Author: IITS Checkout

The Wabash Valley Collegiate Chapter of ISU and SMWC for the Society of HRD

spring Newsletter

april 2012

Inside this issue:

2012 Job Outlook for Human Resource Specialists	1
SHRM Likes to Volunteer	2
Let’s Get Real	2
My Experience at the Academy of Human Resource Development Conference	3
Alliance for / Servant Leadership	4
Note for the VP	4
The Diversity Fair at Union Hospital	5
My experience with SHRM	6
Welcome new SHRM / members !	6
Our Spring photo gallery	7

2012 Job Outlook for Human Resource Specialists

Hello SHRM Members,
I hope that you have all had a wonderful semester! Thank you so much to our out going officers! For those of you that are graduating, Siham, Jason, and Rachel, you will truly be missed! Congratulations to the new 2012-2013 SHRM Chapter officers that were elected at last night’s meeting: President – Alexa Davis; Vice President – Haitham Aldehbashi; PR – Isbat Rifat; Historian – Michael Freeman; Secretary – Csilla Stewart
I wanted to share with you some information that I obtained from the United States Department of Labor: Department of Labor Statistics that is pertinent to Human Resource professionals (this will be you some day). According to the Occupational Outlook handbook, 2012, HR specialists can be found in such areas as employee interviewing, HR generalists, labor relations, placement, and recruitment, among other areas. The median annual wage of human resources specialists was $52,690 in May 2010. The job outlook for an HR specialist is expected to grow 21 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Job opportunities for HR specialists with a bachelor’s degree and work related experience (maybe via an internship) have the best prospects (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012). HR specialists should possesses the qualities good decision-making skills, they should be detail oriented, have good interpersonal, listening, and speaking skills. HR specialists are employed in virtually all areas of industry!

Quick Facts: Human Resources Specialists

2010 Median Pay	$52,690 per year $25.33 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Bachelor’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	442,200
Job Outlook, 2010-20	21% (Faster than average )
Employment Change, 2010-20	90,700

Source: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Business-and-Financial/Human-resources-specialists.htm#tab-1
Submitted: Amber Gilman, SHRM Chapter Advisor

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SHRM Likes to Volunteer!

Dear SHRM members,
Our Collegiate SHRM chapter at Indiana State University has had a great Spring semester. Being a part of SHRM, I have learned that giving back to the community is important. Throughout the school year, we collect Nestle water bottle labels, Campbell’s soup labels, Box Tops, and pop tabs which are donated to local elementary schools. From there, our saved and recycled pieces are used to purchase items such as computers to assist in educating children or gym equipment to ensure they have the opportunity for a long, healthy life.
In December we collected several bags of toys to donate to Toys for Tots. These toys went to children who may be less fortunate within the Terre Haute area. We hope that through our efforts, more children had a special Christmas.
On April 15, 2012, we have arranged to volunteer at the Lighthouse Mission in Terre Haute. During our volunteer time, we will serve lunch to the consumers of the organization. We think this is a great opportunity to help out in the community where there is a need.
Thank you to all those that have helped in these efforts! I hope you all have a wonderful summer break!
Alexa Davis, President

Let’s Get Real

“ For me, as a volunteer, I was given the opportunity to serve the Terre Haute community and help others.”

On the April 10th, Professor Amber Gilman and I (Qi Yan) volunteered at one of Vigo County School Corporations Let’$ Get Real programs, which was held at Woodrow Wilson Middle School. The program is an interactive, hands-on and real-life simulation that gives high school students’ the opportunity to explore career choices, make lifestyle and budget decisions similar to those adults face on a daily basis.
Professor Gilman and I were assigned to the “paying faxes” booth. High school students pictured themselves as adults (single, married, with or without children). Our responsibility was to determine what tax bracket they would be in based on their financial budget sheets. Later, we were assigned to the financial counseling booth to help those students that went over their budget to explore different budgeting decisions.
So often, high school students have no idea what it is like living in the real world and how much it really costs. Things such as paying a monthly cell phone bill and how much groceries cost seemed to shock many of the students. For me, as a volunteer, I was given the opportunity to serve the Terre Haute community and help others. This was an experience that I will remember and also recommend members of the student SHRM chapter to take part in the future.
Qi Yan, Graduate HRD Student

spring Newsletter

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My Experience at the Academy of Human Resource Development Conference

