The ultimate goal for every Harris student is to find a role of impact after graduation. Your personal and professional development is critical to ensuring the outcomes you want for yourself.

During Orientation participate in the following professional development seminars:

Foundations in Professional Development Seminar

In this seminar, we provide students with a more in-depth understanding of our philosophy for professional development, the resources available to Harris students, and how to begin positioning yourself as the ideal candidate for roles now. Senior Associate Dean, Jeremy Edwards, discusses how best to optimize the resources available to you, how we have designed our staffing resources to advance key initiatives, and tips and guidance on preparing yourself for the job market.

Polis Breakout: CliftonStrengths

One of the key foundations in your professional development at Harris is your own self-awareness and your ability to understand your own unique strengths. CliftonStrengths is designed to help refine your professional toolkit and help you develop a better understanding of how to leverage your natural strengths to accomplish your academic and career goals.

All incoming students receive an access code to take the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment and begin developing their natural talents into strengths during orientation. This online assessment identifies your “Top 5 Talents” and provides examples of how you may be able to build upon those natural talents and leverage them to maximize your fullest potential.

Results from the CliftonStrengths instrument are utilized during Polis breakout workshops occurring after the Foundations in Professional Development for Policy Makers seminar. Interactive exercises are used in the workshop to assist you in exploring your strengths, communicating them to others, refining your professional toolkit, and developing a better understanding of how to leverage them to accomplish your academic and professional goals.