Jennifer Anderson
James Brown
Dwight Burlingame
Albert William
David Wilkes
Elee Wood
Jennifer Anderson
IU School of Physical Education
Jennifer Anderson spends her days watching Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) students pedal stationary bikes, walk on treadmills and lift weights at three area high schools. And while the IU School of Education graduate oversees those efforts, she’s doing her own “training” — training those IPS students in physical fitness habits that could shape not only their bodies, but also their lives.
Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2003 and a master’s in physical education in 2005 from the School of Physical Education and Tourism Management at IUPUI. That background comes in handy in her role as the director of Fit for Life, a community-based program that links the campus to the Indianapolis area in terms of both education and health care — two of IUPUI’s core missions.
Fit for Life gives the South Bend native and IUPUI staff member an opportunity to test her skills and knowledge about health and wellness, something that she loves. But Anderson also likes having an opportunity to teach not only the IPS students, but the IUPUI physical education students who work in the fitness program as mentors. For them — and for Anderson — the program is an exciting blend of education (their own and the IPS students) and a chance to share their passion for a healthy lifestyle with impressionable youngsters.
Anderson’s program represents other partnerships, too: Fit for Life is a team effort linking Physical Education with other IUPUI-based schools, including Nursing and Medicine, plus the renowned Center for Service and Learning. The combined strengths of those schools and centers give central Indiana a strong foundation not only for the fitness program, but other health-care and lifescience initiatives.
