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 our new and returning students to campus for the 2024-2025 Academic Year. We are excited to have you in our classrooms and labs, and look forward to another great year!
We are also excited to welcome two new faculty to the EXSS team, Drs. Jessica Murfree and Derek Monroe. These individuals bring new research and teaching expertise to the Department, and are certain to have an immediate impact on students and faculty.
In Fall 2024 we are thrilled to be launching a new Bachelor of Science (BS) degree that will prepare students for careers in health sciences including medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, physician assistant, and nutrition, among others. Students will be trained to understand data driven strategies to address major societal problems, including musculoskeletal injury and disease and chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, neurocognitive decline) linked to sedentary behavior and poor dietary habits. We will also be developing plans to expand and innovate our graduate curriculum offerings.
Exercise & Sport Science programs at American universities have grown roughly 75% nationally over the last decade, and we are now one of the largest majors at Carolina. This growth has afforded opportunities to enhance both our education and research missions. Highlights from Academic Year 2023-2024 include:
• 1,344 declared and intended majors
• 399 graduates
• 5-year annual average of ~$4 million in extramural research funding (increase of 71% vs. 2019)
• Faculty and graduate students received 3 University-wide teaching awards
• Faculty received 5 national research awards and fellowships and contributed to numerous research efforts and expert panels around the world
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 like us on Twitter (@uncexss). 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 (troyb@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,
Troy Blackburn, PhD, ATC