By Addie Woods
April 5, 2023
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Ouachita Baptist University recently achieved Gold Status from the American College of Sports Medicine for its participation and excellence in the organization’s Exercise is Medicine® program. Ouachita is the only university in Arkansas to earn this recognition and is one of 149 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by EIM for efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus.
Ouachita’s EIM efforts are coordinated through the university’s Department of Kinesiology, housed in the Huckabee School of Education.
“Our kinesiology majors have continued to excel in providing quality activities and events for our campus,” said Dr. Terry DeWitt, professor of kinesiology and department chair. “We are extremely grateful to have a facility like the lab in the Sturgis Physical Education Center (SPEC) to conduct research, provide programs and learn more about how exercise can improve quality of life for people.”
One step Ouachita has taken to promote wellness education on campus is through student health services. Each semester, students have access to a free screening during a baseline physical activity measurement event. If they need or want help to improve their scores, they may be referred to DeWitt or to Hallie Wallace, instructor of kinesiology at Ouachita, both of whom are certified exercise physiologists.
In 2014, Ouachita earned an EIM bronze certificate and worked through the process to become one of 15 universities in the country named an EIM Silver Level Campus two years later. In 2019, the university was the first in Arkansas to earn a Gold Status credential from ACSM; for the past four years, the gold certificate has been maintained.
Ouachita will be recognized as part of the World Congress on Exercise is Medicine and World Congress on the Basic Science of Physical Activity and Aging Biology, held Tuesday-Friday, May 30-June 2, in conjunction with the 2023 ACSM Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo.
For more information about Ouachita’s Exercise is Medicine efforts or Department of Kinesiology, contact Dr. Terry DeWitt at [email protected] or (870) 245-5264.