May 20, 2016 Dear Promotion and Tenure Committee Members: Tam pleased to provide my unconditional recommendation for Dr. Jeffrey Hartman of the School of Preventive and Rehabilitative Health Sciences to the rank of full professor. | was fortunate to have known Dr. Hartman over the last three and a half years through formal interactions in various classes, a 30-hour intemship, as the leader of the EXSI Student Advisory Committee, as ‘my undergraduate thesis advisor and as my Exercise Science major advisor. have also had ‘many less formal interactions with Dr. Hartman around campus, at departmental and University functions and outside of school-related functions. Throughout my time at Gardner-Webb University he has consistently stood out as easily the best professor/teacher, mentor and person who I have leamed from and admired the most throughout my entire academic career. My first experience with Dr. Hartman was through the course, “Introduction to Exercise Science”. Dr. Hartman laid out high expectations and wamed that half of us may decide we couldn't be Exercise Science majors. This was not to scare us, but to see who was truly prepared to work hard. This served as a motivational challenge for me and was the first of many to be laid cout by Dr. Hartman in the following years. My previously comlortable “good enough” effort, which still allowed me to make mostly ’s, that I had given to academics through high schoo! and my first semester of college was finally being challenged, When I turned in assignments in the beginning of the semester that would have been “good enough” in any other course, Dr. Hartman told me that it wasn’t good enough and that he knew I could do better. For a second, 1 was taken back by this, but after the second passed, it was replaced a fire of motivation that had been lit. Not many professors make an effort challenge their students in this way, especialy if they are still making “good enough” grades, but this is something that clearly sets Dr. Hartman apart as an educator, One of the most unique aspects of Dr. Hartman’s courses is that they teach many professional development skills from moek interviewing, job shadowing, interviewing prospective careers, writing professional emails and thank you notes, dinner etiquette, resume help and many more professional skills. These are all skills, which I would have not known otherwise, and which helped tremendously in my internships, setting up various job shadow opportunities and applying for graduate school. I was also able to pass on this newly learned professional development information from Dr. Hartman to classmates of other majors who found it beneficial and wished that they had also learned. ‘Dr. Hartman's classroom environment is set up for optimal learning through a constraints-based model. This includes the individual, the environment and the task at hand. He seis up the environment for a task to be achieved, but doesn’t us exactly show to achieve the task. This “figure it out” method is so effective, yet so rarely used by educators. Many of my peers and I are used to the comfort of being coached every step of the way that we lose the ability to think creatively and make decisions for ourselves. Not only does the “figure it out” method teach us to be creative and decisive, it also helps retain information and makes assignments valuable to individuals in their own way. Although challenging at first, it makes completing assignments in Dr. Fartman’s classroom very enjoyable and makes retaining information easier.Dr. Hartman’s course, “Motor Behavior”, isa valuable course for Exercise Science majors that Dr. Hartman makes applicable to all aspects of life. I quickly found this to be one of the most beneficial classes of my carecr. Not only did Dr, Hartman help me realize more about myself as an athlete, but he also taught us to relate itto life, He is very good about using a wide variety of realistic examples, both with clinical and real-world applications. The way Dr. Hartman explains complex concepts and simplifies them in ways his students can relate to is impressive and very effective. For example, he personally knew each one of our hobbies outside of the classroom. Using this knowledge, he gave examples related to our interests, which made class more enjoyable. It also gave us opportunities to learn more about each other to fee! more connected. Topies such as deliberate and intentional practice, the constraints-led method, reasons for plaicaus and many more allowed me to have discussions with my former coaches and teammates about the information I leamed and to also coach volleyball to high school girls in a more effective way. lam also applying these same concepts to my own personal studies and plan to do the same in the future. The ability of Dr. Hartman to always teach in a manner that makes the information useful not only the specific professional field, but to rea! life is rare and another thing that makes him so special as an educator. My first research experience with Dr. Hartman began in his Exercise Science Seminar course ‘where the main project was a full research proposal paper and oral defense. He broke down the process in a very logical manner and allowed us to critique each other's work throughout the process, which was beneficial for learning. No other course I have taken had prepared me this well 1o write research papers as well as my thesis senior year. Practicing an oral defense, which included receiving video to watch and critique yourself, and encouraged constructive critique between classmates from Dr. Hartman was extiemely helpful to make future presentations more comfortable. Being able to practice the process made my desire to pursue an Exercise Science thesis stronger and allowed the writing in my thesis to flow more smoothly. In regards to the Exercise Science Thesis, Dr. Hartman responded to my inguiry about pursuing a thesis my senior year. He took my inquiry and quickly worked on creating the EXSI Thesis ‘course that | was able to complete my senior year. After leaming how to make connections with professionals in the workforce from Dr. Hartman's courses and through advising meetings, I was, able connect with a well-published professor from the University of Towa, Dr. Janz. She agreed to allow me to use existing data for a secondary data analysis for my thesis project. Although she provided the initial data and background study information, Dr. Hartman served as my advisor and went above and beyond my expectations. His critiques and suggestions on my paper were ‘always thoughtful and purposeful. He challenged me the entire way to think about the structure and content of my paper, and once again, challenged me when sections of my paper were not as, ‘200d as