Getting to Know: Health, Physical Education and Recreation

The February Q&A is with Dr. Scott Ritzen, the Health, Physical Education and Recreation department chair.

Q: What are your duties as department chair?

I have many duties, including scheduling, reporting, budget analysis, leading curricular changes and serving as a conduit for the department for information to and from campus. As a chair, I also facilitate the necessary meetings and reports from the department. In HPER, the chair must also serve as the equipment and facility coordinator to provide faculty and students with the opportunities to develop fully within the curriculum.   

Q: How much has Health, Physical Education and Recreation changed since you started at CSC?

It has changed a lot. Society has placed increased emphasis and value on being physically fit and living a healthy lifestyle. As a result of this, significant changes have been made in the Sport and Recreation Management degree with the addition of a core program and three options, the addition of the Masters of Science in Organizational Management with an emphasis in Sport Management, an increased involvement in the Essential Studies Program and continued development of Health and Physical Education curricula to stay in compliance with state and federal requirements.

Q: What do you like best about teaching at Chadron State?

The smaller size leads to more interaction with students. Collaboration takes place within departments based on that size and we have wonderful cooperation within a group of faculty and staff who have been together for a long time.

Q: What are some of the unique aspects of the HPER program?

It’s a diverse program that serves every curricular area on campus, including the teacher education program, Bachelor of Arts programs, MSOM, and the Essential Studies Program. HPER prides itself on being a service-learning program in that we host many activities and events for the community and region. In addition, we provide our junior and senior level students the opportunity to work with underclass students. This allows the more experienced students to gain practical training. This also allows younger students to learn the concept of progressing through their academic career paths from the leadership roles they receive from more experienced students.

Q: What career paths do graduates of your program generally pursue?

We have many graduates in the Health and Physical Education program who are currently teaching throughout our service region and beyond. As of late, we are producing many Sport and Recreation Management majors who are entering the workforce in a variety of areas in the fitness industry, private businesses in recreation, strength coaches and sport coaches. Another group of students from HPER are entering into graduate programs to pursue additional training as Athletic Trainers or Exercise Scientists.

Q: What student opportunities are offered in the HPER department?

The department has a philosophical belief that experience has an equal value to knowledge-based learning. We hope to provide our students with as many experiences as possible to develop the skills necessary to utilize the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom. The HPER department provides an important service to the region through the development and completion of numerous activities for all ages, from our primary schools through adult participation.

Q: Chadron State helps produce coaches every year. What is the coaching endorsement like?

The coaching endorsement serves the teacher education program and continues to produce numerous coaches throughout the service region. This program expands on the state requirements to include not only basic theories and safety and management training, but does significantly more training in the philosophical, technical and leadership aspects of coaching. Students are provided the opportunity to develop technical and tactical theories in a variety of sports as instructed by members of our current coaching staff from the athletic department. The HPER department also provides training in sports leadership in the Sport and Recreation Management program as a major or a minor. The curriculum is similar and those students who have an interest in coaching, but who will not be teaching in the public schools, can provide coaching expertise to communities and sports clubs.

Q: How big of a learning instrument is the Nelson Physical Activity Center for the HPER program?

We are fortunate to have the Nelson Physical Activity Center as a learning environment for our program. This facility, even only being 28 years old, has evolved to accommodate the needs of our students and our department. All students in the HPER program get maximum utilization of the facility based on its size, with the arena capable of serving as a number of teaching stations. The racquetball courts and cardio areas, along with the dance room and gymnastics area, are all environments that may be difficult to schedule at other institutions. However, the NPAC has its primary purpose to serve the academic programs of the campus and it serves us well.

Q: What advice would you share with high school students interested in a career in HPER?

I would tell them to be involved with as many opportunities through the department as they can. Your exposure to a variety of events and activities will help develop your skills and provide the opportunity to network for your future.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The sport and recreation management exercise science option has been recently approved as one of the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s recognized programs. The NSCA is the most prominent and reputable organization in the exercise science/fitness/strength and conditioning area. Students completing this degree will be able to sit for the national exam administered by this organization.