East Stroudsburg University announced the creation of the ESU Sports Performance Institute, an innovative collaboration between the Department of Athletics and the Department of Exercise Science, and the appointment of assistant professor Matthew Miltenberger, Ph.D., ATC, CSCS as Coordinator of Sports Performance in July, 2016.

The creation of the ESU Sports Performance Institute provides Warriors student-athletes with increased access to state-of-the-art equipment and science-based training experts while enhancing research opportunities at the university.

Dr. Miltenberger and his staff will design, conduct and supervise all strength and conditioning sessions for ESU’s 20 varsity athletics programs. The strength and conditioning programs will include in-season and out-of-season training, along with structured summer workouts for student-athletes opting to remain at ESU over the summer.

“This partnership demonstrates why ESU is leading the way,” said Shala E. Davis, Ph.D., FACSM, professor and chair of exercise science. “Providing contemporary sport-specific performance training to our NCAA Division II student-athletes is a privilege and provides exceptional hands-on experience for our Exercise Science undergraduate and graduate students.”

“As part of our certificates in Sport Performance Coaching and Nutrition, students garner real-life experience educating and training student-athletes under the guidance of highly-trained faculty. We are proud to be part of this innovative collaboration.”

The ESU Sports Performance Institute creates no changes to existing personnel costs, aligns with ESU’s strategic plan, and exceeds new NCAA Division II legislative responsibilities for certified strength and conditioning services. This collaboration aims to increase student success at ESU, build a stronger sense of community between the Department of Athletics and Department of Exercise Science, launch an innovative partnership and further develop the culture of research and scholarship at ESU. The collaboration also provides a professional-in-training platform for both undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing a career in sport performance.

The sports performance staff will work with exercise science, athletics and the Warriors’ coaches to schedule shared facility space and team workout times, and ensure proper maintenance of the weight room and strength and conditioning equipment, and will also assist in the dietary education of ESU’s student-athletes as requested.

In addition, the Departments of Athletics and Exercise Science will work collaboratively to produce academic research through the outlined partnership. Research projects will be approved by the chair of the Department of Exercise Science, the Director of Athletics and internal ESU processes, including IRB approval.

Dr. Miltenberger, who holds undergraduate (B.S. Athletic Training, 2003) and graduate (M.S. Exercise Science, 2004) degrees from ESU, obtained his Ph.D. in Health Sciences from Seton Hall University in 2013.

He has served on ESU’s faculty since 2004, first as temporary instructor and instructor in Athletic Training until 2012, and then as temporary instructor and now as assistant professor of Exercise Science. He is also the program coordinator of ESU’s Therapeutic Science Program. Dr. Miltenberger has also held adjunct faculty appointments at Seton Hall University and DeSales University.

Dr. Miltenberger holds professional certifications from the National Athletic Trainers Association as a certified athletic trainer, and from the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a certified strength and conditioning specialist.

“I am very excited for this opportunity to continue working with ESU’s student-athletes in an official role as the Coordinator of Sports Performance,” Dr. Miltenberger said. “It has been a rewarding experience to provide strength and conditioning services for many of ESU’s varsity athletic programs for the last four years. Academically, our Exercise Science students will continue to have the opportunity to take their classroom knowledge and see it in action in working with our student-athletes, which has had a profound effect over the last several years in preparing ESU students to pursue professional opportunities in strength and conditioning.”

“Providing each team with individualized attention in their strength and conditioning programs, and using current research to ensure we are on the cutting edge of training techniques, will give ESU student-athletes a distinct advantage. ESU’s department of athletics has ‘bought in’ to the impact that strength and conditioning will have on our student-athletes, not only to comply with NCAA Division II legislation, but also to give our Warriors the best possible competitive experience at ESU.”