West Virginia University is a 2024 Don Clifton Strengths-Based Culture Award recipient. The annual award recognizes those who build workplace cultures that put the strengths of employees, managers and leaders at the core of how they work every day.
“We use CliftonStrengths® as a tool to help our faculty and staff, and our students, learn more about themselves and how they support others,” WVU Purpose Center Director Whitney Godwin said.
Established in 2021, the WVU Purpose Center has quickly become a point of distinction for the University and recently developed a path to become the only fully Strengths-based university in the country.
Strengths 101, an introductory session offered by the WVU Purpose Center, helps faculty and staff lay the foundation and continue learning about CliftonStrengths. Registration is open now for the next session on April 22.
And faculty and staff are invited to register for the next Strengths 102 session on May 22 to explore how their top five CliftonStrengths® can build stronger partnerships and lead to success.
“Developing a Strengths-based culture is really about allowing people to focus on what they do best,” Godwin said. “It is so rewarding to be recognized for helping our students build confidence and essential skills for the workplace and for supporting our faculty and staff.”
Kelly Nix, a teaching associate professor in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, has become a certified Gallup CliftonStrengths® coach who regularly incorporates Strengths lessons into her classrooms and offers workshops and one-on-one private coaching.
WVU joins previous Don Clifton Strengths-Based Culture Award winners such as Southwest Airlines, Estee Lauder and Accenture.
“WVU has purposefully and strategically integrated a Strengths-based approach into the fabric of the student, parent, faculty and staff audiences as part of the Purpose Center’s attempts to create a transformational culture,” Gallup CEO Jon Clifton said. “WVU exemplifies its mission, vision and values by applying this strategy across all audiences and layers, which has assisted Mountaineers in discovering their purpose and reimagining their future.”