Over the summer, the McNeese State University Department of Health and Human Performance was renamed the H.C. Drew School of Kinesiology.

The school hosted a media open house Thursday to tour the labs in the McNeese Legacy Center and discuss the slate of programs the School of Kinesiology offers.

Courtney Hebert, associate professor and co-department head, said that when traveling to conferences, preview days and career fairs to recruit, she and her staff realized that only one other college in Louisiana used “Health and Human Performance” as a department name.

“At least twice per fair we would hear, ‘I don’t know what health and human performance is,’” she explained.  “We felt like, as a team, kinesiology was a better fit for our program and would also allow us, so to say, compete with our other universities.”

Angel Ogea, dean, Burton College of Education (which houses the School of Kinesiology), said the program is committed to “developing graduates fully prepared for their careers and who positively influence the communities in which they serve by supporting success, health and well-being of all.”

Data from a survey conducted by the school on 2024 graduating seniors revealed that every student who applied to a master’s program or professional school was accepted.

“We’re proud of that,” said Habert. “That is a testament to our faculty. That is a testament to our community service members. That is a testament to our students.”

The school also saw gains in enrollment. From fall 2023 to fall 2024 enrollment in undergraduate-level programs increased enrollment by 3.8 percent and in graduate-level by 27.6 percent.

The School of Kinesiology offers several bachelor’s degrees, ranging from a general curriculum to hyper-specialized classes.

Hargrave, associate professor and co-department head, said the school has four preparatory programs that provide students with all the prerequisites they need to qualify for post-graduate programs and specialty classes to arm them with an educational edge.

They are pre-physical therapy, pre-occupational therapy, pre-chiropractic medicine and pre-orthopedic physician assistant studies (the most recent addition).

“Each program is tailored to get those students qualified for professional schools.”

Grant Gregory is a fifth-year senior who switched his major to pre-physical therapy two and a half years ago, because he “fell in love with fitness and how the body works.”

His time in the program has been “incredible,” and he feels his education has been elevated by a “personal touch.”

“Once I got the basic classes out of the way, I started getting more involved with my professors,” he said. “So I’ve been able to train with one of my professors. We are able to have a really good one-on-one relationship … it really helps me to get a more in-depth education.”

The school offers a general path with the health performance studies degree, and two job-ready degree plans: sports and wellness management, and health and physical education K-12. Students can also choose from two minors, sports medicine and coaching.

Hargrave said the school offers internships for every concentration to ensure students get hands-on experience before they graduate. For Gregory, this has been a vital accompaniment to his education.

“It’s incredible to be able to get that, to get in the field that you’re pursuing to see if you want to do that or switch to something more training-based, or medical-based.”

Outside of the classroom, the school has a physical medical society designed to let students develop peer fellowship and meet professionals, Hargrave said.

Gregory said the sense of community has been beneficial.

“It’s a really good chance to meet a lot of like-minded individuals and also see professionals in their field, and how they practice and what they do.”

The School of Kinesiology is hosting a recruiting event from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on November 13 in the Legacy Center. The “T3 Summit: Train. Teach. Treat” will be open to any high school student interested in kinesiology-related professional pathways or careers.