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ABOUT HPELS SCHOOL PROFILE  

Welcome to the School of Health, Physical Education & Leisure Services (HPELS)
When you come to UNI, you'll find a friendly atmosphere and scholarship of the highest quality. You will learn from professors who are leaders in their fields of study. In and out of the classroom, you'll have access to state-of-the-art technology. Your classroom experience will be augmented by the many student organizations and international opportunities that form UNI's culture of excellence and service.

 

Us News & World Report ranks UNI second among the Midwest's top public universities.

 

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine calls UNI one of the nation's top 100 values in public colleges. The reason is simple: the quality of the real-world opportunities and classroom experience you'll find at UNI is virtually unique in the Midwest.

 

Come visit UNI. See our beautiful campus, visit our classes, and tour our facilities. We're proud of what we do, and we invite you to join us.

 

About the School of Health, Physical Education & Leisure Services

The School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services (HPELS) is one of the oldest programs in the United States tracing its historical roots to 1896 with the establishment of the Department of Physical Culture. Course work in physical education at UNI dates to 1878. Exactly one hundred years later, the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services was established, combining the Men's and Women's Physical Education, Health, and Recreation programs.

 

The School of HPELS is a unit of the College of Education and includes 6 major divisions: Athletic Training; Health Promotion and Education; Leisure, Youth and Human Services; Physical Education; Graduate Studies; and Liberal Arts.The school of HPELS 122 faculty, professional and scientific staff, classified and merit employees and graduate assistants.

 

During the current semester of Spring 2007, there are 1116 majors and minors enrolled in programs in the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services.

 

Fact Sheet  
I Overview

The School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services is one of the oldest programs in the United States, tracing its roots to 1896 with the establishment of the Department of Physical Culture. Coursework in physical education dates to 1878. In 1978, the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services was established, combining the Men's and Women's Physical Education, Health, and Recreation programs. The School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services is a unit of the College of Education with 5 academic Divisions, Athletic Training, Health Promotion and Education, Leisure, Youth and Human Services, Physical Education, and Liberal Arts.


II Degree Programs and Student Enrollments
The School offers graduate and undergraduate majors in health promotion and school health education, physical education (teaching and non-teaching), athletic training, leisure services, and youth/human service administration. The School also offers the liberal arts core Personal Wellness course in addition to minors and/or program certificates in coaching, dance, global health, health education, health promotion, leisure services, outdoor recreation, physical education (elementary teaching), tourism, and youth services administration.

III Faculty and Professional Staff Resources

The school of HPELS employs approximately 122 faculty, professional and scientific staff, classified and merit employees and graduate assistants.

 

Faculty and professional staff have received over 100 honors and awards from 1999 to 2006. Some of the honors and awards have included: National Literary Award, National Recreation & Park Association; Charter Fellow; North American Society for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance; Honor Award, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Innovative Teaching Award, Society of Park and Recreation Educators; Biennial Distinguished Scholar Award, International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance; and the R. Tait McKenzie Award, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

 

The R.J. McElroy Professor of Youth Leadership Studies is one of three endowed professorships in the park, recreation and leisure services field in the United States .

IV Managed Assets

 

Total managed resources within the School are greater than $10 million, with approximately $6.8 million coming from extramural funding (representing about 2/3 of all current grants and contracts within the College of Education).

 

The nationally award winning $18.57 million Wellness/Recreation Center houses the School. Resources include 5 aerobic/dance studios, 6 racquetball courts, 2 multipurpose courts, 1/10 th mile jogging track, fitness/conditioning area, leisure pool, instructional pool with seating for 300, 40-ft climbing wall, and 8 seminar rooms and classrooms.

 

The Wellness/Recreation Center includes the following laboratories: athletic training laboratory, biomechanics laboratory, biostatistics laboratory, computer instructional laboratory, student computer center, early childhood motor development laboratory, exercise physiology laboratory, psychomotor behavior laboratory, rhythm and movement studio, teaching laboratory, and wellness resources laboratory.

 

In 2005, The Elinor A. Crawford and William H. Thrall Hall of Excellence was established in the Wellness/Recreation Center to recognize former graduates of the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services that have achieved notable distinction in their professional careers. The inaugural induction ceremony held in fall 2005 welcomed 28 former graduates as charter members of the Hall of Excellence.

 

A $7 million Human Performance Center (HPC) is being constructed with an anticipated opening date in spring 2008. The 2-story, 35,000 sq. foot facility promotes a unique community with Allen Memorial Hospital, Cedar Valley Medical Specialists, PC, and Covenant Medical System and will house the Athletic Training Program as well as Camp Adventure, Global Health Corps, Youth and Human Services academic programs, and the National Program for Playground Safety. The facility will include space dedicated to sports medicine and will provide opportunities for students to have an uninterrupted view of prevention, triage, diagnosis, therapy and other preventative efforts, as well as ongoing interaction with physicians, therapists and athletic trainers as a part of their education. Funding was achieved through donations, foundation funding and grants.

 

An agreement between the City of Cedar Falls and the University of Northern Iowa will result in the development of a Wetlands Demonstration Park as well as the development of open space recreation fields including several ball diamonds and a soccer field. Further, the agreement calls for working with the city of Cedar Falls to work cooperatively to maximize the use of University and community resources to the mutual benefit of each agency. The Wetlands Demonstration Park will provide an opportunity to integrate the academic programs of the School of Health , Physical Education and Leisure Services and the Departments of Biology and Earth Science. The park will feature a four-acre pond and trail system.

