Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions, has appointed Bart Hammig head of the department of health, human performance and recreation.

Hammig’s appointment will take effect Jan. 1. He has been serving as interim head of the department since July 1, 2011.

“In the past year, Dr. Hammig has proven himself as a strong leader,” Smith said. “He has the strong support of the faculty and staff in his department to continue in this leadership role. He understands the direction the college is going to increase our visibility nationally. The faculty, staff and students of the health, human performance and recreation department are making strides to help address the health issues facing today’s society.”

Hammig joined the faculty of the department’s community health promotion program in 2008. He holds four degrees from the University of Kansas including a doctorate in health education and a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology. He previously taught at Missouri State University and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

“It is an exciting time for the health, human performance and recreation department,” Hammig said. “We have a cohort of new faculty who provide fresh ideas and enhance the reputation built by our experienced faculty. We have a very gifted faculty and they are a wonderful group of colleagues.”

Hammig’s department is one of the fastest growing in the college and includes the majors of kinesiology, community health promotion, and recreation and sport management, which all offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

According to preliminary figures from the office of institutional research, the department’s student enrollment for this fall was 1,422 students, which was 1,213 undergraduates and 209 graduate students. Last year’s total enrollment for the fall was 1,308 students.

The number of undergraduates enrolled in community health promotion is 110 compared to 106 students last year. The number of undergraduates enrolled in kinesiology is 880 compared to 855 students last year. The number of undergraduates enrolled in recreation and sport management is 223 compared to167 students last year.

“While keeping pace with enrollment growth has been challenging, we maintain our focus on quality instruction, as well as enhancement and expansion of research endeavors,” Hammig said. “My goal for all programs within our department is to become the best they can be, with aspirations of becoming nationally recognized for excellence. I would like to thank Dean Smith for his continued support of both the department and the health initiatives that are occurring across our college.”

Hammig also has experience in the public health sector as an epidemiologist for the state of Kansas and research fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. His research interests include violence-related and accidental injuries and health risk behavior.