Grace, Manchester Colleges Enter Athletic Training Program Partnership
Posted
Staff Report-
WINONA LAKE – On April 4, representatives from Grace College and Manchester College attended a luncheon to formalize a partnership between the schools.
The partnership will allow students who graduate from Grace College with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science to continue their education at Manchester College in the Master of Athletic Training program. Students who take advantage of the three-year accelerated program at Grace will be able to graduate and enter the workforce in only five years.
The agreement is taking advantage of programs at each school – the new bachelor’s degree in exercise science at Grace, debuting this fall, and the MAT at Manchester, which began in summer 2010.
Manchester’s Master of Athletic Training program affords students practical, hands-on experience that prepares them for jobs in secondary schools, colleges and universities, hospitals and clinics, fitness and recreation centers, business and industry and with professional sports teams. This format will work especially well with Grace graduates, who will have completed their undergraduate degree with 12 hours of applied learning credits. It is anticipated that Grace College will become a Clinical Athletic Training Site for the MAT program.
The MAT program is a full-time two-year program designed for students whose bachelor’s degrees are in other disciplines, which promotes diversity and enhanced versatility within the athletic training profession. The MAT program had an accreditation site visit in February and accreditation is anticipated this summer. Only graduates of accredited programs are eligible to take the BOC examination for certification as an athletic trainer.
Dr. Glenn Sharfman, vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Mark Huntington, program director, Graduate Athletic Training Education; and Jeff Beer, program director for Undergraduate Athletic Training Education, represented Manchester College at the luncheon.
Dr. William Katip, provost; Dr. Jeffrey Fawcett, dean of the School of Business; and Dr. Darrell Johnson, director for the Sport Management Program, represented Grace College.
The representatives agreed that the partnership is an exciting opportunity for both the schools and the students involved.
“This is a great opportunity for Grace to offer an option in athletic training. The master’s program at Manchester College is a quality program, and I am happy to send our students there to further their education. Dr. Huntington and I are both pleased with the opportunities this cooperative program affords students at both institutions. This program opens a new academic area for Grace College sport management majors,” Johnson said.
