Dr. Rebecca Buchanan is entering her second year as Faculty Athletic Representative and her 18th year overall working at Emory & Henry College. An associate professor in the College's health & human performance department, she also serves as the Chair of the Education Division.

Buchanan joined the Emory & Henry family in 2003 as Assistant Dean of Students, a position she held for five years. Her passion for sports and physical activity led her to pursue her doctoral degree and become a member of the health & human performance faculty. Since that time, she received the James A. Davis Faculty Award in 2015 and The Business Journal of the Tri-Cities TN/VA's Healthcare Heroes Award in 2017, while also serving as Faculty Marshal.

As FAR, Buchanan acts as a liaison between the athletic and academic realms of the College and serves as a member of the College’s Athletic Life Committee. She also helps to identify students who may need additional aid in the classroom, those dealing with the challenges of adjusting to college life and also nominates student-athletes for awards and scholarships.

Each member of the NCAA is required to “designate an individual to serve as Faculty Athletic Representative,” (NCAA Constitution 6.1.3).  The FAR is “a member of an Institution’s faculty or administrative staff who is designated by the Institution’s president… to represent the Institution and its faculty in the Institution’s relationships with the NCAA and its conference,” (Constitution 4.02.2).

Competing for the Universty of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Buchanan was an eight-time All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference Champion and record holder. She was a finalist in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials and a member of the 1997 U.S. World Championship Team. She was also ranked in the Top 10 for the U.S. in the 400 meter hurdles for three years. In 2002, she was selected as a member of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Women’s Outdoor Track & Field team.

Buchanan completed her undergraduate degree in sociolgoy at UNC. She earned a Master of Science Degree in sport management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville while serving as a graduate assistant in the Exercise Science, Sport, and Leisure Studies Department. She received a Ph.D. in education with a concentration in sports studies from UT in 2011.

A native of Fancy Gap, Virginia, Buchanan and her husband, Frank, now reside in Washington County. They have three children, Connor (E&H '22), Maggie (E&H '24) and Grant.

-8/27/2021