New HPER major starts off strong

IU has responded to America's growing interest in physical fitness by creating a new major. The fitness specialist undergraduate program, offered through the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, has had a successful first semester.\nWith an initial enrollment of 80 students, John Shea, the kinesiology department chairman, said he sees a bright future for the program. \n"We developed this program to fill a huge need because fitness is the fastest growing industry in this country," Shea said. "We are attracting students interested in the commercial side of fitness who want to go into the community to work with normally healthy people who want to get in shape or stay in shape." \nThe program focuses on working with special populations, people Shea classifies as the aging or the sick. The 4-year fitness specialist program includes general education classes, off-campus field trips and an internship.\nBy offering courses such as "Leadership and Program Design for Special Populations," the program covers all aspects of fitness and health. \nSenior Derek Trambaugh said he switched to the new major from exercise science.\n"I waited 4 years to take courses like these," Trambaugh said. "Applying what is learned in class is better than just learning the theories. These are the most useful classes I've taken." \nThe variety of courses offered, and the growing demand for people specializing in fitness, provides students with multiple career choices. Students who graduate as fitness specialists can plan careers as personal trainers, health facility owners or rehabilitation specialists. \nMichelle Miller, a clinical lecturer for the kinesiology department, began creating the program over a year ago. Miller said the program was born out of a necessity and emphasized the comprehensive nature of the program. She added that most fitness specialist programs focus on the ideas behind health, wellness and fitness. IU's new program helps prepare students by combining these ideas with hands-on experience. \nRecent focus on high rates of obesity has sparked new interest in exercise and wellness. \n"The Surgeon General has recently described obesity as an epidemic and this, combined with the President's initiative has really increased the need for exercise specialists," Shea said.\nThe program at IU stands apart from other universities because it promotes working with special populations. Through learning to work with elderly or ill people, students gain greater experience that will help prepare them for the future. \n"For the most part, the rewards are not always monetary," Miller said. "It's a calling."\nShea and Miller agree that the creation of the fitness specialist major demonstrates how the HPER department prepares its students for changing societal trends. The program includes a curriculum on working with the aging and the ill, students learn how to work with many different types of people. \n"This is definitely a service-oriented field," Miller said. \nAlready growing after its first semester at IU, the fitness specialist major promises to provide students with a comprehensive learning experience.\n"The emphasis on special populations will bring the program international prominence," Shea said.