In this month’s missive from a member of the University’s leadership team, Director of Athletics, Fitness, and Recreation Julie A. Davis shares her perspective on the impact programming in her purview makes on students, UMF, and our host community.
Dear Alumni and Friends,
As the Director of Athletics, Fitness, and Recreation, I lead a team of leaders — coaches, yes, but also program coordinators, instructors, health-care providers, and mentors. Because of the broad reach of the programs within my purview, I have a unique perspective on how we contribute to and strengthen the larger University community through our activities and instruction.
“We teach and provide opportunities for student-athletes to develop and test life skills that will serve them in work and their relationships so they may survive, thrive, and contribute to society beyond graduation,” says Director of Athletics, Fitness, and Recreation Julie A. Davis. (Photo by Marc Glass.)
The foundation of our program delivery — promoting the health, well-being and holistic development of students — is as strong as ever. At the same time, how we do this with intention is constantly changing through the cycle of assessment, reflection, goal-setting, and application.
The staff in both Athletics and Fitness and Recreation programs start each year affirming goals and values that serve the larger University. As educators in the field, we keep instruction through experience and the overall success of students — in and out of the classroom — at the forefront of what informs our practice.
On the Athletics front, we entered the fall 2019 semester buoyed by the University’s support for transitioning Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track to NCAA Division III status. This was the next step in a strategic plan to attract more college-going high school students to UMF through expanded Athletics offerings. The elevation of the indoor program from club to varsity status complemented UMF’s previous addition of an NCAA Outdoor Track and Field program and the intentional investment and growth in our USCSA Snow Sports program that encompasses competitive teams in Alpine and Nordic ski racing as well as Riding (both race and freestyle).
Student-athletes at UMF now make up about 16 percent of the full-time undergraduate enrollment and contribute positively to the success of the University in myriad ways. Our student-athletes are well distributed across all majors, with the largest portion pursuing degrees and teacher certification in some area of Education. As ever, varsity athletics and teacher preparation remain closely linked at UMF. Our student-athletes also have a strong showing in Business Economics and the Natural Sciences.
Many of our student-athletes also pursue a minor in Coaching at UMF so that they may share their passion for their sport with future generations of student-athletes. As the coordinator of and an instructor within the Coaching minor at UMF, I’m joined by others in Athletics, the Fitness and Recreation Center, and our Alpine Operations program in helping some 80 students develop coaching skills and earn their coaching certification. UMF is proud to have many alumni serving as successful coaches at every level across the state and beyond. The next time you read about a high school coach who is leading a conference- or state championship-winning team, chances are good that individual is a UMF graduate.
Given their significantly higher persistence and graduation rates, our varsity student-athletes bolster our enrollment (a key driver of the University’s fiscal strength) and the overall graduation success rate at UMF. The vast majority of student-athletes at UMF also work on campus, contributing to the operation and productivity of many administrative offices and academic departments, including the Fitness and Recreation Center.
Our student-athletes also make significant contributions to the student life experience at UMF and to our host community. All teams at UMF are involved in some form of community service, ranging from leading peer-to-peer bystander intervention training and implementing youth sport clinics to helping at events like the Dempsey Challenge and volunteering with the Special Olympics. The entire Athletics program participates in an annual food drive associated with our year-end recognition event. Doing good in our neighborhood has long been an important part of our culture. We urge the student-athletes to identify areas of interest to them and then they run with it. We aim to instill the values of giving back, paying it forward, and humility as we pursue competitive excellence.
Through it all, we teach and provide opportunities for student-athletes to develop and test life skills that will serve them in work and their relationships so they may survive, thrive, and contribute to society beyond graduation. These intentions and learning outcomes are affirmed daily. “Beaver Pride” doesn’t just happen. We plant the seeds and help them grow.
Meanwhile, the Fitness and Recreation Center continues to grow the ways it fosters parallel and complementary goals in its own right for students and the community, through health, fitness and recreational programs and opportunities. The FRC enjoyed a significant late summer enhancement with some repairs and upgrades, including a new recreational surface for the entire fieldhouse. The new surface restores the original cushion and traction, plus the new color and fresh lines make the space more vibrant. Area pickleball enthusiasts will be pleased to know we have added game lines to support participation in this lifetime sport that’s gaining popularity among students, faculty, staff and the larger community.
The FRC professional staff, assisted by the largest student workforce on campus, continues to offer and develop programs that serve every age group in our host community. We train student teaching assistants to lead other students in achieving personal health and fitness goals, and to introduce students to the facility and programs through our first-year physical activity requirement. Other students lead a broad range of intramural programs, teach group fitness and/or swim lessons, work as lifeguards, help with upkeep of the facility and equipment, and provide membership services.
The professional and student staff at the FRC also constitute the largest provider of Red Cross Certification in the region and have served as the primary outsource provider for lifeguard training for camps and waterfronts well beyond Franklin County. Youth programming and senior citizen access to the FRC continue to grow, with more and more members taking advantage of personal training offerings.
Through Mainely Outdoors, recreational programming has become a mainstay at UMF and our offerings expands with each new piece of rental or loaner equipment. And in partnership with our Alpine Operations program, UMF students and staff are continuing the strong tradition of running learn-to-ski programs for youth and adults at nearby Titcomb Mountain.
In total, the combination of UMF’s Athletics, Coaching, and Fitness and Recreation programming offers rich and applied learning experiences for students as participants and staff. The socialization, stress relief and other health and fitness outcomes benefit students in every way and provide a vital complement to their education and personal development.
This coming year, I invite you to experience the significance and scope of our programming by attending our athletic competitions at home or away and by accessing the broad range of fitness and recreation offerings available at the FRC and Mainely Outdoors. And if you are unable to attend one of our contests, you’ll find scores, statistics, and game summaries available online at athletics.umf.maine.edu.
Go BEAVERS!!
Julie A. Davis
Director of Athletics, Fitness, and Recreation
Julie A. Davis has served as UMF’s Director of Athletics since 2000 and the Director of Athletics, Fitness, and Recreation since 2006. She also serves the University as coordinator of and an instructor within the Coaching minor. She is a cum laude graduate of Bethany College in Bethany, W.Va., where she earned a bachelor’s in elementary education and physical education. She later earned a master’s in exercise science at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., and completed her doctoral studies in athletic administration and physical education at the University of Iowa. At UMF, she has sparked and overseen tremendous growth across the athletics, fitness and recreation spectrum, including the addition of sports, staff, fitness, and recreational programs, as well as renovations of facilities. She has held several leadership offices for the North Atlantic Conference, including past president and current Senior Woman Administrator, and has served on the national NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics. In 2010, she was named the NACWAA–NCAA Division III Athletic Director of the Year.