The Staley School of Leadership Studies is pleased to announce that Kansas State University was awarded the Don Clifton Strengths for Students Award. Universities that receive this award are exceptional in helping students utilize their strengths to achieve success in the classroom and beyond. Educational leaders in the CliftonStrengths program are focused on what is strong with students, not what is wrong. Read more about the award.
K-State has been a CliftonStrengths school since 2012 and will continue to focus on student engagement and well-being because of the financial investment from the Mistler Family Foundation. Led by the Staley School of Leadership Studies, K-State’s aim is to help students identify and develop students’ top five Clifton Strengths as they transition in, through and out of K-State.
The program compels students to focus on strengths and not weaknesses. This type of thinking can improve students’ self-awareness, lead to understanding how to work well with others and increase confidence to overcome challenges and obstacles. 
“We are thrilled to provide campus leadership to facilitate a program that is not just in the best interest of individual students, but for the university community as a whole. As our campus community makes a commitment to the strengths development of our students, faculty and staff, we are helping to create the conditions for people to play to their strengths more often than not so they can thrive,” said Mike Finnegan, Staley School professor and campus lead of the K-State CliftonStrengths program.
Strengths Peer Coaches, who are also K-State students, have been instrumental in helping Wildcats further develop their strengths. Nearly 700 K-State students are served each year through a peer coaching session. The coaches help their peers name, claim and aim their strengths toward individual and collective goals that improve our campus community.
The CliftonStrengths assessment is free to new and incoming K-State students, but if you haven’t taken it yet, visit the website to learn more about how to unlock your top five strengths. Students can also schedule a session with a Strengths Peer Coach to learn how their strengths drive goal attainment and personal success.
