To expand and reinforce the natural strengths and potential within each person, the Hastings College CliftonStrengths team is partnering with the Kansas State University Strengths Team to host several events on campus March 29-31 for students and employees.
Billed as “Strengths Week,” sessions will explore how areas of high talent contribute to what each person brings to the table, how to leverage CliftonStrengths to increase student engagement and well-being, and how a peer coaching model can benefit students by moving them from strengths identification to strengths development.
The full schedule is below.
In the fall of 2019, Hastings College launched an initiative for all first year-students to complete Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment, which helps students learn more about who they are and how they work with others. First year students take the assessment every August and learn about their Strengths as part of a CORE 100 class during the two-week Block 1 of the fall semester.
Students looking for additional insight and feedback can also sign up for individual coaching sessions with one of several CliftonStrengths coaches on campus. This provides a deeper understanding of who they are, which has proven especially powerful for students who have not had their strengths encouraged or supported, and has led others to explore an academic area they may not have considered before.
“Gallup’s CliftonStrengths shows each individual what they do well naturally, and we can reinforce that and help students develop those strengths. Ultimately, these strengths are what makes each person exceptional, and it’s worth highlighting and celebrating,” said Susan Ferrone, a member of the Hastings College Student Engagement team. “We’re excited to highlight strengths we all have, and continue to grow our integration of CliftonStrengths on campus.”
Schedule for the Week
Tuesday, March 29
Wall of “Strengths” – all day in Hazelrigg Student Union (HSU)
Students and employees write their Strengths on sticky notes and add them to the wall to show the variety of all the strengths we have at Hastings College.
11:00 am–1:00 pm – Free protein shakes in HSU
Wednesday, March 30
Leveraging Your Strengths Towards Purposeful Passion
12:30–1:15pm, French Memorial Chapel with the Kansas State University Strengths Team
In this facilitation, we will work on exploring the relationships between your strengths, your passions and interests, and aspirations for the future. You also will get to hear stories from our facilitators about how their Strengths have shown up in their lives and contributed to their relationships, development, and personal success.
Leadership Session: Strengths Based Leadership Teams
1:30–2:00 pm, French Memorial Chapel with Emily Wollard, Mia Wells and Michaela Fullerton
In this session, you’ll explore how your areas of high talent contribute to what you bring to the table. We will also explore what gaps might be present in your abilities and speak to creating partnerships with others to make progress on your goals.
Faculty/Staff Session: Integrating Strengths within your Role
1:30–2:00 pm, Wilson Auditorium with Dr. Mike Finnegan
CliftonStrengths is a powerful tool to increase student engagement and well-being. This session will focus on strategies and techniques to integrate strengths in your work.
Peer Coaching Informational Session
4:00-5:00 pm, Daugherty Center for Student Engagement
In this session, we’ll share K-State’s Strengths Peer Coaching model that was developed to move students from strengths identification to strengths development. We will speak to what coaching is, how we coach and train coaches, and how we set up our coaching model at Kansas State.
End of Day Wrap Up, General Q&A
5:15-6:15 pm, Daugherty Center for Student Engagement
This is an informal session to continue conversation and open dialogue to share strategies, best practice, and activities surrounding Strengths.
Thursday, March 31
Professional Roundtable Discussion
11:45 am–12:45pm, Hazelrigg Student Union A/B
Using Strengths beyond college and into the workplace, including a variety of professional representatives.
Speakers Bios
Dr. Mike Finnegan is an assistant professor with the Kansas State University Staley School of Leadership Studies, and campus lead for its CliftonStrengths Initiative. His strengths include Woo, Communication, Maximizer, Adaptability and Positivity. Finnegan is a recipient of the Kansas State University Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He has delivered numerous keynote presentations and community leadership workshops on coaching, strengths-based leadership teams, adaptive leadership, and the ethical dimensions of leadership. He is a co-author of, “Developing Knowledgeable, Ethical, Caring, and Inclusive Leaders,” and currently serves as K-State’s campus lead to integrate Gallup’s Clifton Strengths for Students across K-State’s campus to increase student engagement and well-being.
Emily Wollard is a CliftonStrengths graduate assistant at Kansas State University. Her strengths include Developer, Positivity, Empathy, Communication and Woo. Wollard graduated from Kansas State in 2020 with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education, with minors in leadership studies and Spanish. She spent the next year teaching second grade before becoming a Strengths graduate assistant. She is working on her Masters of College Student Development, with goals of working in higher education in a role where she can both teach and advise students.
Michaela Fullerton and Mia Wells are strengths peer coaches at Kansas State University. Fullerton, a senior from Westminster, Colorado, is studying marketing with a minor in leadership studies and has strengths of Developer, Harmony, Includer, Positivity and Empathy. Wells is a sophomore from Batavia, Illinois, majoring in educational studies, minoring in leadership studies and management and working on certificates in nonprofit leadership and conflict resolution. Her strengths are Positivity, Woo, Includer, Arranger and Empathy.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Hastings’ student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad and a two-week study away experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.
