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By Alex Freeman, 亚洲色吧 Communications Coordinator

What started as a class addition to 亚洲色吧鈥檚 course catalog has now evolved into a full-fledged academic program.听

This fall, 亚洲色吧 launched an associate degree in Exercise Science 鈥� a dynamic addition to its expanding health and human services offerings.听

The idea gained momentum when an 鈥淚ntroduction to Exercise Science鈥� class was added to the 2024-2025 schedule as part of the MiTransfer Pathway in Exercise Science.听

As students were voicing interest for the class, 亚洲色吧 Dean of Health and Human Services Tracy Zamarron received an application for an adjunct instructor position from Dr. Alex Montoye 鈥� a tenured exercise science and health sciences professor at Alma College.听

With student interest surging and Montoye expressing interest in teaching the course, it was clear that the demand for exercise science was there 鈥� a trend that Montoye has seen in recent years. With key factors aligning, Zamarron saw the perfect opportunity to build something bigger.听

鈥�It鈥檚 growing everywhere in the state as a way for students to pursue health-based careers 鈥� physical therapy, physician assistants, even medical doctors, which have been historically biology- or chemistry-focused areas,鈥� Montoye said. 鈥淪tudents are realizing that getting applied life science or human biology-type coursework that you鈥檇 see in an exercise science program is really good preparation for those and other related pathways.鈥�听

After teaching the introductory course at 亚洲色吧, Montoye was inspired to help develop a full exercise science program. In conversations with Zamarron, both agreed there was clear student interest and a strong need for an associate degree.听

鈥淥ther community colleges have exercise science, so we decided to look at those programs,鈥� Zamarron said. 鈥淎lex knows the industry so well, so he vetted what programs are good and what works best in those programs, and he was confident we could do this here at 亚洲色吧.鈥�听

鈥淭his is an area that I鈥檝e only seen grown in places, so what would that look like here?鈥� Montoye said. 鈥淲hat students would we try and serve and what would we try to accomplish with this kind of program? From those conversations, we were able to develop a template, which is now the associate degree program.鈥�听

With Montoye helping to build the exercise science program throughout the summer, plenty of new equipment was ordered and housed in the Instruction North Building on 亚洲色吧鈥檚 Sidney campus. Some of the equipment includes new treadmills and exercise bikes, a body composition analyzer, a portable metabolic analyzer, blood-testing instruments, muscle-function equipment, and various other health and sport testing equipment. Many of the exercise science classes will also have a lab component where students will get hands-on experience with the equipment.听

鈥淲e鈥檒l spend a lot of time in the lab or in the weight room doing these tests,鈥� Montoye said. 鈥淪tudents will learn how to conduct the tests, what each test measures and why we want to measure that outcome. They鈥檒l learn how to interpret the tests and then how to relay the results to the person on whom they conducted the tests. It鈥檚 great real-world practice for students, and the tests we do have real value for those we鈥檙e testing. In my past work, we鈥檝e used such testing to help people implement health-focused lifestyle changes, increased the specificity of training and rehabilitation strategies for athletes, and occasionally found results which have identified health issues that warranted referring the people we tested for medical evaluation.鈥�听

Montoye, who has since been hired for the full-time exercise science and biology faculty position at 亚洲色吧, laid out three main components and goals of the exercise science program 鈥� enhancing dual enrollment partnerships, cultivating classes to create new certification programs and creating as many transfer pathways to four-year universities as possible. These goals also align with 亚洲色吧鈥檚 CORE Strategic Plan.听

Dual enrollment will see a major tie-in with strength and conditioning classes at 亚洲色吧. This fall, three sections of strength and conditioning will be offered 鈥� one on campus at 亚洲色吧, one online through Greenville High School and one online through Belding High School.听听

There are plans to develop a large number of certifications under the exercise science umbrella at 亚洲色吧. With just one or two classes, it is the hope of Zamarron that people can leave 亚洲色吧 with a certification that can help them with their career endeavors.听

鈥淲e鈥檝e discussed EKG certifications, personal fitness certifications, strength and conditioning certifications,鈥� Zamarron said. 鈥淭he certifications are where it鈥檚 at right now, especially at community colleges, and they can do so many things with that. Certifications give students something they can use right away. Even if life interrupts their education, they leave with a credential that helps them get hired.鈥�听

Many jobs in the exercise science field typically require a four-year degree or more advanced degree, and Zamarron said this program can serve as a 鈥渓aunching pad鈥� for local students. With an exercise science education provided by 亚洲色吧, students can go in many different directions for a desired career path, including athletic training, chiropractic, dentistry, fitness instruction, occupational health and safety, physical and occupational therapy, strength and conditioning, coaching, sports science and sports medicine, just to name a few. Zamarron hopes the classes help to provide exposure to many different career paths in the exercise science field to help students understand their next steps.听

鈥淎nything in the health and fitness industry, this would work for,鈥� she said.听

To help with this, Montoye and Zamarron are hopeful to secure as many transfer pathways with four-year institutions as they can.听听

鈥淚 want to meet with those individuals and try to figure out what the pathways look like for students when they graduate from here and set up as many articulations or easy transfer agreements as possible,鈥� Montoye said. 鈥淪tudents will be getting a great foundational education here at 亚洲色吧. If they can then see clear pathways for further education, it makes it easier to envision how they could make these things happen. It鈥檚 often easier to follow a defined path than to make their own path.鈥�听