"This is an area you should thrive for in the coming year."

I got my annual review letter from my graduate program. It's much longer and more boilerplatey than the ones I've gotten in the past, so I won't quote the whole thing, but the gist of it is that I'm doing fine and the program will continue to fund me, provided that I hurry up and submit my research committee paperwork by spring. They're correct that I'm behind schedule on that -- I've been delayed by the fact that one of my committee members doesn't actually join our faculty until next month!

The letter also contained this paragraph:

As a Ph.D. student, it is critical to submit and publish your research results to peer-reviewed venues. This is an area you should thrive for in the coming year.

As flattering as "thrive in" might be, I think "strive for" is what must have been intended.