Mission and Goals

"MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO" (a sound mind in a sound body) is the motto that was engraved on C. K. Preus Gymnasium, 1926-1961. Currently, the motto is displayed in the lobby of the Regents Center and it continues to express the mission of the Health and Physical Education Department at Luther College. As an academic department within a Christian college of the liberal arts, we are dedicated to providing an education that brings discipline to mind and body in the pursuit of knowledge and in the development of a healthy lifestyle. A central and unifying mission for the department is to promote the value of regular physical exercise as a means of enhancing health.

The Health and Physical Education Department is committed to providing students with an instructional program of high quality that involves the discovery, interpretation, transmission and application of knowledge related to the disciplines within the department. We seek to provide experiences for students that will help them develop as whole persons who will be able to confront and evaluate our changing society.

The goals of the Health and Physical Education Department are:

• To provide an excellent undergraduate program that effectively prepares students for graduate school;
• To provide an excellent undergraduate program that effectively prepares students to enter a professional career in teaching/coaching, athletic training, and other health or exercise science related fields;
• To facilitate student-faculty research;
• To provide skills classes that lead to the acquisition of essential knowledge and that foster improved personal fitness;
• To provide skills classes that enhance performance of skills (lifetime sports) and increase the enjoyment of physical activity;
• To prepare students with a sense of vocation who will provide leadership and service to their communities; and
• To provide mentoring which promotes life-long learning and the appreciation of a healthy lifestyle.