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The First-Year Seminar
Students at Greenville College (IL) and at Eastern University (PA)
are introduced to the concept of strengths identification and development
during a carefully designed First-Year Seminar. These foundational
three-credit courses are required of every incoming student and
are designed, in part, to orient students to college life. Faculty
with strong teaching evaluations and with expertise in student advising
have been invited to teach these introductory courses on both campuses.
At Greenville College, this foundational course is called "COR
101" because of its role as a "Cornerstone Seminar"
in the College's new General Education curriculum. The course introduces
students to the rigors and rewards of the college experience. Faculty
from a variety of academic departments design these seminars, focusing
on topics that will lead first-year students into college-level
study and reflection. As students explore the seminar's topic, they
develop and refine critical academic skills and the habits of mind
necessary for success in college. All Cornerstone Seminars are unified
through their pursuit of common educational goals. The primary goal
of COR 101 is to help students begin a pilgrimage of curiosity-driven,
transformational learning in a Christian liberal arts community.
The StrengthsFinder, using StrengthsQuest, is introduced in COR 101.
All incoming students, freshmen and transferring students are provided
a copy of StrengthsQuest , a text written specifically for college
students by Dr. Edward “Chip” Anderson and Dr. Donald O. Clifton in
which an ID code allows them access to the StrengthsFinder assessment.
The student is encouraged to complete the assessment early in the
semester. Each faculty member teaching COR 101 is asked to dedicate at
least three class sessions to the topic of student's strengths, using
the StrengthsFinder results as a basis for discussion. The faculty
typically requires several assignments involving the student's
reflections on or comments about his/her strengths. During this time,
the student's top five strengths are collected from the data base at
Gallup and are recorded for use at other “Strengths” events on campus,
for organizing groups in classes, data analysis, or to be provided for
student's future reference.
Each section of COR 101 is limited to 16 students which allows for
substantial dialogue between the professor and student,
student-to-student interaction, and experimentation with a variety of
teaching/learning methods and ample opportunity for discussions about
the strengths of each student. The COR 101 professor also serves as the
student's advisor for the first year and incorporates the student's
strengths into the advising process.
More information on Greenville's
General Education curriculum.
The Sophomore Year
The sophomore year is a critical time for students. With one group
of students having survived their first year, the attention of the
institution turns toward the next group of incoming students. Sophomores
are sometimes left with "unfinished business" yet may
receive little focused support from the institution. Juniors and
seniors are engaged in courses related to their academic majors
and are feeling "at home" in the college setting. At the
same time, the incoming freshmen become the new focus of institutional
attention. The project currently underway at Greenville College focuses attention on:
- Offering several programs throughout the year that are specifically
oriented to the interests and needs of sophomore students
- Helping sophomores more fully understand their individual strengths,
with practical implications as they finalize the choice of an
academic major
- Helping sophomores consider how their individual "strengths"
relate to possible career paths and their awareness of God's "call"
on their lives.
The sophomore year begins with a letter sent to all sophomores,
outlining the activities for the year and explaining the emphasis
the institution is putting on sophomores.
A key program, the "Sophomore Summit," is offered once each semester for
sophomores; and is designed to help students better understand their
strengths and to link those strengths with an understanding of
vocation. At Greenville College, the “Sophomore Summit” program,
usually held on a Saturday morning, has included a presentation by Dr.
Rick McPeak , Associate Professor of Religion which helps sophomores
relate strengths to the notion of “calling”, a presentation by the
Director of Career Services and small “strength specific” break-out
sessions with faculty and staff.
Juniors
During the Junior Year, the emphasis is on the practical application of
a strengths approach to service learning and cross cultural courses in
the major, and to internship experiences. Faculty members have
developed and/or revised service learning courses in the major so that
they are strengths-based, taking in to consideration each individual
student's strengths as service sites and tasks are selected.
Seniors
Seniors at Greenville College participate in the Senior Capstone
course, COR 401. COR 401 is the culmination of a student's learning and
experience at Greenville College . The students are challenged to use
all academic skills, critical thinking and habits of mind and spirit
that they have developed. Each year, there is an over-arching theme of
the course with involved faculty each teaching a segment. After each
large session which is attended by all students enrolled in the course,
the students participate in small work groups which, in order to
optimize each group, are formed based on the students' strengths. The
students then complete a major project based on the theme of the class
which is presented to the entire college community.
Faculty& Administrative Staff
The faculty, administrative staff and staff of Greenville College were
exposed to the notion of developing a strengths-based institution even
before the students. The faculty and administrative staff (plus their
spouses) spent two days in August 2000 participating in a "Faculty Fall
Fellowship" retreat that introduced them to the StrengthsFinder. The
keynote speaker was Dr. C. Edward "Chip" Anderson, professor at UCLA
and at Azusa Pacific University (CA). For a description of the
foundation established for the strengths project, see the Greenville
Advocate coverage of the retreat and follow-up activities in "Finding
the Strengths" (October 5, 2000).
The faculty workshop at Eastern University involved a morning with
Dr. "Chip" Anderson, followed by afternoon activities
in which faculty took the same strengths assessment instruments
that the students take. Faculty then worked in small groups to further
understand how to use their strengths as they interact with students.
Staff
The staff on both campuses were introduced to the strengths concept
and took the strengths instruments early in the first year of the
project. At Greenville, all staff were encouraged to take the StrengthsFinder
and had opportunities for in-service training led by Dr. Chip Anderson
in the Fall of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. In addition, a staff
development session was held in January 2001 with Dr. William Flanagan,
Vice President for Student Affairs at Beloit College (WI). Dr. Flanagan
emphasized the key role of staff welcoming and supporting students.
He affirmed the strengths project as taking a "macro view that
focuses on student learning and student success at the front end
of the undergraduate experience."
Campus-Wide
Greenville College hosts several “campus wide” events each year to
celebrate the strengths of students, faculty and staff.
One such event is an annual visit from “Chip” Anderson. Chip
typically spends 3-4 days on campus interacting with students, faculty
and staff. He attends the COR 101 classes and speaks in chapel.
Additionally, he meets with faculty members to address their questions
about how to use the StrengthsFinder most effectively. He has met with
staff people about “job sharing” based on strengths. He also usually
meets with all students one evening and discusses an issue of interest
with them.
Dr. Laurie Schreiner also visits our campus on a regular basis. She meets with the
faculty and staff members to discuss such topics as job satisfaction and planning for the future
using StrengthsFinder.
Another such event is the Annual Spring Strengths Dinner. Each spring, the campus community
gathers in the Dining Commons which is decorated with balloons and
pastel table clothes for a special buffet.
Faculty and staff members choose their “favorite” strength and then volunteer
to host a table labeled with that strength. As students arrive, in the
Dining Commons, they fill their trays and then proceed to the tables.
They choose one of their top five strengths and then engage in
conversation with the person hosting that table about how he/she uses
that particular strength in life. Usually students will move from one
table to another to discuss more than one of their strengths and stay
well past the typical dining time.
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Academics 
