Michael Hemphill
Personal Statement
I am the founder and director of the Restorative Youth Sports lab at UNCG. Originally from western North Carolina, I was pleased to return to his home state in 2016. I identify as a community-engaged scholar and am passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion. In my academic role I teach courses related to youth development, multicultural education, and proposal writing. The Restorative Youth Sports lab encompasses my passion for advancing restorative justice practice and better understanding how this applies to physical education contexts. When not at work, I enjoy listening to a variety of podcasts and hiking in state parks and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Please get in touch if you would like to connect with our work!
Bio & Education
Dr. Hemphill’s research focuses on teaching personal and social responsibility through sport, physical activity, and physical education with specific applications to urban communities and professional development programs for physical activity providers. His research is grounded in community-engaged scholarship, which features reciprocal community partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations to address community-identified needs. This research has been situated in local contexts in Charleston, SC and Greensboro, NC as well as international applications in New Zealand and Sri Lanka. He has published several research articles in refereed journals including the Journal of Youth Development, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, European Physical Education Review, Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, and Sport, Education, and Society. Additionally, he has delivered research presentations to international, national, and regional conferences including the American Educational Research Association, SHAPE America, the International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education, and the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement. He is a recipient of the community-engaged scholar award from the School of Health and Human Sciences and of the Charles D. Henry Award, honoring significant contributions to ethnic minorities in SHAPE America.
Courses Taught
- KIN 731 Curriculum Development
- KIN 738 Sport-based Youth Development
- KIN 778 Professional Seminar in Grant Writing
- KIN 795 Independent Doctoral Research
- KIN 799 Dissertation
Notable Accomplishments
- Charles D. Henry Award, SHAPE America, 2018
- Ernest Lynton Award, Campus Compact, 2020
- Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure, UNC Greensboro, 2021