Department of Kinesiology

The Department of Kinesiology features three academic programs: exercise science, athletic training, and sport and recreational leadership. In each of these areas of study, students begin working in their field well before they graduate. Athletic training students participate in clinical experiences with sports teams on campus and at allied healthcare facilities.

Exercise science students serve the AU community by working as personal trainers for faculty and staff and by developing strength training and conditioning plans for athletic teams. Students in the Department of Kinesiology benefit from the up-to-date and state-of-the-art facilities and equipment at the Kardatzke Wellness Center.

Some graduates from AU’s kinesiology programs go on to study in prestigious graduate schools across the country or obtain jobs at universities, while others go on to careers in orthopedic centers, with professional sports teams, or as teachers in public and private school systems.

• Iota Tau Alpha, Athletic Training Honor Society
• ATSA, Athletic Training Student Association
• Phi Epsilon Kappa, Physical Education Honor Society

Built in 1972, Bennett Natatorium is a six-lane 25-yard pool. The pool is used for many physical education classes. Classes include the aquatic section of the Liberal Arts Fit for Life class, beginning swimming, and intermediate swimming, American Red Cross Lifeguarding, American Red Cross Lifeguarding Instructor, American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, Pool/Spa Administrator, and Scuba. There are also multiple lap swim times throughout the week, as well as Water Aerobics. Intramurals hosts events in the pool during the year as well.

R. Glenn and Berny Falls Fitness Center has 6,300 square feet and includes stacks and plate-loaded weights. The cardio room includes treadmills, stationary bicycles, stair climbers, elliptical machines, and a versa climber. The upstairs walking/jogging track is available for people with simpler exercise tastes. The cardio and weight-training stations feature four television sets for people who crave entertainment while they exercise.

The Bill and Gloria Gaither Sports Medicine Center is a 5,800 square-foot facility dedicated to sports medicine. The Sports Medicine Center is utilized for injury care, rehabilitation, taping, and academic instruction. An auxiliary training room is also available now for visiting teams.

Anderson University is one of the few universities in the nation to have their own Swim Ex. The Swim Ex is a rehabilitation pool that uses varying depth and amounts of water current to provide resistance to rehabilitation exercises and a variety of other rehabilitation devices.

The Lester and Marguerite Hardacre Human Performance Center opened up a new major for Anderson University students—exercise science. In the 1,950-square-foot lab, students can determine body density in the hydrostatic weighing tank, measure aerobic fitness using a metabolic cart, and improve a golfer’s swing with the kinematic analysis system. Complete technology is available to analyze data, from cholesterol screenings to stress tests. And the subjects for these tests will be Anderson University students, faculty and staff concerned about their own health and fitness

The J. Willard and Virginia E. Reardon Wellness Education Center more than doubles the number of classrooms for the Department of Kinesiology, leaving ample space for wellness workshops or health fairs. A Healthy Eating Kitchen provides space for cooking workshops on healthy snacks, seasoning food or Mediterranean cuisine.

The Tom and Sch’ree Ward Fieldhouse is a multipurpose fieldhouse that features four regulation basketball courts, a 200-meter regulation indoor running track, a drop-down batting cage and, on the upper level, a 355-meter indoor walking/jogging track.

The 200-meter indoor competition track is a Mondo surface with six 36-inch lanes around the oval and eight 42-inch lanes for hurdles in the straightaway. Anderson University is the only school in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference to have an indoor competition track.

With the addition of the fieldhouse, the Campus Activities Board redesigned an intramural program mirroring programs found at large universities. This facility allows for expanded and consistent intramural programming, which previously needed to be arranged around intercollegiate athletic activities and the weather. Instead of five intramural programs, there will be 20, including the addition of indoor floor hockey and indoor soccer.

In addition to all of the scheduled activities in the Ward Fieldhouse, the university is committed to always keep one track and one court open to students, faculty, and staff who want to stop by for a quick game of basketball with friends or a brisk walk around the track.