 

The Physical Education Center (PEC) will be renovated during the construction of the HPC in order to provide a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning training center, testing laboratory, and new locker room facilities for both men and women.


V Program and Community Activities

 

Outreach or public service programs provided by the School include: Camp Adventure Youth Services, Global Health Corps, Project Export, National Program for Playground Safety, Youth Fitness & Obesity Institute, Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Programs, Program for Recreation Research & Service, and the Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center .

 

International agreements or collaborations have been established with the Guangzhou Institute of Physical Education, PRC; Zhejiang University, PRC; Macau Polytechnic Institute, PRC; Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; University of Cape Coast, Ghana; University of West Hungary, Hungary; Seoul National University, Korea.

 

Performance groups include the International Dance Theatre (IDT), Orchesis Dance Company, and The Young Peoples Dance Theater (YPDT).

 

The School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services is actively involved in a number of unique community partnerships including ones with the XL Sports Acceleration Program, Community Olympic Development Program, Camp Adventure Youth Services, Global Health Corps, Kindergym and Opportunity Works. These demonstration projects and community laboratories provide a way of extending learning opportunities for students, and research and scholarly activities for faculty. The Robert D. Koob Fund for Student Community Engagement program is managed by the School of Health , Physical Education and Leisure Services.

 

Partnership activities with the city of Cedar Falls and the University of Northern Iowa including the School of HPELS, Wellness & Recreation Services, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Office of Facilities Planning have resulted in the formulation in a number of strategies aimed at further developing the West Campus Plan. In particular, a joint use agreement for improving educational, athletic, and recreational and leisure areas was negotiated, expansion of the city's transportation system, and development of a Wetlands Demonstration Park .


VI Accreditation Activities

 

The Athletic Training program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). Annually, over seventy (70) percent of the graduates pass the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification Examination compared to a 30 percent national average among all students taking the examination.

 

The Leisure, Youth and Human Services Division is one of only 100 colleges and universities accredited by the National Recreation and Park Association/American Association for Leisure and Recreations' Council on Accreditation.


VII Highlights

 

The School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services has been identified in recent publications as having transnational influence. Regarding the School of HPELS stature worldwide, Dr. Frances Lobo, Edith Cowan University , ( Australia ) wrote in the IAHPERD Journal (summer 2006) the following. . . the overall effect makes the School of HPELS at the University of Northern Iowa a focal institution of trans-national global influence and significance. Many institutions desire but few achieve this image.

 

Camp Adventure Youth Services is a nationally award winning model demonstration program incorporating the principles of service learning into the educational experiences of individuals. Promoting high-quality, high-impact program and services for children and youth,
Camp Adventure Youth Services
encourages global awareness and cultural sensitivity as well as diversity and inclusion. Over 11,000 students have participated in this program over the past 20 years and has generated $50 million in grants and contracts in the last 15 years. Recently, Camp Adventure Youth Services received a $7.8 million contract to provide services for U.S. Army Europe to support the deployment and reintegration of troops to Afghanistan and Iraq .

 

The Youth Fitness & Obesity Institute was established in 2001 with funding ($233K) from the Department of Health and Human Services to address the physical activity and nutrition needs of children and adolescents particularly in rural settings. The establishment of the Youth Fitness & Obesity Institute provides the foundation for research and development activities designed to address the growing concerns related to youth fitness levels and childhood obesity.

 

More UNI physical education alumni have won Teacher of the Year awards than those of any other college.

 

With the support of Polar Electro Inc., the University of Northern Iowa 's School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services offers a unique school and community-based learning opportunity for students enrolled in the M.A. degree in physical education with an emphasis on the utilization of technology. USA Today (December 16, 2004 edition) featured the Grundy Center Elementary School program and its unique partnership with the University of Northern Iowa 's School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services and Polar, showcasing this innovative effort to integrate technology in the teaching of physical education.

 

The World Leisure Secretariat is located at the University of Northern Iowa . World Leisure is a non profit, non governmental association of persons and organizations from throughout the world. World Leisure holds consultative status with The United Nations.

 

The National Program for Playground Safety is a nationally award winning program whose purpose is to raise awareness of playground safety and injury prevention to children on playgrounds. The program was established in 1995 with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program has four primary goals: 1) create a national plan for the prevention of playground injuries; 2) develop a national clearinghouse of materials including training videos, CD ROMs, and pamphlets on playground safety; 3) establish an information hotline about playground safety and injury prevention available to the American public; and 4) serve as a resource for technical assistance concerning training programs for individuals.

 

Global Health Corps provides theory to practice learning opportunities for health promotion and education students to design, implement, and evaluate health promotion and education programs with underserved diverse populations in the United States and abroad. This program has provided opportunities for 450 students and served over 45,000 clients.

 

Project EXPORT (Excellence in Partnerships for Outreach, Research and Training) Center for Excellence was established by the National Institutes of Health on the University of Northern Iowa campus to provide statewide academic leadership to organizations challenged with addressing health disparity issues. It has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health for scholarly pursuits of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in health disparities.