they could be. Dr. Hartman helped me find the right path to better organization and flow by posing questions and allowing me to think critically. He was always willing and available to ‘meet and read many, many versions of the paper. I'm not sure how he found time to do this and do it well with all of his other teaching duties, but it showed how truly dedicated he was to his profession and how much he cared for the success of his students. Dr. Janz, from lowa, was very pleased with the paper and recognized the work that Dr. Hartman contributed and suggested to ‘work on publication including both Dr. Hartman and myself for authorship. Through this thesis, she also offered me a spot in her graduate program at lowa, which not only reinforced what Dr.Hartman taught me about making connections, but was also a great tribute to how helpful he was in the writing process of my thesis. (One of the mast valuable experiences of my academic career was the 30-hour Internship experience required by the Exercise Science program and directed by Dr. Hartman. Without this, requirement, | wouldn’t have known how to acquire an intemship. Dr. Hartman prepared us for carly internship application and gave us many helpful tips. He also taught us how to make the most out of our internships and required that we complete an internship portfolio containing time logs, weekly reflections, internship projects, and evaluations. He read all of our reflections and commented weekly by asking questions, making suggestions and even posing challenges to get more out of the experience. He was also flexible to make my intemship work at two separate sites ~ the University of fowa Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Lab and Cleveland Regional Medical Center Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center. This was great for my personal growth because of the two different perspectives I was able to earn through both of these intemships and Tbelieve my experiences in both helped with my acceptance into graduate school at Ohio State. Dr. Hartman also showed his depth of knowledge and care for his students early in my time of knowing him. Good effort and work was acknowledged and praised, which also served as positive motivation. Somehow he manages to find the perfect balance of being tough and challenging, yet motivational and positive that is so inspiring as a student, He also showed his care for us as people when he attended our sporting events, remembered small details about our lives like what our hobbies were outside the classroom, and was always excited to meet new prospective athletes and our parents when either came to visit. He also showed his care for his, students and the Exercise Science major through the creation and use of the EXSI Student ‘Advisory Committee. Through a selected number of students representative of different ages, EXSI chosen tracks (pre-professional vs. health and fitness) and genders, the committee was able to contribute input about the EXSI major, specific courses and any suggestions or concems they ‘may have. This showed that Dr. Hartman truly cared about bettering the program for the students and gave us a comfortable and productive environment in which to discuss and listen to our thoughts, while also taking those thoughts and implementing them moving forward. ‘The mentorship and advising provided by Dr. Hartman was incredible. He was always available to meet anytime | had any questions about my future career path throughout the years. He helped ‘me discover my strengths and weaknesses and my true ambitions and passions. There were many changes in my path, but with each one, he was patient to discuss any hesitations I had and helped ‘me critically analyze cach. This led me to find the ideal career path in Medical Dietetics at Ohio State. I honestly believe I wouldn’t have been able to find this career or be accepted in this program had it not been for Dr. Hartman's mentorship, challenges, knowledge, encouragement and dedication to his profession throughout the years. Dr. Hartman also provided many outside-of-classroom experiences beneficial to the growth of his students. The most recent was a trip to the Body World’s exhibit in Charlotte. This gave us the opportunity to see the human body in an extraordinary way that gave a deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexities of our bodies. It was an educational experience, but also a personal growth experience. We were able to see real human bodies with various injuries and health effects that were donated by real people. It gave me a deeper appreciation for my healthand for life as well. This day was also a great opportunity to spend time with my classmates Outside of the classroom. Dr. Hartman also provided other bonding experiences for our Classmates such as cookouts for the Exercise Science Club and get-togethers that were often hosted at his home. He invited our Seminar class to discuss a book over brunch at his home, which felt more personal yet productive. was also invited to have dinner with his family while at summer school for volleyball. This was much appreciated while being 14 hours away from. home for so long. Lastly, after discovering that me and another classmate had not seen many of the best places near Boiling Springs such as the Biltmore and sliding rock, he graciously volunteered to take us right before we graduated from Gardner-Webb. This was such a special and unique opportunity that left my classmate and I even more appreciative of Gardner-Webb University because of professors like him. He is the kind of person that makes GWU a special and memorable place and makes me proud to be an alumnus. Finally, 1 truly look up to Dr. Hartman as both a professor and as a human being. He has ereated an incredible and well-respected Exercise Science program that many of my non-major friends admire. I have heard many students say they wish they had been an Exercise Science major and express their deep respect for the amount of beneficial education and experiences the students of this program receive. Dr, Hartman taught me many life lessons and made me learn so much about myself that I will forever cherish. He has made my experience at Gardner-Webb University memorable and enjoyable. I hope to encounter professors that are even half as great as Dr. Hartman in my graduate experiences, but he has set the standard high. I believe he will ‘continue to inspire students for many years to come. | hope that by sharing my great experiences with Dr. Hartman as @ professor, you will strongly consider his promotion to the rank of full professor. Itis very well deserved. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact me at apashkova@gardner-webb.edu or at (319) 400-1560. ‘Thank you,