2013 Graduate Program in Human Resource Development's Annual Networking Reception
The Graduate Program in Human Resource Development (HRD) and the Villanova Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management hosted the 16th Annual Networking Reception on March 26, 2013. The event was held in the atrium of Driscoll Hall and the evening’s theme was “Knowledge Transfer in the Multigenerational Workforce”. After an hour of networking, the one hundred and fifty guests moved into the main auditorium of Driscoll Hall where a spirited panel discussion was held.
The panel was moderated by Ms. Lyn Kremer, Publisher of the Philadelphia Business Journal. Ms. Kremer introduced each of the panels, which included: Mr. Richard Anthony Sr., Founder and Managing Director of the Anthony Group, Inc., Mr. Matthew Levy, Global Human Resources Lead for Janssen R&D, a Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company, Dawn Stanfield-Scott, Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Manager for The Boeing Company, and Leon Singletary, Founder and CEO of First Contact HR and My PartTimePRO. After introducing each of the panelists, Ms. Kremer began prompting the discussion. The panelists commented on the different approaches of large and small companies’ management of knowledge transfer between generations.
Overall, the panelists agreed that a business with a multigenerational workforce has a great opportunity to be successful. Although the panelists agreed that a multigenerational workforce is an asset, the panelists also discussed the potential for a “generational war” if a multigenerational workforce is managed poorly. After forty minutes, Ms. Kremer asked for questions from the audience.
Following the discussion and questions, Dr. David Bush, Founding Director of the Human Resource Development Program, gave some closing remarks. During his remarks, Dr. Bush presented the Ginamarie Ligon Award to HRD alumnus, Suzanne Little, and current student, Sylvia Rockwood. The evening concluded with another hour of networking in the atrium.
2013 SHRM NE Regional Student Conference Case Competition Winners
Congratulations to Christopher Konnick, Kristen Panny, Andrew Papino, and Ali Yousaf of Villanova University’s Student Chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management (VU SHRM) for winning the 2013 SHRM Northeast Regional Student Conference case competition. On March 15th and 16th, Delaware University hosted the annual Northeast Regional SHRM Student Conference where SHRM student chapters from colleges and universities competed against each other in the SHRM Annual Case competition.
The competition included both undergraduate and graduate students who acted as consultants to solve an organizational problem. During the four hour preparation period, each team created a solution to an organizational problem using academic and professional experiences. At the end of the preparation period, each team presented a solution to a fictitious “board of directors”. These judges were panel of experienced HR professionals posing as the clients. VU SHRM qualified for the final round on Saturday and competed against fellow Pennsylvania State University’s graduate student team. Each team presented to another group of judges as well as conference attendees during the final round.
Shortly following the competition on Saturday, all attendees were invited to a dinner and award ceremony, where it was announced that VU SHRM won first place. In addition to receiving a monetary award of $2,500, the students received complimentary registration to SHRM's Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the conference and gained valuable knowledge in HR. They also networked and connected with fellow Villanova alumni and other SHRM student members. The Human Resource Development program at Villanova University is proud to have such outstanding students.
2013 VU SHRM Professional Development Series: “Global Marketplace Challenges: The Business Perspective”
This February, VU SHRM hosted “Global Marketplace Challenges: The Business Perspective”, a panel discussion that focused on the challenges of managing a global workforce. Expert panelists included Mark Sneff, VP of HR for Premier Resources, Rick Smith, Professor at Singapore Management University, and Melissa Leneis, HR Director for Tyco International. Dr. Katina Sawyer served as moderator for the discussion. In keeping with the evening’s theme, Rick Smith joined the panel from his office in Singapore via Skype, exemplifying the challenges of working in a global marketplace.Save & Close
The panelists highlighted some of the challenges that global companies face including logistical and cultural barriers. For example, Mark shared a story of how culture-specific idioms caused confusion for his former team in Spain. He told his colleagues that “at the end of the day” the work would get done. In the U.S., this expression means that eventually, all the work would be completed. However, one of Mark’s Spanish colleagues expressed concern believing that Mark expected numerous projects to be completed by the end of that day. “English fluency does not mean English competency,” Mark said. Each of the panelists stressed that to be a global company, one must be aware of cultural nuances.
