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Strengths at Stetson

Stetson is Strengths Focused

Stetson University is committed to the development of our students. At our institution we are dedicated to the development of the whole person: A person committed to engaging and building life-long connections with the larger world through personal growth, intellectual development and global citizenship. In fostering personal growth, we are focused on celebrating and supporting the Strengths of students throughout their time at Stetson University. In this support, we have joined hundreds of other institutions and thousands of national/international corporations in utilizing CliftonStrengths to support the growth of individuals within our institution. 

CliftonStrengths is an online talent assessment to support:

  • The discovery of what you naturally do best
  • Learning how to develop your greatest talents
  • The use of your customized results to live your best life

CliftonStrengths is a unique opportunity to explore your personal talents, because of the variety of talents. There are 34 different talents and from this assessment, you will learn your top five talents. The likelihood of someone having the same 5 talents as you is a one-in-278,256 chance because of the number of combinations possible. This truly allows you to receive results unique and descriptive of you. 

 Begin exploring your Strengths by signing up to complete the Stetson Strengths Journey. This is an opportunity to explore your personal Strengths through interactive activities throughout your college experience and receive recognition for your personal development. Take the leap and begin your journey today. 

Explore our New Strengths Resource Website

Explore these topics in the menu on this website and you will learn tips specific to your Strengths. These skills are valuable to help you start applying your Strengths in your everyday life, so start reflecting on this feedback and consider scheduling a Strengths coaching session to talk more about this!

CliftonStrengths (previously known as StrengthsQuest or Strength Finder) is an internationally used talent assessment to support individuals in discovering their talents and ways to transform them into their Strengths. CliftonStrengths is a 30-minute online assessment that is composed of 177 questions to gauge the natural interests and skills of people. The strengths movement began in 2001 when Gallup introduced the world to the original CliftonStrengths assessment in Now, Discover Your Strengths. This book was authored by Don Clifton, who was then the chairman of Gallup and highly honored by the American Psychological Association for his assessment.

The reason that this assessment is continued to be used internationally is that focusing on Strengths can transform individuals and organizations. Research shows that people who know and use their strengths every day are more likely to experience positive emotions (energetic, well-rested, happy, respected) and less likely to experience negative ones (stress, worry, anger, sadness). 

As an incoming undergraduate student at Stetson University, you will receive access to take the assessment as part of your Hatter Checklist. This is an opportunity to dive into understanding yourself and an opportunity for development that will impact you throughout your time at Stetson. 

For current faculty, staff and students that have not taken Strengths, but are interested in doing so, reach out to [email protected] to learn about ways to gain access to the assessment. 

While you are at Stetson University, there are a variety of opportunities to explore your Strengths through student leadership roles, jobs on campus, courses, and other engagement opportunities. We also offer a variety of Strengths focused learning opportunities to explore your Strengths. For students, faculty and staff, consider attending one of our Strengths programs this year:

  • Strengths 101 is an online training available for all members of the Stetson community as soon as they take the Strengths Assessment with the university. Once a person takes the Strengths Assessment, they will receive information and access to this training. 
  • Strengths at Stetson Group is an online group on Engage that allows all of our students to come together and talk about Strengths, access unique resources about Strengths, and learn about upcoming events related to Strengths. Once a student takes the Strengths Assessment, they will be invited to join this group on Engage.
  • Strengths Summit is an annual virtual Strengths conference hosted by Stetson University to help our community learn how to apply their Strengths through a variety of fast pace presentations. Strengths Summit is hosted each fall and students can register online starting in July through ULead
  • Strengths Advising is an opportunity to explore your Strengths one on one with another individual at Stetson University to help you in owning and applying your talents to become true Strengths.
  • Theme Thursday are weekly tabling events hosted on campus that are hosted for students to learn about each CliftonStrength Theme. These sessions are hosted at the CUB and allow students quick opportunities to continue conversations and learning about each of the Strengths.
  • Strengths Meetups are opportunities for students to meet other Hatters, learn about Strengths, and talk about how to apply their Strengths around different topics like leadership, careers, involvement, academics, and wellness. These are hosted around the year and dates for these are shared through our Strengths Engage Group

Recently, we launched the Stetson Strengths Journey which is an opportunity for students to be recognized for their learning and development in Strengths. 

Requirements to complete the Stetson Strengths Journey:

If you are interested in supporting others as they explore their Strengths, consider completing Strengths Advocate training! This is a great online training developed for faculty, staff, and student leaders that will help you dive deep into Strengths, how to support the Strengths development of others, and how to apply Strengths in groups and one-on-one situations. 

Role of a Stetson Strengths Advocate:

  • Support others throughout the Stetson community in exploring their Strengths
  • Assist their areas in the implementation and exploration of strengths-based development
  • Continue to personally explore their Strengths in new ways and serve as a mentor for others interested in exploring their Strengths

Requirements to become a Strengths Advocate:

When you take the Strengths Assessment, you find out your top 5 talents. These are areas where you are naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied. A strength is the ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance in a specific activity. It is possible to progress a talent toward becoming a strength by utilizing time to practice, develop skills and build a knowledge base. It is our responsibility to support the talents of our community to be developed so we can strengthen the work of our student, faculty and staff.