Renowned kinesiology scholar Leapetswe “Leps” Malete is now the Gwen Norrell Professor in Youth Sport and Student-Athlete Well-Being. He is one of two scholars (along with Karin A. Pfeiffer) to be named to the endowed professor title, effective in 2026.
Malete joined the Department of Kinesiology in the MSU College of Education in 2016 as an associate professor and the director of global initiatives. He is also the director of the International Research in Youth Sport, Physical Activity and Health Lab, which he established shortly after joining the department. Outside MSU, he is the current president of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity.
The professorship, which is effective through January 2029, honors Gwendolyn Norrell, who was a nationally recognized proponent for student-athlete welfare, and a former MSU faculty member. The professorship title changes every three years to uplift a new scholar; previous honorees were Professor Emeritus Dan Gould and current Professor Tracey Covassin.
“Growing up in Botswana, I witnessed sport as both a source of joy and resilience and as a mirror of broader social challenges,” wrote Malete in his narrative statement for the Gwen Norrell professorship. “This formative experience instilled in me a conviction that sport could serve as a transformative space for psychological well-being, adaptive development, and expanded life opportunities.”
Malete built upon that trajectory with both a master’s and a doctoral degree in Kinesiology from MSU — and now with funding from the Norrell Professorship’s endowment.
Malete joined the college faculty after 15 years at the University of Botswana, where he led the development of undergraduate and graduate programs in sport and exercise psychology, conducted research on youth sport and physical activity, and contributed to the strategic development of sport through service roles with clubs and national teams. He also held several leadership positions, including the director of international programs.
Malete’s research career spans the United States, the African continent, and the Caribbean, supported by over $14.3 million in external, competitive research funding. His work focuses on sport- and physical activity-based life skills development, mental health and well-being, entrepreneurship, and psychosocial growth among underserved youth. To learn more about Malete’s work, see Harnessing the Power of Sports to Help Young People Thrive, The Engaged Scholar E-Newsletter (Dec. 2024).
Broadly, Malete aims to advance research and interventions related to youth psychosocial well-being and adaptive development, strengthen collaborations between the Department of Kinesiology and external organizations (including the Michigan High School Athletics Association) and mentor future kinesiology scholars.
The Gwen Norrell Professor in Youth Sport also features an annual speaker series. The department will welcome Nicole LaVoi, director of The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and a senior lecturer in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota, on April 9.
To learn more about how you can support the professorship or to contribute to expanding research, teaching, learning and or outreach at the MSU College of Education, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations: educdev@msu.edu.