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Message from the Chair

Welcome to EXSS!

On behalf of the faculty and staff in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, I would like to welcome all of our new and returning students back to campus.  We are excited to have you in our classrooms and labs and look forward to another great year!

In January 2014 we embarked on a new strategic plan for EXSS. Since this time our faculty has been working to achieve our primary goal to increase the public impact of Exercise and Sport Science (#EXSSimpact). To achieve this goal we’ve worked to meet 3 main objectives

  • Maintain a high-level of academic quality and achievement and strive to be the role model for our peers in providing the best educational experiences
  • Increase the impact of research conducted by EXSS faculty and students by increasing external funding to support these research efforts
  • Better inform our students, colleagues, and the general public about the various ways EXSS impacts society

We have various metrics that help to evaluate our progress in each of these areas. It’s amazing to see the progress our department has made. Below are a few key metrics that highlight our EXSS impact during the 2015-16 academic year

  • 307 graduates, largest graduating class in EXSS history(89% increase over 10 years)
  • 95% of undergraduate and graduate students complete their degree on time
  • >90% of undergraduate and graduate students agree/strongly agree that they are well prepared, receive excellent knowledge, and have a solid foundation moving forward
  • 8 fold increase in external research funding since 2013-14
  • 95% of faculty implement high impact and/or experiential learning activitiesEXSS-2015-16-Annual-Report-Final-crop
  • 85 undergraduate students participated in mentored research
  • Number of publications and presentations by faculty / students remain high

A summary of our EXSS Impact can be seen in the infographic “Strategic Plan Update: Summary of Progress from 2013 to 2016.” Specific details can be seen in our departmental annual report.

We are looking forward to another impact filled year in our classrooms and laboratories. To stay up to date on EXSS News I would encourage everyone to follow us on Facebook (uncexss) and Instagram (@uncexss), like us on Twitter (@uncexss), and subscribe to email updates from our departmental blog (uncexss.wordpress.com). We have a plan to regularly share the latest in EXSS news and events through these various social media sites. We are committed to keeping our students and alumni informed, so please send us any great stories or happenings. Feel free to email me directly (dpadua@email.unc.edu) with any information you think would be good to share with our faculty, students and alumni.

I am excited to see all of the impactful accomplishments our faculty and students will achieve this year and look forward to sharing these achievements with you. Let’s make this another year to remember and make an #EXSSimpact!

 

Sincerely,

Darin A. Padua, PhD, ATC