HPU Earns ‘Silver’ Five Consecutive Years for Wellness Culture on Campus
High Point University is one of only 149 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine® for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. Pictured are HPU students exercising by playing volleyball outside the Slane Student Center.
HIGH POINT, N.C., June 15, 2023 – High Point University is one of only 149 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine® for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus.
HPU earned a silver level recognition for the fifth consecutive year from Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) through its ongoing programs in the departments of Campus Recreation, Exercise Science and Employee Wellness. The campuses were recognized June 1 as part of the Exercise is Medicine World Congress, held in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting.
“This recognition acknowledges HPU’s innovation and collaboration within our university and the wider community to foster a culture of wellness,” said Dr. Kevin Ford, dean of the Congdon School of Health Sciences. “Exercise is a powerful tool that has the potential not only to help prevent and manage chronic disease, but to enhance both physical and mental well-being for all. I am proud of our faculty, staff and students for their dedication and hard work in service to this important initiative.”
EIM-OC calls on universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages faculty, staff and students to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community.
“By integrating the Exercise is Medicine initiative into our campus culture, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering a healthy campus environment that transcends traditional boundaries of academia and ensures that our students are equipped with the tools to embrace an active lifestyle as a catalyst for lifelong well-being,” said Kimberly Reich, associate professor of exercise science and HPU’s Exercise is Medicine on Campus Leadership Team supervisor.
Examples of HPU activities that earned silver recognition:
- Partnered with Counseling Services to promote mental health benefits of physical activity
- Ongoing offerings from Employee Wellness and HPU Recreation to provide education and opportunities for campus members to engage in fun and convenient physical activity
- Exercise Science Club partnered with Employee Wellness to organize a 5K walk/run benefiting D-Up, a local nonprofit that promotes physical activity and healthy nutrition for children and their families in High Point and Guilford County
- Students in the Exercise Science department service-learning class and the Exercise Science Club volunteered in D-Up’s afterschool program to promote physical activity
“We are thrilled to recognize High Point University’s commitment to make movement a part of daily campus culture and give students the tools to cultivate physical activity habits that will benefit them throughout their lives,” said Robyn Stuhr, vice president of Exercise is Medicine. “HPU and other campus programs recognized by EIM-OC are nurturing future leaders who will advance a key tenet of Exercise is Medicine: Making physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in health care.”
EIM-OC launched its recognition program in 2014 to honor campuses for creating a culture of wellness. HPU earned bronze-level recognition in 2018 and has been a silver-level campus since 2019. Silver campuses engage students, faculty and staff in education initiatives and make movement part of the daily campus culture. For more about the EIM-OC recognition program, visit this website.