Strengths-based advising is proposed as a new lens for higher education, one that enables advisors to see diverse groups of students fulfill their potential and achieve excellence. Based on research from social work, positive psychology, and the business world, this approach enables advisors to identify and build on the inherent talents students bring with them into the college and university setting, teaching students to develop and apply their strengths to new and challenging learning tasks. This explicit focus on students' natural talents builds the confidence and motivation necessary for achievement and persistence in college. We contend that this approach to advising represents a much-needed paradigm shift within higher education.
Author notes
Laurie Schreiner is professor and Chair of Doctoral Studies in Education and Director of the Center for Strengths-Based Education at Azusa Pacific University. She has coordinated academic advising programs, directed two federal grants for first-year programs and strengths-based programs, and is co-author of the Student Satisfaction Inventory. She can be reached at [email protected].
Edward “Chip” Anderson passed away on July 5, 2005. Before being a professor of Educational Leadership and scholar-in-residence at the Center for Strengths-Based Education at Azusa Pacific University, he had been a professor at UCLA for 28 years. A former Director of Advising, he co-authored Academic Advising for Student Success and Retention as well as StrengthsQuest: Discover and Develop Your Strengths in Academics, Career, and Beyond.