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Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology
Strategic Plan
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology is to:
 Provide students with an outstanding educational experience that prepares them for
careers in the health professions or health sciences, and
 Conduct research that addresses important issues related to human health.
VISION STATEMENTS:
1. Maintain high quality academic programs.
2. Continue building toward national and international recognition for excellence in
research and scholarship.
3. Develop ongoing international partnerships to extend and enrich our academic and
research profiles.
4. Promote faculty, student, and alumni engagement in concert with enhancing department
visibility and community understanding of our academic expertise.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN:
VISION STATEMENT #1
Maintain high quality academic programs.
The department offers undergraduate majors in Athletic Training and Exercise Science, with
both majors specifically designed as platforms for subsequent graduate and clinical education.
These are rigorous, competitive programs producing high quality graduates. Nearly all graduates
of these majors are gaining entrance to programs in physical or occupational therapy, medical or
dental school, physician assistant programs, or graduate school. Similarly, most graduates of our
M.S. in Exercise Science, with concentrations in Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Motor
Control, and Sports Medicine are going on for Ph.D.s.
Strategic Milestone 1A:
our academic programs.
Employ strategies to recruit high-quality, diverse students into
With nearly 400 undergraduate majors in Exercise Science and with enrollment in the Athletic
Training major restricted by the 1:8 faculty:student ratio dictated by the external accrediting
body, we do not seek to enroll more students in our undergraduate majors. However, we do seek
to increase the diversity of students enrolled in these majors.
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Action Steps
 Actively involve department faculty and recruit students in the NUCLEUS, McNair
Scholar, and summer Upward Bound programs.
 Communicate with Delaware high school guidance counselors and offer to participate in
high school career days.
 Invite visitation to the Human Performance Lab from high school student groups.
 Develop brochures and/or posters to promote our undergraduate and graduate programs.
Success Statements
 Success will be determined by increasing the number of undergraduate student majors
who are members of minority groups.
Strategic Milestone 1B: Enhance the range of opportunities for undergraduate student
enrichment and advancement experiences within our curricula.
Although the success of our graduates is testament to the high quality of our existing academic
programs, we propose the following initiatives to provide even better educational opportunities
for our student majors, as well as for students in other majors across the university who may
have an interest in one or more of our courses.
Action Steps
 Develop strategies to better promote and organize student enrollments in HESC485:
Research in Exercise Science.
 Develop one or more certificate programs.
 Increase on-line course offerings where appropriate.
 Expand HESC205: Freshman Seminar in Exercise Science from 1 to 3 credits to include
some introductory research methods content and additional career path guidance.
 Review the undergraduate major requirements for currency and overlap.
 Propose and implement a minor in Exercise Science.
 Pursue development of a course meeting university criteria for a science breadth
requirement to include a component on health and the environment, among other major
topics.
 Capture and develop spaces for dedicated teaching laboratories for anatomy, athletic
training, biomechanics, and exercise physiology.
Success Statements
Success will be determined by:
 Increasing student enrollments in HESC485.
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Implementation of one or more certificate programs.
Implementation of one or more on-line courses.
Gaining approval through the curriculum process to expand HESC205 form 1 to 3 credits.
Eliminating content overlap between courses.
Gaining approval through the curriculum process to launch a minor in Exercise Science.
Proposing a new course with potential to be approved as a science breadth requirement, with
the understanding that the criteria for such courses are under review.
Implementation of additional teaching laboratories.
Strategic Milestone 1C: Expand and strengthen our graduate programs.
The department offers a high quality graduate program in Exercise Science and participates in
the interdisciplinary graduate program in Biomechanics and Movement Science (BMSC). At the
Ph.D. level, however, BMSC is not an optimal vehicle for attracting high quality students
interested in physiology and not in biomechanics. As we increase the ratio of senior/junior
faculty, we also recognize that a concomitant increase in the ratio of Ph.D./master’s students will
be beneficial in enhancing the productivity of our labs.
Action Steps
 Bring the proposal for a new Ph.D. in Applied Physiology to fruition.
 Increase the number of Ph.D. students supported within the department.
Success Statements
Success will be determined by:
 Implementation of a new Ph.D. program in Applied Physiology.
 An increase in the number of Ph.D. students supported within the department.
VISION STATEMENT #2
Continue building toward national and international recognition for excellence in research
and scholarship.
We have a talented and productive group of faculty who are committed to aggressively
continuing to enhance our department’s contributions to science and the scholarly literature. We
intend to bring increasing recognition for our contributions in these areas to the department,
college, and university.