Other topics that were discussed included: expatriate assignments, succession planning, and human resources as part of the business strategy. Even in the current economic climate, the panelists agreed that finding the right talent is a challenge that all companies face. There are multiple solutions to this problem, but human resources must align its recruitment strategy with the business strategy to be successful. The panelists agreed that aligning human resource initiatives with the business strategy is the most effective way for human resources to get a seat in the executive suite.
The “Global Marketplace Challenges” panel discussion gave the audience an opportunity to see the strategic approach HR professionals need to take in today’s global workplace. One final piece of advice that the panelists conveyed to the student audience was to volunteer for as many projects as possible and gain global experience in any way possible.
2012 VU SHRM Professional Development Series Presents Talent Management
VU SHRM’s first Professional Development Workshop in spring was centered on “Talent Management”. Wendy Axelrod, managing Partner of Talent Savvy Manager LLC and co-author of Make Talent Your Business: How Exceptional Managers Develop People While Getting Results, presented the workshop. The workshop explored the common mistakes taken with talent management and successful tactics that companies follow.
Wendy discussed the many paths Talent Development takes. The paths most often traveled consist of broad based talent development, succession and pipeline management, performance management, and high potential identification and development.
Throughout the presentation the audience broke into small groups and discussed their experiences. The common challenge discussed was how companies would in theory support talent development, but would effectively execute it. The biggest lesson learned from Wendy’s presentation is that effective talent development is a goal that should not only be discussed, but integrated into an organization’s culture.
2012 VU SHRM - Professional Development Series
During the second half of the fall semester, VU SHRM hosted two more events for its Professional Development Series. The November workshop focused on how to prepare for an interview and the “red flags” to watch out for in the interview. The second workshop focused on networking techniques and how to apply these techniques. These workshops helped develop communication skills that could be applied in a variety of settings.
November 13–“First Impressions”
This workshop featured Mark Sullivan, Recruitment and Talent Acquisition Manager for American Water. Mark gave and informative session about the various types of interviews and how to prepare for each type of interview. He also gave tips of what not to do in the interview and what “red flags” to watch for when in an interview. One important aspect that Mark stressed was appropriate conduct post-interview, which included sending a thank you note, following-up with the hiring manager and how to handle rejection well if another candidate gets the position. Mark also entertained our members with many real life stories from his 18 years of recruiting experience. VU SHRM members were able to walk away with a greater understanding of the interview process and how to properly prepare for their next first impression.
December 4—“Seasons Meeting”
Brenda Grove, Director of College Outreach and On-site Programs at Villanova, presented Seasons Meeting: Networking and Company Holiday Party Best Practices. The event started with participants filling out nametags with their names and an interesting fact. This was used as the conversation starter to learn names and something interesting about the other attendees. The first half of the event was networking and mingling with students and faculty. During the second half of the event, Brenda gave a presentation about the benefits of networking, tips on how to network, and some common misconceptions. One common mistake Brenda mentioned was that people come across as negative at network events. Some examples given were complaining about traffic, venue, food, etc. Similar to a job interview, that person meeting you for the first time should not be under the impression that you have a negative personality. Also, one of the most important parts of the networking event is the next day follow-up email. In the end, the audience was able to take away some great tips to improve their networking skills and better understand the importance of networking. Brenda did a great job taking the fear out of networking.
News - Spring 2012
The Annual Networking reception Sold Out!
News: November 2010
Greetings from the Windy City! Assistant Professor Dr. Ginamarie Ligon and VU SHRM members Robyn Mapp and Kate Dembroski have submitted research on the topic of Baby Boomer Engagement in Organizations to the 2011 Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's conference in Chicago.
News: October 2010
Aloha! Dr. David Bush, Director and Founder of the Graduate Programs in Human Resource Development, and VU SHRM member Kate Dembroski, were accepted to the 2011 Hawai'i International Conference on Education for the paper, College student retention: Adapting business metrics for turnover and retention.
Congratulations! Kristina Bader, Online HRD student and VU SHRM member, was recently awarded a 2010 SHRM Foundation Scholarship.
VU SHRM Newsletters
If you missed any of the Villanova SHRM Newsletters, be sure to check out the archives below. These documents are provided in Word format.
