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July 7, 2004

Exercise Science Program at ULM Endorsed by Gold-Standard American College of Sports Medicine

Students pursuing health and fitness or clinical exercise professions at the University of Louisiana at Monroe will study in one of the select programs now endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), widely considered the gold standard in health and fitness certifications and professional memberships.

ACSM's University Connection program approved ULM's endorsement application for its Master of Science in Exercise Science program in June following a review of more than 40 programs. ULM's program becomes the sixth program of its type to be endorsed, and joins an elite list of universities across the nation to receive this type of recognition.

"This is a real feather in our cap, because the ACSM is the number one sports medicine organization in the world. Having come from that program and that being my area of expertise, I am on top of the world. That brings a big smile to my face. This puts us in line with the other major programs in the United States. It is a credit to the hard work they are doing in the kinesiology department," said Dr. Luke Thomas, Dean of the College of College of Education and Human Development. He also said, "This is a feather in the cap for the university and it's going to pay off in terms of what it will do for our students and our university in that department."

The certification process included an exhaustive review of the program's curriculum, facilities and faculty. "This endorsement recognizes the ULM program as meeting the ACSM standards needed to prepare students for health, fitness and/or clinical exercise training positions. The ULM curriculum covers the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to prepare students for the ACSM Exercise Specialist examination, " Dr. Christopher Washam, professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Kinesiology.

This prestigious endorsement creates a pathway for the master of science program in Exercise Science at ULM to offer students unique benefits, including on campus access to ACSM written credentialing examinations, feedback from ACSM on student performance and unique professional development opportunities for students and faculty through ACSM programs.

ULM's Exercise Science program expects to gain recognition from this endorsement by marketing the program to prospective students and through visibility and promotional exposure through ACSM's national resources. Overall, this effort enhances the professional standards for graduates of the ULM program.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 international, national, and regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide education and practical applications of exercise and sports medicine.

For more information contact Dr. Christopher Washam at (318) 342-1313 or at washam@ulm.edu.

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