Thoughts from the Program Director

It is the fall semester and student-athletes are again occupying our hallways and locker rooms. It seems just like yesterday we were sending students through graduation and watching them start new and exciting, yet uncertain futures. As a close-knit staff, we care about where our students go and how they will represent our program. That said, we have to prepare for the next group of first-year students who have chosen Manchester to focus on this great profession and degree we call athletic training. We are excited about this year and these 31 new students. Every year, we strive to recruit the best students we can and guide them in the right direction to become the most respectful, hardworking, responsible and selfless individuals they can be.

This summer I learned that we still have alums and students helping out with Special Olympics at Indiana State University, Manchester has placed some students in internships at the University of Notre Dame, and a recent graduate, Jacob Meyer, finished his first year with the Gary SouthShore RailCats baseball organization in Gary, Ind. We thank you for your support and hope to see you all very soon.

- Jeff Beer  

With Manchester’s reorganization to a four-college system, Athletic Training, as part of the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, becomes part of the newly formed College of Pharmacy, Natural and Health Sciences. The new institutional structure is designed to integrate faculty and programs more fully, help grow enrollments and focus more on student success.

The athletic training curriculum is relatively unaffected by the change. Administratively, Mark Huntington remains the department chair and graduate program director, and Jeff Beer is still the undergraduate program director.

Important changes made to Master of Athletic Training requirements

Over the past two and a half years the AT Strategic Alliance (BOC, CAATE, NATA and NATA Foundation), under the lead of NATA and CAATE, have been actively engaged in a critical examination of what the appropriate professional degree level should be to best prepare athletic trainers for an integral role in the evolving health care system.

They’ve concluded to establish the professional degree in athletic training at the master’s level. No longer will a bachelor’s degree fulfill the requirements to sit for the BOC examination. The change officially takes effect in 2022.

Manchester has positioned itself well to adjust to the change, rolling out an entry level Master of Athletic Training program in 2010, and with great success. 100 percent of graduates from the program have passed the BOC exam on the first attempt. Applications are strong and accreditation status is solid.

Join us at Homecoming

Please join athletic training alumni, students and families at our annual cookout during Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. This is a come-and-go event starting at 10:30 a.m., so drop by, see old friends, meet current students and, if you haven’t seen it in a while, check out our athletic training room. RSVP to Jeff Beer at jabeer@manchester.edu. if you plan to attend and include how many will be in your party.

MU/Parkview Symposium brings students and professionals together

The inaugural Northeast Indiana Sports Medicine Symposium, a collaboration between Manchester University and Parkview Hospital, was a huge success! Held April 25 and 26 at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation in Fort Wayne, the event drew more than 200 attendees that included athletic trainers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, physicians and surgeons. Along with giving MU AT students an opportunity to experience professional presentations and a great networking opportunity, the symposium raised more than $2,800 for their continued professional development.

Save the date for next year’s event, March 18-20, also at Mirro Center. If you’re interested in participating as a speaker, contact event organizer Jeff Beer at jabeer@manchester.edu with your proposed topic.

Meet our new MAT students

Our 2015-2016 cohort of MAT students represents diverse backgrounds and how Manchester’s excellent reputation in athletic training is reaching beyond Indiana’s boundaries.

Graduated and Certified!

These 2015-2016 graduates have successfully passed the BOC exam. Listed with their current positions:

• Shelby Morphew, ATC, BSU sport psychology
• Zac Cowell, ATC, Working toward physical therapy school
• Mark Sexton, ATC, Trine PT
• Amanda Toney, ATC, Indiana Physical Therapy (Industrial focused ATC)
• Ronkeshia Howard, ATC, Select Medical
• Andrea Sherva, ATC, Parkview Sports Medicine (Indiana Tech University)
• Brent Beck, ATC, ATC at Grace College in Warsaw, Ind.
• Demetria Fleming, ATC
• Nicole Junk, ATC, ATC with Integrated Physical Medicine in Joliet, Ill.
• Kylee Ort, ATC, Working as an ATC through Saint Francis Hospital in Indianapolis. Currently working at Greenwood Christian Academy and covering football at Howe High School
• Lindsey Stiffler, ATC, Working PRN for Methodist Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. Currently at North Central High School and Fall Creek Junior High.
• Maritza Chavez, ATC, ATC/Physician Extender at Goshen Orthopedics/IU Health Goshen. Outreach as well to both Goshen and Concord High Schools
  
  

2015-2016 Athletic Training Faculty and Staff

Jeffrey Beer: Undergraduate Program Director / Women’s Basketball
Mark Huntington: Graduate Program Director / Department Chair / Cross Country
Erin Foreman: Head Athletic Trainer / Football
Zach Dougal: Clinical Coordinator / Women’s Soccer & Baseball
Jennifer Beer: Instructor / Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, Softball
Joe McCudden: Instructor / Men’s Soccer, Wrestling, Track and Field

Connect with us!

To contact us, email Jeff Beer at jabeer@manchester.edu.