New department focuses on holistic student health
TU’s Student Health and Well-Being ready to provide Tigers with resources to help mentally, physically
By Kyle Hobstetter on September 26, 2024
Along with providing students with a world-class education, TU is taking steps to provide help for both their emotional and physical health as well.
This past winter, Nora Clark-Giles joined TU as its inaugural assistant vice president for Student Health and Wellbeing. This new department, which is within the Division of Student Affairs, brings together Campus Recreation, the Counseling and Health Centers along with a focus on health promotion and prevention education.
Clark-Giles has worked the past two decades as a student affairs professional at colleges in the northeast. And through her engagement with students, she has seen that many of the challenges they face come from outside the classroom.
So, when this opportunity came up at TU, Clark-Giles jumped at the chance to help build a new department on campus to help students with their physical and mental wellbeing.
“Things like food insecurity, mental health struggles, health struggles, not feeling like you belong, those sorts of things are really what cause students to struggle and not do well academically,” Clark-Giles says. “When I saw this opportunity at TU, I absolutely knew we could build something that is essential to students’ success.”
For years, the Counseling and Health Centers operated separately from Campus Recreation. Now, the three will work together under the banner of a new department. This allows each department to expand their resources and lead to a reduction in the duplication of efforts.
Check out all the holistic support resources offered to Towson University students
Clark-Giles says that there is now more efficient communication and collaboration and provides each department further reach with their efforts to promote student health.
“We have the same goal—make sure students are well” Clark-Giles says. “Now we’re coming together to talk about how we can do that collectively. We have opportunities like the ‘Let’s Talk’ series where our counselors come to Burdick Hall and students can walk up and ask general questions in a safe space.
“Or our primary care physician can recommend a student meet with one of our personal trainers. These are some ways in which being together allows us to work together toward a common goal—cultivating a culture of wellbeing for students where they can be their best selves.”
Towson University health center
On-Campus Vaccine Clinics
The TU Health Center is partnering with Safeway to offer vaccinations for flu, COVID, shingles, pneumonia and Tdap. All students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to receive the flu and COVID vaccines.
Appointments are available Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in West Village Commons or TU Arena.
And while this department’s focus is the student’s health, Clark-Giles says that the campus community can play a part in making sure students are taking care of themselves.
This includes being aware of the programs the university offers that help students and not hesitating to let students know that it’s okay to reach out for help.
Clark-Giles also has some advice directly to students.
“If there's something that just doesn't feel right or you don't feel like yourself, reach out for support because that's what we're here for. We're here to support you,” she says.
Division of Student Affairs
Student Health and Wellbeing
Here are the different departments that focus on students’ physical and mental well-being and the services they offer.
Counseling Center
The Counseling Center is proud to offer care that is flexible, culturally responsive,
solution-focused and tailored to every student’s unique needs. Students have access
to same-day appointments to speak with a therapist.
They receive support in an expanded variety of ways, including workshops, groups and peer support. Check out the complete list of services.
Health Center
Health Center services include treatment for common illness and injury, HIV/STI testing, physical exams and more. See a complete list of services.
Students looking to make an appointment or manage their health records can do so by logging into their Tiger Health Portal.
Campus Recreation
Campus Recreation provides state-of-the-art facilities and programs that promote active and healthy lifestyles. View the Burdick Hall operational hours and learn more about group fitness classes, personal training, outdoor activities and intramural and club sports teams.