On March 1 - 3, I had the distinct honor of attending the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) International Research Conference in the Americas in Denver, Colorado. At this conference I represented our department and university by presenting my current research among many noted scholars and practitioners in the field of human resource development. This research looks at how HRD practitioners in the banking industry, particularly in small banks, can use the HRD concept of evaluative inquiry to develop organizational learning initiatives by questioning the way things are done and by incorporating the viewpoints of everyone in the company. Clearly, during the housing and financial crisis, people in the banking industry were not asking the right questions. Therefore, this research investigates the concept of encouraging people to ask questions throughout an entire organization in order to continuously learn by incorporating a diverse array of viewpoints. If those in the banking industry had been asking what impact their decisions could have on our society instead of just how much money they could make, perhaps we could have avoided the recent financial crisis and the devastating impact that it has had on our economy.
Attending an international research conference can be very expensive, but there are ways that students here at ISU can obtain funding for such opportunities. In order to get the money to be able to attend this conference, I applied to the ISU Graduate Student Research Fund and was successful in obtaining the full amount of funding that they offer. In addition, our HRD department reviewed my proposal and offered to fund the remaining cost of travel for my trip. To pay my conference registration fee, I worked as a technology volunteer to answer any questions or fix any problems that came up. Most of the time I didn’t have to do much, so I just basically set at the help desk, and fixed any problems that arose. This experience allowed me to meet numerous members of the Academy, particularly professors in PhD programs in or related to HRD. The contacts I made from this experience will help me immeasurably as I move on to study at the doctoral level.
Because my flight left from Indianapolis at 6:00 AM, I was very tired when I arrived at the hotel. So when my co-author, Dr. Graham informed me that he would not be able to help me present our research because he had another commitment, I thought I was having a dream, a really bad one. As I had never presented to an audience at an international research conference before, I must admit that I was very anxious before I gave my presentation. As I prepared, I got the idea of giving the presentation with passion and energy, especially when it came to the greed that took place in the housing crisis. This helped me to clearly explain our research and show its true significance to HRD and to all of society as well.
As I was giving my presentation, I felt like I was doing pretty well, but I was still unsure since I was speaking at an international research conference. Once I finished my speech, I was shocked at how loud the applause was. I had engaged the audience well and they clearly understood the true significance of our study. After my presentation I also discovered that the editors of two of the scholarly journals published by AHRD were in attendance for my speech. I was glad that I did not know this before my presentation because I was already very nervous. But the fact that I was able to successfully present this research in front of notable HRD researchers as well as other scholars and practitioners from around the world is a testament to the quality of our program. To have my ideas accepted by these highly intelligent professionals was an awesome experience that will live with me always, I will never forget it.
The conference ended with the Presidential Dinner, after which Dr. Graham introduced me to and took my picture with, both the incoming and outgoing presidents of the Academy. Finally, I created a poster presentation of this study which I presented at ISU’s Symposium on April 4th. You can somewhat see this in the picture where I am standing with our university president Dr. Bradley. Writing and presenting this research will help me tremendously as I move on to the PhD level, and it gives me a major head start on my career and a major advantage over the competition as well. Presenting at the AHRD conference and at ISU’s Symposium were great experiences for me, and I would definitely recommend anyone interested in research to take advantage of opportunities such as these.
Jason Dean, Historian

“Attending an international research conference can be very expensive, but there are ways that students here at ISU can obtain funding for such opportunities“

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Alliance for Servant Leadership

“I decided to go to these meetings and I did not regret it”

At the beginning of the spring semester, I received an email invitation from Dr Yaw, a faculty member in our HRD department, about attending workshops of Alliance for Servant Leadership. At first, I wondered how this would be beneficial to me. I am an HRD student and this has nothing to do with what I want, but it was completely the opposite. Once I understood what it meant and I how these workshops could help me in my life, I decided to go to these meetings and I did not regret it, I learned a great deal and I highly encourage all of you to attend these meetings next semester. Here is a brief overview of what I learned there:
Being a leader is not something that everyone can do, true leadership "emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others." In addition, servant leadership is a moral position that consists of putting the well-being of the followers before his/her goals. Having good leaders is what makes a company, a household, a small business, or even a country successful.
The workshops of the Alliance for Servant Leadership at ISU have a mission of “developing a learning community that exists to provide opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and external publics of Indiana State University to develop their servant-leadership potential and to apply that potential in the service of personal and organizational improvement.” There were two meetings organized throughout the semester, the first one was in early February and presented by Dr. Joshua Powers. Represented was the topic of “Servant Leadership and the Art of Teaching”, while the second one was held in early April around a brown bag by Dr Max Douglas and represented the topic of “Teacher as Servant: A Parable”.
The main purpose of these meetings was to encourage the faculty, student and staff members at ISU to help explore the ideals of servant leadership, leadership challenges in the contemporary workplace, and insights for mentoring our current students to enhance their learning. For more information, please visit the Alliance for Servant Leadership website: http://www.indstate.edu/asl/
Siham Lekchiri, PR Officer

Note from the Vice President!

As many of you know each semester, the student SHRM organization hosts an industry tour. Last semester we went to Bemis, this semester we visited Clabber Girl. Instead of taking a tour of the manufacturing facility, we had a round table discussion with their HR department which proved to be extremely valuable!
Clabber Girl has been in business and in the Terre Haute area for over a hundred years. Yet their HR department is only twenty years old, it started in 1992, with a woman working in the accounting department. Today, the HR department is doing a lot of the things we as students are learning about in our classes. There are three women running the HR Department at Clabber Girl, Executive Director Lisa Pepperworth, Pension/Benefits Coordinator Brenda Fagg, and HR Generalist Shannon Bartlett. These women informed us that they are in the process of implementing succession planning and a career path program opportunity. The overall culture of the company is family and community. The HR department gets out on the floor and is able to talk to the employees one on one. They said they know every person in the company by name. It is this culture that keeps the retention rate of the company in the single digits. Many of the employees have been working there for more than ten years!
This was a great opportunity and I look forward to the Fall 2012 industry tour!
Michael Freeman, VP
Michael Freeman, VP

