Best Practices: San José State University

San José State University (SJSU), a metropolitan campus located in the heart of Silicon Valley, serves nearly 30,000 students with a diverse range of backgrounds, ages, and individual needs, of which 55% are classified as "underrepresented." SJSU has many targeted programs that are geared towards first-generation college students. It has one of the highest numbers of students with stated disabilities in the 23-campus California State University system, and supports an international student population rate of 7%.

In the past, SJSU's retention and graduation rates showed less than a 50% rate for first-time frosh after 6 years of study. Though SJSU enjoys a coveted reputation for providing the greatest flow of technical/business talent fueling the local employment community, the university has encountered many challenges in supporting the educational needs of our traditionally underserved population while meeting the demands of the local and global marketplace. To support these important agendas, SJSU developed a strategic plan based on its core values to strengthen educational access for all students with emphasis on traditionally underserved populations. One component of our plan involved integrating StrengthsQuest into our service delivery.

Our Beginnings

In 2008, a dialogue began within our organization to identify tools that could help increase students' academic performance while enhancing campus retention and graduation rates and aiding in promoting a greater sense of wellness at SJSU. When StrengthsQuest was chosen as a foundation for this initiative, a Strengths Based Learning Team (SBALT) consisting of professionals from 11 different departments was formed to advocate for the use of strengths throughout the SJSU community.

Our first step was to create an infrastructure and garner excitement for StrengthsQuest, targeting our faculty and staff. The SJSU Health Center, our campus leader in promoting wellness and lifestyle balance resources to faculty, staff, and students, jump started this initiative by providing financial support to implement strengths across the SJSU campus.

Many initiatives designed to incorporate strengths on campus resulted from this collaborative effort. One of the first was supported by the Division of Student Affairs, which funded a full day of training on strengths. As one outcome of this endeavor, department leaders now encourage faculty and staff to develop their natural talents and use their strengths within their roles every day. Qualitatively, we have heard that our colleagues have been inspired to new levels of personal and professional achievement. Professionally, individuals are restructuring their positions to ensure that they are leveraging their strengths and using them daily; personally, they are using their strengths in their daily lives and practices.

Retention, Academic Performance, and Personal Development Efforts

Many existing programs at SJSU focus on supporting retention, academic performance, and personal development. Some of the programs that have used components of StrengthsQuest to reach SJSU students have benefited undeclared students, student athletes, former foster youth, students with disabilities, and student leaders.

• Undeclared Students: As a result of a major campus enrollment management initiative, students who transfer to the university are designated as undeclared majors. Many of these transfer students are unable to receive their first choice of academic study. The Career Center, Academic Advising and Retention Services, and Counseling Services have collaborated to use strengths to help them find new majors and develop alternative paths to attain their career goals. Counseling Services assists students individually and in groups to use their strengths to make decisions to enhance their academic and personal development. The Career Center offers workshops to help students choose or change a major. This program includes a strengths component to help students identify how their strengths could be used within different areas of study.
• Student Athletes: The Athletic Student Success Center provides tools and training to help athletes understand how strengths can be integrated on the field and in the classroom. Every new athlete takes the Clifton StrengthsFinder and can discuss their strengths development during weekly meetings with their advisors and mentors.
• Former Foster Youth: The Guardian Scholar program offers academic support to former foster youth to help them become successful SJSU students in route to achieving their long term goals. This program uses StrengthsQuest to help these students appreciate, develop, and express their natural talents. This program also reaches out to the community by educating eighth-grade foster youth on strengths to empower them in decision making and to support their goals in seeking higher education.
• Student Leaders: To help promote strengths among the student peer population, student leaders have been brought into the strengths initiative. An array of student leaders, including resident advisors, peer mentors, peer advisors, and orientation leaders, continue to learn about strengths. They then go on to promote and support its emphasis throughout the SJSU student community. To date, more than 20,000 SJSU students have had direct contact with these student leaders, who have helped to spread the knowledge of strengths across campus through events, campus presentations, and one-on-one peer counseling sessions.

Career and Beyond

The SJSU Career Center created a program titled "Career Choices are Life Choices -- Succeeding Through Strengths," which educates and supports students on how to incorporate and use their strengths throughout the internship and job search processes. Students practice and refine their skills related to promoting their strengths identifiable within job descriptions, writing accomplishment statements, and accentuating strengths during an interview or when networking with potential employers.

The first pilot program included students who self-identified as having a disability and who were receiving services through the California State Department of Rehabilitation. These students went through a seven-week course that helped them not only to identify and affirm their strengths but also taught them how to use strengths language within their career development. Practical, hands-on worksheets were developed that can be used in many formats, including in workshops, individual appointments, or as a take-away. These resources can also be used by students and career counselors who are either new to the strengths philosophy or are seasoned StrengthsQuest users.

Future Direction of Strengths

The SBALT team continues to find new and innovative ways to help students fully understand their strengths and the power of using them. Infusing strengths throughout the SJSU campus to help further retention efforts and promote the personal and professional growth of the campus community will remain a high priority in providing service delivery to its unique student populations.