EMU Today

YPSILANTI – The Eastern Michigan University student chapter of the national Society for Human Resource Management has been awarded a 2019-2020 Superior Merit Award for providing exceptional growth and development opportunities to its student members. The EMU SHRM chapter has received the Superior Merit Award from the national society every year since 1996.

The SHRM student chapter merit award program encourages the development of more effective student chapters and distinguishes outstanding activities and projects. Chapters are recognized based on chapter operations, chapter programming and professional development of members, support of the human resource profession, and SHRM engagement.

Leaders of tomorrow

“Today’s members of our student chapters are the HR leaders of tomorrow,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, and President and CEO of the national society. “They are the movers and shakers of the future, and we cannot understate the vital role they play in SHRM’s success.

The EMU SHRM student chapter is evidence that the future of HR is, indeed, in good hands. I applaud their accomplishments and ability to fiercely move forward during a time of such change and uncertainty in the workplace.”

SHRM student chapters have the opportunity to earn an award based on the number of activities they complete during the merit award cycle, the most recent one of which lasted from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.

Dr. Fraya Wagner-Marsh, one of the faculty advisors for the chapter, said that for this past school year, the EMU Student Chapter of SHRM focused on sustainability and HR for its merit award project. As a student chapter, the goal was to bring awareness about sustainability and HR’s role. Sustainability has been a major focus for most organizations today, and HR professionals are at the heart of their organizations' sustainability efforts, Wagner-Marsh said.

Focus on volunteer and sustainability activities

Throughout the year, several activities were completed to achieve this goal, and the chapter collaborated with the local community, HR professionals, and University members.

Chapter members engaged in the following set of activities:

• Volunteered with a non-profit organization to learn about supporting the local food system;

• Invited an HR Professional from Ford Motor to talk about sustainability and HR’s role at Ford;

• Delivered a sustainability brochure and website information to students;

• Developed a sustainability survey for students; and organized a food drive for the community pantry.

These activities were in addition to EMU’s regular speaker meetings where HR professionals come to talk about various HR topics, participation in the Making Strides Breast Cancer walk, and working with the local SHRM professional chapter, Greater Ann Arbor SHRM, to provide mentoring opportunities.

The chapter’s faculty advisors also included Dr. Anushri Rawat and Dr. James Krolik. EMU SHRM’s student President is Olivia Smith, a current Masters in Human Resources and Organization Development student.

About SHRM

SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today's evolving workplaces. With 300,000+ HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers and families globally. Learn more at SHRM.org and on Twitter @SHRM. Contact Julie Hirschhorn at Julie.Hirschhorn@shrm.org and 703-842-5152

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.