The Diversity Fair at Union Hospital

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As a student in the HRD department, completing an internship is a requirement to graduate in both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. After finishing my internship, I understand why it is mandatory and am very grateful for the on-the-job experience and the chance to step out into the “real world.” This semester I had the pleasure of interning in the human resources department at Union Hospital. Each spring, Union Hospital’s Human Resources department sponsors an Annual Diversity Fair for the employees of the hospital and the community. This year, Csilla Stewart and I were the interns responsible for organizing and developing the entire event.
The purpose of the fair is to introduce and educate employees about diverse groups of people, whether they have a different background, are from a foreign country, or maybe have a disability. By attending the fair, the goal was to help employees transfer what they learned to the workplace so when encountering a diverse patient, family member, or fellow employee, they will have the ability to provide a higher quality of care or communicate more effectively. Also, this year, it was important for Csilla and I to ensure there was information regarding healthcare differences, norms, and beliefs presented in order to align the fair to issues employees may come across while working in the healthcare setting.
The fair consisted of different booths set up to display a visual guide of traditions, culinary arts, music, art, architecture, and history. Italy, India, Ghana, Morocco, China, Vietnam, Hungary, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Mexico were all the countries represented at the fair. Booths for people with disabilities and spirituality differences were set up as well. There was also a variety of food, prizes, and games.
Indiana State students helped tremendously with the success of the event. There were a number of volunteers from international student organizations to help educate and explain their customs to the Union Hospital employees. Businesses within the community donated various items to the event as well. It was also great to see all the HRD students and professors who came out to support the event! All in all, this was a great learning experience for me personally. I was able to understand a little more of human resources operations in a healthcare facility and I was also introduced to event planning. I believe requiring an internship for students to complete is very beneficial and well justified for HRD students.
Rachel Williams, Secretary

“I was able to understand a little more of human resources operations in a healthcare facility and I was also introduced to event planning. I believe requiring an internship for students to complete is very beneficial and well justified for HRD students“

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My experience with SHRM

“Becoming a SHRM member on national level and attending the Wabash Valley Human Resource Association’s monthly meetings have also added value to my knowledge and future opportunities”

Since I have been an online undergraduate student at ISU in the Human Resource Development program, I have not really had a lot of chance to network personally or to learn more about the possible resources available on campus. As my senior year approached, finding an internship position at a local business became pressing, so I decided to participate in activities to build connections.
Once I have heard about the collegiate chapter of SHRM from Dr. Yaw, I started attending the monthly ISU Collegiate SHRM Chapter meetings where I have met many familiar and friendly faces. I can honestly say that without any exception, every professor and presenter has been supportive in my advancement as new doors have been opened up to me through the tremendous amount of information and advice I received at each discussion and industrial tour. Learning firsthand from HR professionals who share their expertise has helped me to decide what environment would fit my personality, how to effectively communicate and use social media, what to focus on when writing a resume, or how to embrace diversity.
Becoming a SHRM member on national level and attending the Wabash Valley Human Resource Association’s monthly meetings have also added value to my knowledge and future opportunities. That is indeed the place for updating knowledge and skills within the field and for networking! Participating at SHRM sponsored servant leadership conferences and panel discussions have put me in touch with business leaders who are true role models. In addition, to be acquainted with HR professionals who specialize in certain areas is also priceless.
The WVHRA gatherings have enabled me to introduce myself to Union Hospital’s HR Manager Joanne Davignon. After an interview I have secured my current internship at Union Hospital where I have organized the Annual Diversity Fair with another intern Rachel Williams and also learned about organization specific procedures. During leadership and departmental staff meetings I was able to further expand my professional relationships and to get familiar with current business strategies, ongoing projects, or safety issues, which will serve as precious experience to build upon.
SHRM and the internship experience influenced my leadership skills and improved my organizational, communication, public speaking, and problem solving skills. I encourage every HR and business student to join SHRM because through their activities and supportive staff it becomes easier to build professional relationships. Moreover, their website offers essential resources for classes, projects, and for self-development. Who would want to miss out on all the fun and opportunities!
Csilla Stewart, HRD Undergraduate Student

Welcome New SHRM Members !

New Members This Spring:
Reginald Adams, Jamal Alabandi, Suliman Alanazi, Ohud Alfaleh, Areij Alrusaiess, Amber Ballinger, Wesley Boggs, Natalie Bunton, Lia Duret-Velasco, Suni Gooch, Dior Johnson, Michael Kelsay, Jessica Meuser, Tazrian Rian, Isbat Rifat, Jose Tuya, Shannon Wilson, Matt Woolley

Our Spring Semester photo gallery

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The Diversity Fair at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana

Csilla and Mike at the Diversity Fair

Rachel poses with guests at the Diversity Fair

Our members enjoy learning about local organizations and their HR Department! The Spring 2012 Industry Tour at Clabber Girl was a success.

SHRM members and Delta Gamma sorority members teamed up to serve lunch at the Lighthouse Mission in Terre Haute.