The dedicated men and women who work at Biola devote their time to equipping students to cultivate culture for Christ. Whether they teach in the classroom, serve hungry students in the Caf or help keep the university running, their hard work does not go overlooked.

A SUCCESSFUL CELEBRATION

Last week, members of Human Resources, including HR benefits coordinator Lindsay Sehi, coordinated new events for all faculty and staff, which included a week full of activities to commend those who work diligently to maintain a Christ-centered campus and education.

“We just wanted to show everybody that we appreciate all the work that they do,” Sehi said.

A single day of appreciation earlier last month inspired Sehi and her team to show the university’s employees how much their efforts mean.

“There’s a national [employee] appreciation day on March 2, and that kind of spurred the idea of, ‘Why don’t we do a whole week of it, and do something different every day?’” Sehi said.

Wednesday’s event included a luncheon, where employees shared a meal and celebrated each other. As University Communications and Marketingadministrative coordinator Stephanie Faulkner waited in line for food, she shared some of the ways faculty and staff had received appreciation already.

“As far as my understanding, this is a new event,” Faulkner said. “So we’ve already received a special note and thank-you and gifts from our VPs, and this [lunch] is also put on.”

Since each individual part of the university contributes to the functionality of the whole, Faulkner believes faculty and staff deserve acknowledgement and praise for their contributions.

“It’s nice. I think every person deserves to be given accolades for a job well done, so I think it’s really great that Biola takes this opportunity to show appreciation,” Faulkner said.

Not only did faculty and staff receive appreciation, but some expressed their appreciation for the jobs they have. Dean of Talbot School of TheologyClinton Arnold, who has worked at Biola for over 30 years, attended the luncheon and shared his enthusiasm for the work he does.

“I really enjoy getting up and coming to work every day because of who I get to work with,” Arnold said. “The kinds of students we attract are just really delightful to be with.”

LOOKING FORWARD

With this implementation of new events comes trial and error, and throughout the course of the week, Sehi and her team noted things that went well and things they could do differently in the future.

“We already have things that we’re like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna do this differently and make some changes here and there,’” Sehi said. “It was on a short time span, so we could’ve done probably so much more if we had more time.”

Despite any shortcomings, Sehi shared that feedback included excitement for these new ways Biola chose to celebrate their faculty and staff.

“People are really appreciating it. I think they’re finding like, ‘Oh, this is really cool.’ Biola’s never done this before,” Sehi said.