Apr 6, 2017CSUN Launches Partnership
CSUN Athletics and CSUN’s Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics in the College of Health and Human Development have announced a unique new partnership that will help the two programs create and grow mutually beneficial nutrition and wellness programming. The Matadors’ existing wellness programming will be supplemented by the Magaram Center’s cutting edge, best of its kind services, expertise and facilities. The partnership, which will officially launch with the start of the Fall 2017 semester, will include nutrition education, mindfulness training, an internship exchange, research opportunities and community outreach to underserved Los Angeles communities.
“Over the past several years, CSUN Athletics has been working hard to prioritize student-athlete well-being. This new partnership with the Magaram Center, a campus- and nation-wide leader in nutrition and wellness, will help us raise the bar even more and augment individualized programming and education that will directly benefit our student-athletes,” said Dr. Brandon Martin, CSUN Director of Athletics. “I’m so proud to help create groundbreaking programming alongside my partners at the Magaram Center and that together we’ll be able to help educate the broader community about the importance of nutrition and fitness.”
Starting in the fall, the Magaram Center will offer CSUN student-athletes, coaches and staff cooking classes led by Nutrition and Dietetics graduate students and Dietetic Interns, and wellness training that will include yoga and meditation. As part of a collaborative idea exchange program, there will also be opportunities for CSUN student-athletes to intern with the Magaram Center and for College of Health and Human Development students to intern with the Matadors’ sports dietitian at the Matador Fueling Station. As the relationship grows, CSUN Athletics and the College of Health and Human Development plan to partner on evidence-based research studies and data collection about fueling athletes and other nutrition-based topics that will directly benefit student-athletes and the growth of the College of Health and Human Development’s programming.
“As a leader in the field of nutrition, dietetics and food science, The Marilyn Magaram Center is proud and excited to work with CSUN Athletics to grow our plethora of programs to more directly benefit CSUN students and help Matadors rise in the global community,” said Dr. Annette Besnilian, CSUN’s Executive Director, Marilyn Magaram Center. “This partnership is a prime example of what’s possible through the collaborative efforts of the CSUN community. It will help us meet many of our campus priorities, including student and employee success, research, engagement, sustainability, fundraising, viability and visibility.”
“This new partnership is great for CSUN students and the community,” said Dr. Farrell J. Webb, Dean, CSUN College of Health and Human Development. “The Magaram Center has a long tradition of outreach that directly improves the health of our communities. Working with CSUN Athletics on this project underscores our shared commitment to student success and the wellbeing of the greater community.”
The partnership will also directly benefit the greater Los Angeles community through wellness programs that include nutrition and food preparation instruction and grocery shopping tips for underserved areas of Los Angeles. Matador student-athletes will join the Magaram Center’s school-based wellness programs, such as “Taste of Good Health” and “Let’s Grow Health in Schools,” to strengthen nutrition and physical education programs for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) children and their families, and Magaram Center students and instructors will join CSUN Athletics and the Tree of Life Missionary Baptist Church in similar programming and outreach in Watts.
CSUN Athletics and the College of Health and Human Development have worked together on many initiatives in the past, including the hiring of CSUN Athletics’ Registered Sports Dietitian Simona Hradil and the creation of the Matador Fueling Station, which provides CSUN student-athletes with individualized nutritional guides for pre- and post-workout meals and snacks in order to maximize energy, focus and performance in practice and competition.
The College of Health and Human Development Marilyn Magaram Center’s existing relationship with CSUN Athletics already includes the administration of body composition testing for student-athletes and leading cooking seminars for incoming freshman student-athletes at the Matadors’ annual Summer Success Program. CSUN student-athletes have also helped shape the Magaram Center’s “Nutrition Experts” web portal and helped support the Magaram Center’s product development program by testing and marketing “Matador Marmalade” and “Spicy Matador” spice blends. Magaram Center interns also support Hradil’s Fueling Station and nutrition programming.
A committee made up of CSUN and community leaders will identify strategic targets and advise on programming for this new partnership.