Strategic Milestone 2A:
scholarship.
Continue to develop faculty productivity in research and
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We view this as a high priority.
Action Steps
 Hire one or more high-profile professors with name recognition.
 Continue to strengthen our external funding profile.
 Increase the quantity and quality of faculty and student publications.
 Improve staff expertise in grant management support.
Success Statements
Success will be determined by:
 Hiring one or more new senior faculty.
 Increasing the number and funding levels of grants received in support of research.
 Increasing the quantity of publications coming out of our labs and increasing the average
impact factor of the journals published in.
 Hiring a staff person dedicated to grant management either within the department or within
the college.
Strategic Milestone 2B:
Promote faculty involvement in existing and developing
interdisciplinary programs and initiatives
With the clear understanding that many important research endeavors benefit from
interdisciplinary approaches, we intend to become more regularly involved in an active manner
in interdisciplinary initiatives on campus.
Action Steps
 Pursue development of one or more centers/institutes that will help bring focus and
recognition to faculty research endeavors.
 Investigate feasibility of a partnership with Intercollegiate Athletics for development of a
2-book operation for health/fitness related testing of student athletes.
 Increase faculty involvement with the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.
Success Statements
 Success will be determined by an increasing number of faculty involved in
interdisciplinary initiatives.
VISION STATEMENT #3
Develop ongoing international partnerships to extend and enrich our academic and
research profiles.
With appreciation for the expanded opportunities through international collaborations for both
education of students and research endeavors, we intend to actively pursue these.
Strategic Milestone 3A: Develop international experience opportunities for students.
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The department has been only minimally involved with international opportunities for students in
the past. We intend to begin to actively pursue these.
Action Steps
 Develop new study abroad programs.
 Explore opportunities for teaching courses or workshops at institutions abroad.
 Develop opportunities for graduate student exchanges with one or more research
laboratories or centers abroad.
Success Statements
 Success will be determined by implementation of new international educational
initiatives.
Strategic Milestone 3B: Develop international research collaborations
With the exception of Professor Jaric, we have not pursued international research collaborations
in the past. We intend to develop new international relationships that will be mutually beneficial.
Action Steps
 Invite international faculty to UD for workshops, seminars, and conferences hosted by the
department.
 Invite targeted international faculty to UD as visiting scholars.
 Pursue visitations and faculty/student exchanges with one or more targeted international
institutions.
 Increase the number of international conference presentations given by faculty to increase
our international reputation.
Success Statements
 Success will be determined by implementation of new international research
collaborations.
VISION STATEMENT #4
Promote faculty, student, and alumni engagement in concert with enhancing department
visibility and community understanding of our academic expertise.
Over the past 10 years, we have been very focused on building a critical mass of productive,
research-trained faculty in the programs to be included in this new department. With the
inception of the new department, this is an opportune time to engage in some activities aimed at
promoting better understanding of the nature of our expertise and our academic programs.
Strategic Milestone 4A: Promote informative and social interactions between alumni and
current students.
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Promoting pride in our faculty and student accomplishments will serve to enhance our
development efforts.
Action Steps
 Periodically publish a department newsletter for alumni.
 Support development of a majors club for exercise science students.
 Hold department/university socials at high profile national professional meetings.
Success Statements
Success will be determined by:
 Implementation of a department newsletter.
 Implementation of a majors club for exercise science. (Athletic Training already has an
active majors club.)
 Holding of one or more socials at national professional meetings.
Strategic Milestone 4B:
expertise.
Promote improved visibility and understanding of department
Promoting better understanding of our faculty expertise will have myriad positive spin-offs,
enhancing student recruitment efforts, as well as opportunities for faculty collaborations with
other scientists and interdisciplinary groups.
Action Steps
 Capitalize on opportunities to deliver lectures and workshops to local, state, and regional
entities on topics related to our academic expertise.
 Work with a professional web site developer to dramatically improve our web presence.
 Disseminate newsworthy accomplishments of department faculty and students to
appropriate campus and local web and publication outlets.
 Work with the Delaware Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to help achieve its goal of
placing a certified athletic trainer in every high school in the state.
Success Statements
Success will be determined by:
 Increased numbers of faculty lectures and workshops.
 Implementation of a new, dramatically improved web site for the department.
 Allocation of responsibility for dissemination of faculty and student accomplishments to
an appropriate staff member.
 Interacting with the Delaware Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to help provide
athletic training coverage in Delaware high schools.
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