Donna Gober

Dr. Donna Gober joined the faculty of the Department of Applied Physiology and Wellness in the fall of 2008 after earning an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a cognate in Higher Education from Lamar University in May 2008. She has been teaching full time in higher education for 26 years. Dr. Gober earned a Master of Science in Wellness with minors in Exercise Science and Counseling from the University of Mississippi while employed as a graduate instructor in the Department of Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management. Prior to graduate school, Dr. Gober was an elementary school teacher for seven years, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with specialization in Life/Earth Science from Lamar University in 1988. Her career as an educator spans 33 years and includes teaching appointments in four Texas school districts and three universities.

Dr. Gober has a dual appointment as Director of Wellness and Senior Lecturer. She teaches PRW 3303; Self, Identity, and Community Engagement and PRW activity classes; power yoga, bench aerobics, and walking for fitness. Dr. Gober has been teaching fitness classes for 37 years and is certified in Group Exercise Leadership by the Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research. She originally joined the Wellness Department at SMU in 1998 as an instructor of wellness and fitness classes, and went on to accept a faculty position at Lamar University in the fall 2000 where she taught full time for more than eight years in the Department of Health & Kinesiology and was the Coordinator of the Health & Human Performance Laboratory for three years in a dual appointment.

At SMU, Dr. Gober currently serves on the Faculty Athletics Admissions Subcommittee, and as academic advisor to Pi Beta Phi Sorority. From 2013-2016, she served on Faculty Senate, and chaired the Student Policies Committee. Previously, she served as a member of the University Curriculum Monitoring Committee, Academic Policies Committee, President's Commission on the Status of Women, Human Rights Pilot Course Development Committee, Wellness & Diversity Committee, Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Committee, University Curriculum Subcommittee for Personal Responsibility & Stewardship, Global Engagement, Human Diversity, & Community Engagement, and chaired the Student Learning Outcomes Revisions Committee. In May 2015, Dr. Gober received the Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Office of Engaged Learning. She is committed to providing a meaningful, student-centered approach to learning for students. Her research interests include retention and attrition of college students, intervention programs for retention of minority and non-traditional students as well as traditional students, and holistic approaches in teaching, learning, and retention. Health and wellness programs that address the subjective needs of the student and may aid with transition and matriculation to the university are of primary interest as well.

During her career in higher education, Donna has served on numerous committees and curriculum development teams. The most personally valued experiences are working with students in the classroom, and serving as an advisor to student organizations. Developing professional relationships with students and helping them succeed in college, assisting them with career plans and graduate school, and seeing them flourish and grow is what fuels her passion for what she does.

Professional Certifications

Texas State Board of Education, Texas Teacher Certificate. (1) Life, Provisional Elementary, Grades 1-8, General. (2) Life, Provisional Elementary, Grades 1-8, Life/Earth Middle School Science.

Kenneth Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research, certified in Group Exercise Leadership (GEL). Cooper Center, Dallas, TX.

Gifted and Talented Endorsement, Texas Education Agency