Resources for Faculty and Staff
The Ignite Your Strengths Program
As part of the Ignite Your Strengths Initiative, CliftonStrengths assessments will be offered to incoming first-year undergraduate students, first-year law students and select graduate students at no cost. Teams and units will build activities and reflections to start and continue the conversation about developing strengths throughout the academic year for students who take the assessment.
Our goals for the Ignite Your Strengths Initiative are to:
- Engage students in the process of self-discovery and create a stronger sense of appreciation for others.
- Enable conversations to improve individual well-being, developing students to their full potential.
- Provide units across campus with a common language of strengths to build our sense of community.
A limited number of no cost assessments will be available for faculty and staff to take the assessment. If you are interested in taking the CliftonStrengths assessment, look to Campus Currents for upcoming dates for training and debrief sessions about this initiative and our work. This is where you can sign up and receive access to take CliftonStrengths. We also schedule “Meetups” for faculty and staff to engage in deeper conversations about strengths-based development after they have taken the assessment.
If you and your department are interested in engaging in strengths-based conversations as a team, the Human Resources office can partner with you to develop training using the CliftonStrengths assessment. Please reach out to Jennifer Derry, Director of Talent Management, for further information.
The CliftonStrengths Assessment
The CliftonStrengths assessment—rooted in psychological theory, literature and research—identifies an individuals’ top 5 Signature Themes from Gallup’s developed list of 34 most common talents. Individuals who complete the assessment will be able to identify their talents, develop those talents into strengths, and apply those strengths in experiences in the classroom, in leadership opportunities, in their relationships and in their careers. CliftonStrengths has been used and studied across the world in a wide range of organizations and with people from a variety of backgrounds. CliftonStrengths for students is used by hundreds of colleges and universities, including University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Creighton University, Providence College and more.
Below, you can download research and reports on CliftonStrengths as well as activity workbooks and guides for incorporating CliftonStrengths into student experiences.
The Ignite Your Strengths Initiative is guided by a steering committee representing the Villanova community. The membership of the committee includes:
- Gabriele Bauer, VITAL
- Jennifer Derry, Human Resources
- Alicia Dunphy-Culp, First and Second Year Initiatives
- Dillon Eppenstein, Residence Life
- Tyra Ford, Career Center
- Tracy Fry, Career Center
- Kevin Grubb, Career Center and Office of the Provost
- Crystal Lucky, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- Randy Weinstein, Office of the Provost
- Jennifer Wiess, Villanova School of Business
Several Villanova faculty and staff members have engaged in training to learn in-depth insights into strengths-based development, the CliftonStrengths assessment and ideas about how to meaningfully discuss this with individuals and groups. These individuals serve as resources to the University community about the Ignite Your Strengths Initiative, the CliftonStrengths assessment and how to empower individuals and groups in strengths-based development.
Academic Support for Athletics
Jennifer Brophy
Charles Davis
Alumni Relations
Sheila Doherty
Dana Jacob
Campus Ministry
David Walsh
Center for Access, Success and Achievement
Marquis Coates
Kevin Covington
Rachel Epstein
Charles Widger School of Law
Todd Aagaard
Julia Moscato Besselman
Amelia Curotto
Jennifer Henfey
College of Engineering
Noelle Comolli
Gayle Doyle
David Jamison
Stephen Jones
Victoria Minerva
Emily Park
Bridget Wadzuk
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Bethany Adams, HRD
Corie Alicea, MPA
Maddy Bavasso, OUS
Linda Boettcher, OUS
Kim Coleman, ACS
Alice Dailey, English
Brooke Erdman, Graduate Studies
Jennifer Gannon, External Relations
Gregory Grimes, OUS
Marylu Hill, ACS
Gregory Hoskins, ACS
Liam Kavanaugh
Tommy Kennedy, OUS
Crystal Lucky, ACS
Paige Matzerath, Dean's Office
Melanie Menkevich, OUS
Charisma Presley, Dean's Office
Rebecca Rebalsky, OUS
Anna Salvati, HRD
Kate Szumanski, OUS
College of Professional Studies
Alexis Coulter
Kirstin DeFusco Houtz
Therese Narzikul
Liz Remelius
Counseling Center
Nathalie Edmond
Enrollment Management
Brian Galloway
Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Catherine Brogan
Anne Fink
Colleen Meakim
Gwendolyn Morris
Fraternity and Sorority Life
Sarah Hernandez
Grad Center
Joyce Harden, OUS
Emily McCloskey
Joe Nolan
Michael Westrate
Health Promotion
Stacy Andes
Kristy McCarthy
Human Resources
Jennifer Derry
Rose Emrick
Dan Kaufman
Emily Marbot
Brigitte Strother
Theresa Walton
Jodi Weisberg
Intercultural Affairs
Eloise Berry
Miranda Febus
Learning Support Services
Emily Harris
McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership
Danielle Ross
Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
Stephen Sheridan
Office of the President
Nicholas Tumolo
Office of the Provost
Kevin Grubb, Career Center
Randy Weinstein
Residence Life
Dillon Eppenstein
Jennifer Liberato
Skylor Morton
Student Involvement
Jeffrey Brown
Stephen Koch
Student Life
Kathy Byrnes
Alicia Dunphy-Culp
Sara Thoms
University Career Center
Timaria Brach
Beth Cahill
Tyra Ford
Tracy Fry
Casey Hilferty, Alumni
Alex Karlesses
John McGranaghan
Meredith Okenquist, Alumni
Bennett Nesley
Jeanette Paulsen
Vanessa Schmidt
Maggie Songer
Christie Vuoto
Villanova School of Business
Aronte Bennett, Marketing
Michele Gianforcaro, Clay Center
Kate Grady, Clay Center
Kelly Gregg, Clay Center
Jennifer Hormell, Clay Center
Kathleen Iacocca, Management
Brenda Stover, Clay Center
Jennifer Wiess, Executive MBA
VISIBLE
Adam Smith
VITAL
Gabriele Bauer
Stefan Perun