Students enjoying Penn State Brandywine's open space during "Footin' It Fridays," an organized nature walk on the campus' trails.
MEDIA, Pa. — The “Exercise is Medicine on Campus” program at Penn State Brandywine has been recognized as a silver-level program by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the organization that originated the Exercise is Medicine global initiative.
Brandywine is among only 153 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus.
Programs and promotions such as the mileage challenge, faculty and staff workouts, mascot challenge and other campus wellness initiatives helped Brandywine earn the silver-level designation. Brandywine also earned the "Conqueror" badge, a new honor given to campuses that demonstrated creative adaptations to physical activity programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brandywine has long invested in creating an environment that promotes physical activity and wellness to enhance the community’s overall health. The campus was first recognized by Exercise is Medicine on Campus as a bronze-level campus in February 2020. Achieving the silver level means the campus is moving beyond awareness and is actively engaging students, faculty and staff in exercise and wellness opportunities. A recent initiative is "Footin’ It Fridays," organized by the campus counseling service, which includes hikes across the campus’ extensive wooded property.
Recognized universities and colleges will be honored in June as part of the virtual Exercise is Medicine World Congress, held in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting.
“We are thrilled to recognize these campuses’ commitment to make movement a part of daily campus culture and equip students with tools to cultivate lifelong physical activity habits, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” 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.”
