Naismith Lecture: 'The "What" and the "We" of Team Culture'

LAWRENCE - The University of Kansas Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences welcomes Jim Thompson as keynote speaker at the annual James Naismith Lecture Series. 

This year’s presentation, “The ‘What’ and the ‘We’ of Team Culture,” will be given by Thompson, founder and CEO of the Positive Coaching Alliance. The lecture will take place at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, in the Dicus Family Auditorium of Capitol Federal Hall. The event is free and open to the public. 

“The Naismith lecture is one of the highlights of the year for our department as we are able to learn from and interact with truly outstanding scholars and practitioners,” said Joseph Weir, chair of the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences. 

The Positive Coaching Alliance is a national nonprofit organization started by Thompson in 1998 to transform the culture of youth sports into a development zone with the goal to develop better athletes and better people. Thompson has written nine books on youth sports and has an MBA from Stanford, where he was director of the public management program, named during his tenure as the nation's top nonprofit business management program. More information on Thompson and the Positive Coaching Alliance can be found here. 

The James Naismith Lecture Series was established in spring 2008 to honor the legendary founder of the game of basketball and first chair of the department. Since the first lecture the department has hosted 12 lectures on topics, including:

• exercise physiology
• sport psychology
• sport management & administration
• sports medicine education, and
• KU’s athletic history and tradition

More information on the James Naismith Lecture Series can be found here. 

The Department of Health, Sport, & Exercise Sciences is housed in the School of Education, a nationally ranked school preparing educators and health/sport/exercise professionals as leaders.