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School of Business student chapter recognized by national HR organization for growth and excellence

The incoming SHRM executive team. Front row, left to right: Emily Ingram, Autumn Waters, Celeste Small, Dr. Tammy Brown. Back row, left to right: Sydney Brown, Benjamin Mello, Hannah Pienkowski, Kali Robinson, Ethan Riffo.

For the second consecutive year, Liberty University’s Society for Human Resource Management student chapter, in the School of Business, earned a 2020-21 Superior Merit Award, a national distinction that recognizes a college chapter for its superior membership opportunities and growth.

As the largest HR organization, boasting over 300,000 members across the globe, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a national agency that provides professional development opportunities for the HR workforce in all career stages.

For the 2020-21 academic year, Liberty’s chapter organized monthly virtual events, panels, workshops, and brought in local Lynchburg professionals to serve as guest speakers. The chapter also developed various HR resources for the Lighthouse, a Lynchburg non-profit, which included a donor retention tool kit, five employee positions, and many other forms and processes. The chapter also developed an employee handbook for BAI, a for-profit organization that offers governmental contracting work in cyber security.

“The reason we were given this award was because we went out of our way to give hands-on, real experience to our students while also seeking to better our community,” said Kimberly Graham, the graduating president of Liberty’s SHRM chapter. “We got to step in as students and get some real experience that benefitted both me and my fellow team members, while also getting to make an impact with our community in a space that really needs it.”

To qualify for the award, Liberty’s chapter needed to reach an event quota and track student involvement. Once these basic conditions were met, the chapter sought ways to go above and beyond.

“It means a lot that I was able to not only be a leader, but also to see results from that leadership,” Graham said. “It was great to see that even during the difficulties of COVID, we were able to still have events, build fellowship with each other, grow in our skills, and still make an impact in our community.”

The chapter’s Superior Merit Award would not have been possible without its strong 10-student executive team, particularly rising business human resource senior Ethan Riffo, who was charged with submitting the chapter’s award applications.

“I’m a business student, but I don’t want all of my work to necessarily just make money,” said Riffo, who will assume the role of president beginning in the fall. “I do want to be able to help other people, too. And being able to take what I’ve learned in school and then apply it to a non-profit in the community where I go to college, means a lot to me. That’s why I really enjoyed the work we did on SHRM this past semester, because it meant something to the community..”

“Getting an award might be superficial in a way, compared to the work that we do, but it’s still something that lets us know that what we’re doing actually amounts to something,” Riffo added.

Faculty Advisor and Associate Professor of General Business Dr. Tammy Brown said she wanted to give Liberty’s SHRM chapter two distinct working perspectives: a nonprofit and for-profit.

“Our students have a heart for ministry, so I wanted them to give back to the community and to give back their talents that the Lord has given them,” Brown said. “But I also wanted them to see that this can happen on a for-profit platform. I wanted the students to have the viewpoint of both.”

Liberty’s School of Business offers undergraduate degrees in Human Resource Management, both residential and online. To get involved with Liberty’s SHRM chapter, contact Dr. Tammy Brown at tkbrown@liberty.edu.

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