Mercer Times

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) has been recognized by the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) program for fostering a culture of wellness on its campus. TCNJ is among 145 universities and colleges worldwide to receive this honor, earning a silver-level designation for involving students, faculty, and staff in educational initiatives and incorporating exercise into daily campus life.

"The goal of the EIM program in general is to engage in activities that would benefit people’s health including lowering body weight, body fat, blood pressure, and blood variables like cholesterol," stated Jill Bush, a kinesiology and health sciences professor and director of the EIM program at TCNJ. "We aim to engage young people in a lifelong journey to be physically active."

Exercise is Medicine is an initiative by the American College of Sports Medicine that encourages academic institutions to promote physical activity as an essential aspect of health. It calls for collaboration among faculty, staff, and students to enhance the well-being of the campus community.

Professor Bush collaborates with her students on various projects, such as educating athletes from the New Jersey Special Olympics about nutrition, hydration, and exercise. She also initiated the KHS Semester Challenge where students undergo clinical assessments like body fat analysis, muscle strength evaluation, flexibility tests, resting heart rate measurement, blood pressure checks, and body weight tracking.

"The KHS Challenge is very personal to me as it arose following my last yearly physical where my doctor was not particularly happy with my blood variables like cholesterol and blood pressure," Bush explained. "I told the KHS students my personal story and the journey that I wanted to take this semester and asked if they wanted to join me. At first, I thought maybe 20 students would join but we have 104 students enrolled in the challenge."

KHS students are also involved in organizing events such as the annual campus Wellness Expo and activities at the outdoor Fitness Court.

The college will be officially acknowledged with the silver status honor on May 29 at the EIM recognition ceremony during ACSM's Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.