New IU master's program combines fitness, management

The recent obsession with fitness has demanded the increase of fitness facilities around the nation. Rarely does one ever pass a main road without seeing some type of fitness center. The question is, who will manage these facilities? Furthermore, who will manage them with full knowledge of both business and fitness? \nEnter the new fitness management master's program at IU. \nLast year, IU's Department of Kinesiology graduated its first master's student of fitness management -- Evan McDowell. Now a program specialist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, McDowell graduated with both a master's in fitness management and certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. Currently, 10 students are enrolled in the program.\nCarol Kennedy and Michelle Miller, the program coordinators, said the uniqueness of this degree lies in the wedding of business skills and fitness knowledge. In their past individual experiences, they said they both noticed the demand for managers in the fitness arena. \nBefore coming to academia, Kennedy worked as a trainer in a fitness center. Because of her performance in and knowledge of the field, she was quickly promoted to manager. The problem: managing a fitness center involved much more than an extensive knowledge of health and fitness.\n"So many students go through our undergraduate program and, because of how much they know about fitness, are promoted to management," Kennedy said. "The problem is they are not equipped with sufficient skills to manage." \nIU's fitness management master's program consists of three parts: foundational classes, core classes and real-world experience. Foundational classes are "what meet the student's needs," Miller said. This part of the major is flexible. If a student is lacking in sufficient fitness knowledge, he or she might invest nine credit hours in fitness classes. If students need more understanding of business, they are free to take classes in that area. \n"It all depends on what they feel they know," Miller said.\nCore classes cover the administrative, managerial and financial areas of the major. Students take an eclectic mix of classes that involve the legal aspects of business, management, finances and administration. \nThe real-world experience aspect of the program encourages those enrolled to apply what they have learned. An example would be the Briscoe Quad Fitness and Wellness Living-Learning Center. As a living and learning community, students pay an extra $100 for use of the fitness facility. Two graduate students enrolled in the program are granted an "assistantship."\n"We're curious to see if students living in the Briscoe community will end up knowing more about this field due to the presence of those graduate students," Kennedy said.\nBritt Callison, who is currently enrolled in the master's program, is one of the two graduate students staffed at Briscoe. His responsibilities as facility coordinator include staffing the facility and ensuring the equipment is safe and up-to-date. He is one of the students who entered the program with a business background, graduating with a bachelor's degree in business from Ball State University. Currently, his course load consists of fitness programs, including a fitness assessment course.\n"We have had so many businesses calling us, thanking us for the work we are doing," Kennedy said. "Our main goal is to get these students jobs, knowing that they are fully equipped to excel"