Ruth A. Garis Scholarship

Family and friends of Associate Professor Emerita Ruth A. Garis created a scholarship in her name at SUNY Brockport to recognize demonstrated excellence in an outdoor activity by a student with junior standing who is pursuing teacher certification in physical education.

Ruth Garis loves being and playing in the out of doors. The Adirondacks of New York and the Green Mountains of Vermont were her favorite playgrounds for many years. She hiked and ran the mountains, sailed and canoed in the lakes, and golfed on all the courses she could. As a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America, she skied at locations across the country and around the world.

Dr. Garis taught at Brockport from 1965 to 1985 as an associate professor of physical education and sport. She served as department chair when the Department of Physical Education for Women became a joint department for men and women students. The faculty created a new curriculum that was separate from the certification in physical education program and focused on excellence in sport performance, increasing the number of majors dramatically. Dr. Garis hired new faculty from throughout the country to develop new courses in their passions, and the curriculum grew to include courses in cycling, yoga, snowboarding, and skateboarding in addition to traditional sports.

Throughout her career, she remained committed to preparing outstanding educators in physical education who were skilled performers as well as knowledgeable teachers. She developed and taught performance courses from beginning through advanced in backpacking, rock climbing, canoeing, Alpine skiing, and golf. She also taught in the graduate program in physical education. After her retirement, she supervised student teachers for five years on a part-time basis.

The Ruth A. Garis Scholarship recognizes a physical education teacher candidate who excels in at least one outdoor activity. Qualified applicants are physical education and sport majors with junior status of at least 54 hours, who are pursuing teacher certification in physical education. They must demonstrate academic proficiency with a Brockport GPA of 3.25 or better.