Georgia Southern student group receives prestigious award from world’s largest HR association

June 20, 2017

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has awarded a 2016-2017 Superior Merit Award designation to the Georgia Southern University SHRM student chapter for providing superior growth and development opportunities to its student chapter members.

Of the 327 student chapters from across the United States, Georgia Southern University was one of 149 winners.

“Our student chapter is very active, consistently creating projects that help both the student members and involve the local, professional SHRM chapter,” said David Sikora, Ph.D., assistant professor of management and co-advisor of the SHRM Student Chapter.

“They promote HR related professions and the development of our students to prepare them for future jobs in the HR field,” Sikora continued. “We’re excited to win this Merit Award for the 10th consecutive year, which allows our students to gain the experience needed for a career in HR.”

SHRM student chapters had the opportunity to earn an award based on the number of activities they completed during the merit award cycle, which ran from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017.

The Georgia Southern University student chapter of SHRM completed a number of important initiatives leading to its Superior Merit Award recognition for the 2016-2017 academic year. These activities included the establishment of a Human Resources Mentorship Program with the Statesboro Professional SHRM chapter. This mentorship program allows Georgia Southern SHRM members to regularly interact with HR practitioners in local business and government organizations. The program provides informal career advice and professional networking for chapter members.

The student chapter also worked with the Georgia Southern Human Resources and Career Services groups to present a series of chapter meetings aimed at helping students develop professional résumés, build their interviewing skills and learn to better network with employers.

Finally, the chapter presented a panel discussion with HR professionals and business owners aimed at helping students understand how employers make hiring decisions and what they look for in top job candidates.

“These chapters truly represent the future of the HR profession,” said Susan Post, SHRM-SCP, east divisional director at SHRM and the lead for SHRM’s student programs. “Their achievements go above and beyond their everyday academic and work commitments, and we applaud the positive impact their efforts have on their schools, their local communities and beyond.”

For Fall 2017, the Georgia Southern University student chapter officers include Joslyn Ballingall (president), Tiffany Daniels (vice president, fundraising), Barbara Jordan (vice president, membership), Thomas Boynton (vice president, public relations), Brandy Hurt (vice president, merit), Bryan Barron-Ponce (secretary), Jada Long (succession chair) and Caroline Nolen (treasurer).

The SHRM student chapter Merit Award Program, which began in 1972, was created to encourage student chapters to require ongoing excellence in the following areas: student chapter requirements, chapter operations, chapter programming and professional development of members, support of the human resource profession, and SHRM engagement.

About the Society for Human Resource Management

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. For nearly seven decades, the Society has been the leading provider of resources serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the practice of human resource management. SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China, India and United Arab Emirates. Visit us at shrm.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @SHRMPress.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 118 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.