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History

The Department of Kinesiology has a long and distinguished history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Going back to 1874, instruction in calisthenics was offered for women and classes included lectures in health. In 1895, the Department of Physical Training for Men was established and the Department of Physical Culture forWomen was authorized by the Board of Trustees. The departments of Physical Education for Men and Physical Education for Women merged in 1972. The new Department of Physical Education became the Department of Kinesiology in 1987. The Department of Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been helping to promote health in Illinois, the U.S., and the world since 1957. In 1998, the Community Health Department merged with the Division of Rehabilitation Education. In November 2004, the UIUC Faculty Senate voted to support the merger of the Departments of Kinesiology and Community Health. The merger was endorsed and implemented by the Board of Trustees of the University in February 2005.