The Ithaca College exercise science major joined just 17 other programs nationwide to have an accredited concentration in strength and conditioning for performance and wellness.
In New York state it is the second program to have a certified concentration after SUNY Brockport’s program was accredited in summer 2024. The accreditation comes from the Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE), which is a program led by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
David Diggin, associate professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Athletic Training and the program director of the strength and conditioning concentration, said the program is on the rise with its newly recognized status.
“It’s really exciting to be leading a program that is nationally recognized,” Diggin said. “The idea is to standardize the education process for strength and conditioning coaches. Prior to this, we didn’t really have standards that would do that and that meant a lot of students were coming home with a variety of different experiences. Now we’re standardizing that process and suggesting that this needs to be at a higher level than it was before.”
Diggin said the recent transformations to the exercise science major will help its students excel within their career paths, emphasizing the build-up to the program’s current phase.
“I’ve been a key part in reformulating and repackaging the program to create what we have right now,” Diggin said. “[Students are] really well-prepared when they leave to move on to the next stage of whatever their careers are.”
Despite its efforts, the department was missing one key instructor, a field experience coordinator, in order to earn the accreditation status. Diggin said the search began in 2023, accommodating for curriculum changes including faculty retirements and budget restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a year-long search, the college hired Sam Grattan ’22 at the start of Fall 2024 to fill the role.
Christina Moylan, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, who was not the dean when the process began, said the development gained traction approximately five years ago.
“I started in the dean role last July and this was already underway at that point,” Moylan said. “ It was something that was beginning to percolate a little bit at that point, especially when there’s movement in the profession toward requiring accreditation.”
By 2030, students will need to have graduated from an accredited strength and conditioning program in order to sit for the national certification exam. Moylan said the move for accreditation was justified as the field moves toward including it as a requirement for students to sit for their exams.
“I think given that, that would have been a huge factor in the dean making the decision that it made sense for us to go ahead and pursue this,” Moylan said. “It would make sense that we would want to be an accredited program before then so our students can actually sit for that certification exam.”
Donte Garcia ’23, assistant strength and conditioning coach at the college, returned after previously working with Diggin as a student. Garcia said students currently enrolled in the concentration are set up for success with Diggin and the other professors in the department.
“The concentration prepared me very well for the CSCS exam and last summer I took the exam and did well on it,” Garcia said. “Even going into my graduate year, I felt really confident in my content knowledge. Dr. Diggin prepares the students very well and it’s a great department that really prepares you for not only the certification exam, but the practical knowledge that helps you to build a lot of confidence.”
Andrew Parker, assistant director of athletics for sports performance at the college, said the collaboration between academics and athletics provides a huge boost to not only the students, but the coaches, professors and athletes.
“It shows we’re one of the best in the country when it comes to the education program within exercise science and strength and conditioning specifically,” Parker said. “It’s an awesome opportunity to collaborate [within our program] and learn from one another and I think it’s only going to help from the academic side of things.”
Parker, who joined the college back in June, is from upstate New York. He said he was keeping tabs on any job openings within the strength and conditioning program at Ithaca College. In the spring, Parker capitalized on that opportunity, returning home after previously working at Lake Forest College in Illinois and Hartwick College in New York as the head strength and conditioning coach for both institutions.
“Ithaca College was one of a very short list of institutions if they had ever called and had the potential for a job opening in the strength and conditioning department,” Parker said. “I am blessed that it worked out the way that it did and it was an absolute no-brainer if given the opportunity.”
Diggins said the accreditation process will only further a program that focuses so much on hands-on learning.
“We’re adapting to provide the students with the knowledge, skills and abilities that they need to succeed in the field,” Diggins said. “You know, they can go a bunch of different directions… In all of our classes where we teach the students the foundational knowledge, we give them opportunities to practice the skills. Then we give them opportunities through internships and other field experiences to actually practice hands-on with our athletes, so by the time they graduate from here, they’re coming out at a really high level.”
