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York College at Brockport in 1973, a masters degree from the University of Washington in 1974 and his PhD degree from the University of Illinois in 1978. Dr. Wylleman stated that this honorary degree was awarded in name of the Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy because “Dr. Gould established a unique, systematic and internationally renowned line of research and publications in the field of sport psychology while at the same time being able to translate these research findings into high-quality support provision to, amongst others, Olympic athletes, coaches, youth sport parents, business leaders as well as coaches and mentors of underserved youth. In this way, Dr. Gould had a significant impact on not only the growth but also the standards of quality in the field of the research and the application of sport psychology. He also secured an impressive total of grant money to support research, has been the primary advisor to over 20 doctoral students, and has co-authored one of the most used textbooks in the area of sport psychology. Finally, Dr. Gould has served as president of several academic and professional associations, including the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, received several awards, and has been a high-quality keynote speaker at many international congresses during the past 20 years. Awarding Dr. Gould with this honorary degree not only confirms the existing ties between the Department of Kinesiology and the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports of Michigan State University and the department of Sport Policy and Management and the Research group Sport Psychology and Mental support of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, but enables envisaging a furthering of the cooperation between both universities in the domains of education, research and service to the community.”
Also joining Dr. Gould as recipient of the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa that day were:
* Chris Van den Wyngaert, Judge, International Criminal Tribunal of the United Nations in The Hague.
* Johann Olav Koss , founder, chairman and CEO, Right to Play, an organization that has initiated 41 projects in 21 countries worldwide and involves athletes as ambassadors for initiating athletic programs for underserved youth.
* Jacques Aert Nut / (ZAK), Noted Dutch Cartoonist.
* Herman van Veen, Dutch artist, composer, writer and activist.
* Sir John B. Gurdon, a University of Cambridge British developmental biologist best known for his pioneering research in the field of nuclear transplantation and cloning.
* Ad Bax, physicist and researcher of international Nuclear Magnetic Resonance at National Institute of Health, Bethesda.
* David Garland, professor of law at New York University who specializes in areas like the death penalty, legal and criminal control.
After receiving his honorary degree, Dr. Gould gave different lectures and workshops during his stay at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. For the Master students of the Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy he lectured on the topics of ‘The Psychology of Athletic Injury Rehabilitation’, ‘The Various Roles Psychological Factors Play in Health and Exercise’, ‘Teaching Life Skills Through Sport’, and ‘What Sport Psychology Can Teach the Business Manager: From the Playing Field to the Workplace’. During a Meet the Expert session, Dr. Gould held discussions with doctoral students on conducting research and publishing in the (human) sport sciences. Finally Dr. Gould presented on ‘The development of talented and elite youth athletes: A social psychological perspective’ for Flemish elite coaches and conducted the workshop ‘Applied Sport Psychology: One Approach to Educational Sport Psychology Consulting’ with Flemish sport psychologists.
See the translated article