Growth thrives in adversity. Just ask Shaun Fine.
He’s been at Clemson in some capacity for more than 14 years. First, as a student. Then, as a graduate student. And now, as a senior Institutional Review Board (IRB) analyst in the Office of Research Compliance. But that “senior” title took some work.
“It came down to confidence,” Fine says.
In 2024, Fine had been an IRB analyst for about three years. He could walk you through anything you needed to know about institutional review and research policies, but despite that, when a senior position opened on the team and a final decision was made, he wasn’t quite ready.
Instead, his supervisor, Nalinee Patin, encouraged him to explore CU Grow, Clemson’s staff development program, as an opportunity for growth and professional development.
“At the time, I interpreted that as her way of saying I couldn’t do the job,” says Fine, “I sat with the discomfort of that, but as I progressed through the program, CU Grow pushed me to look introspectively and realize that wasn’t her belief at all. She just saw potential.”
Fine took Patin’s guidance to heart and applied to the program. He is currently a member of the program’s fifth cohort.
Personal and professional development serve as the foundation for CU Grow. Through mentorship, group trainings, discussion and a capstone project, participants get to know each other, the University and themselves.
“The first session after orientation touched on change management, and it [made me] realize how I can struggle with change,” Fine reflects. “And then we talked about imposter syndrome, and I know I’ve experienced that.”
A Vulnerable Moment
A few months into the year-long program, Fine began work on an individual development plan (IDP) – a crucial step for all CU Grow participants. He thought through where he wanted to grow and highlighted technical writing, a skill he admired in Patin.
Fine submitted his plan to Kristen Craft Finley, CU Grow’s program coordinator. She flagged it for discussion.
“When Shaun submitted his IDP recommendations, it was clear to me that he was searching for that one new skill or insight that would finally make him feel ‘ready, ’” Finley recalls. “I remember thinking that he already had what he needed. I had a strong sense he was on the edge of a breakthrough, and the IDP gave us a chance to move beyond surface-level development and talk more deeply about how confidence and self-perception shape the way we show up.”
Fine and Finley took the plan to Patin during their second checkpoint of the year. It was during that discussion that Fine paused for a moment of vulnerability.
“It made me realize it was a confidence issue about my writing style,” says Fine. “Being able to share and be vulnerable was what led me to realize she was invested in my growth.”
“I felt that [Shaun] had this wall up preventing him from realizing his true potential. Shaun is an amazing person: very kind and thoughtful, but seemed to be afraid of success,” Patin remembers. “I was a member of the President’s Leadership Institute (PLI), and that experience allowed me to grow my professional skills. I believed that CU Grow would hopefully do the same for Shaun.”
Through that conversation, Fine realized he had the technical writing skills he sought – he just needed to find the confidence to be comfortable writing in his own way.
“I’m not surprised by how well he is doing in the program. I always had confidence in him, but now he has the same confidence in himself,” Patin says.
A Foundation for Growth
These intentional and vulnerable conversations are at the heart of CU Grow’s purpose — creating space and opportunities for participants to be introspective and pursue meaningful growth.
In just five short months, Patin, Finley, and even Fine himself will tell you that the amount of personal growth is incredible. Due to changes in his department, he is now the senior IRB analyst — the position he initially wasn’t offered. CU Grow didn’t just help prepare him for the right position at the right time — it reshaped how he saw himself as a leader.
Apply for CU Grow Today
IDPs are just one of the four key pillars of the CU Grow program, which also focuses on intentional mentorship, authentic relationship building and servant leadership.
Applications for the year-long development program are currently open through September 30.
More information about the program, the application process, and its impacts can be found on the CU Grow website. Questions regarding the program may be directed to cugrow@clemson.edu.