Spirit Day Kicks Off with Games, Prizes
Faculty, Staff Gather for Launch of Weekly Campaign Timed to Start of Academic Year
Touro University California faculty and staff members gathered en masse Aug. 14 in The Grove on campus to launch weekly Spirit Days timed near the start of the 2024-2025 academic year.
The launch event was a chance for Team Touro to gather for fun and camaraderie aimed at boosting Touro pride. It spanned about 90 minutes and featured games, prizes, music, and lunch for those taking part.
Focus on Beauty, Diversity of Campus Community
Dr. Tami Hendriksz spoke of the dual focuses on the Beautiful U campaign: to showcase the beauty of the campus and grounds situated on Mare Island above the Napa River while also making improvements to the campus, but more importantly, to recognize the University’s “beautiful, diverse student body, employees, faculty, staff – everybody.”
“I think one of the things that surprises people about Touro is how large our campus is, and how diverse our educational offerings are,” Hendriksz said. “You get to get an exceptional education right here in Vallejo.”
Hendricks wears two hats on campus: She’s the Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Interim CAO for the University.
“Spirit Day is really the heart and soul of our Beautiful U campaign,” she said. “When I think about Beautiful U, I think about specific individuals and really honoring each individual and who they are and welcoming them into the fabric that makes Touro University California.”
The Genesis of ‘Beautiful U’
Beautiful U is a campaign launched last year by TUC’s leadership team of Hendriksz and Newman Hoffman, Vice President and Interim CEO of the University.
The campaign has seen such things as the establishment of The Healing Harvest food garden on the lower campus, near the bottom of Harter Way, in partnership with the nonprofit Sustainable Solano; an adjacent arbor arch to encourage Monarch butterflies to establish a colony here on campus; the installation of new signage across campus; and reopening of the Main Entrance to campus on Azuar Avenue just past the intersection with Club Drive.
Hoffman acknowledged the work that’s been done as well as the work ahead while coming back to the importance of the people on campus.
“In order to build community, you have to be together, and work together. We really have an amazing team of people here that have given so much to this place, and Spirit Day is an opportunity to connect and be together and I’m just so appreciative of that,” Hoffman said. “Part of community is sharing food and culture together, and it’s really such a big part of what we do here.”
Other projects to date include more frequent maintenance of the grounds across campus, work to fill in potholes, and some new striping to establish a safe walking path on the middle campus between Truett Hall and Wilderman Hall.
Plans leading to the Spirit Day kickoff included distribution of TUC T-shirts and polo shirts to faculty and staff members, who wore them during Spirit Day. Faculty and staff were encouraged to wear TUC attire each Wednesday to show their school spirit across campus and while interacting with students.