Michael J. Ellis - Author

Born in London, England, Michael J. Ellis earned degrees from Loughborough College, Nottingham University, and London University, and then he "crossed the pond" to obtain his master's and doctorate degrees in kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Upon graduation, he joined the faculty in Kinesiology and served as the director of the Motor Performance and Play Research Laboratory after earning tenure as an associate professor.

His distinguished career as an academician resulted in his selection as a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Leisure Sciences, and his managerial aplomb garnered him a progressive succession of increasingly rigorous administrative posts, including the directorship of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Dalhousie University in Canada, the head of the Department of Physical Education at the University of Oregon, and finally as the dean of the College of Applied Life Studies at the University of Illinois.

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