Awards and Recognition

BGSU is an Exercise is Medicine® 2022 Gold Campus

Bowling Green State University is one of only 156 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine® for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. Bowling Green State University’s referral program between the Counseling Center and Campus Recreation Center helped Bowling Green State University earn Gold level designation from the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) program.

“We are thrilled to recognize these campuses’ 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. “These campus programs 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.”

Bowling Green’s referral program between the BGSU Counseling Center and BGSU Campus Recreation Center offers students who utilize counseling services the opportunity to be referred to exercise professionals at the Campus Recreation Center. This gives students the opportunity to choose activities they would like to engage in like Personal Training, Group Exercise, and using the Climbing Wall. This partnership between the Counseling Center and Campus Recreation helped BGSU earn Gold status for the third year in a row! Additional programs offered last year that were also recognized included the THRIVE Program, Move 4 Your Mood, 4D Falcons Wellness Program, the Well-O-Ween Walk, the Move with Confidence Program, Falcon Fitness Challenge, Fitness Assessments with the Silver Sneakers, the Exercise Science/Kinesiology partnership with the Air Force ROTC Detachment, and the Exercise Science Lab Services Program.

Details About the 2022 Exercise is Medicine Awards

Of the 156 campuses recognized this year, 73 received gold, 60 silver and 23 bronze. All gold, silver and bronze universities and colleges will be officially recognized on June 1 as part of the 2022 Exercise is Medicine World Congress, held in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting.

EIM-OC calls upon 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.

Details About the 2022 Exercise is Medicine Awards

EIM-OC launched its recognition program in 2014 to honor campuses for their efforts to create a culture of wellness. Schools earn gold, silver or bronze status based on their activities. Gold level campuses have created a referral system where campus health care providers assess student physical activity and refer students as necessary to a certified fitness professional as part of

medical treatment. Silver campuses engage students, faculty and staff in education initiatives and make movement part of the daily campus culture while bronze level campuses promote and generate awareness of the health benefits of physical activity.

View a complete list of recognized schools and learn more about the EIM-OC program at https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/support_page.php/eim-on-campus/.

About Exercise Is Medicine

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) co-launched Exercise is Medicine® (EIM) in 2007 with the American Medical Association. ACSM continues to manage the global health initiative, which seeks to make physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in clinical care, connecting health care with evidence-based physical activity resources for people everywhere of all abilities. EIM is committed to the belief that physical activity promotes optimal health, is integral in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions and should be regularly assessed and included as part of health care. Visit www.ExerciseisMedicine.org for additional information.

About the American College of Sports Medicine

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. More details at www.acsm.org

The HealthLead™ USHealthiest Accreditation Programs recognize organizations that demonstrate best practices in health management and well-being.  HealthLead™ is designed to set the standard for workplace and campus health management by expanding the definition and breadth of health to include integrated well-being support services and engagement and leadership in community health issues. HealthLead™ helps organizations learn and continue to improve the quality of delivered services.

The American Heart Association’s Fit-Friendly program recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of health in the workplace. Karyn Smith, BGSU Health Educator, was recognized for her WellAware programming with the AHA gold plaque for 2013-2014 for meeting the criteria for employee wellness.  

Congratulations Karyn Smith, in collaboration with Daria Blachowski-Dreyer, Dining, and Chris Haar, Family & Consumer Sciences, for receiving 2nd place for their Eat Right For Life poster and presentation at the Building Healthy Academic Communities National Summit took place on April 22-23 at Ohio State University.

Professional organizations and academic representatives from 90 universities and colleges across the country interested in improving health and wellness in academic communities participated. Representatives worked together to stimulate solutions and the sharing of best practices to promote population health and wellness at our nation’s institutions of higher education.

Updated: 08/10/2022 08:27AM