Student group receives recognition from world’s largest HR association

Liberty University’s 2015-16 SHRM student chapter leadership.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has awarded a 2015-16 Superior Merit Chapter Award designation to the Liberty University SHRM student chapter for providing superior growth and development opportunities to its members.

Liberty’s SHRM chapter, which operates within the School of Business, increased its membership by nearly 50 percent from the 2014-15 school year, growing from 29 to 50 members this past year.

The SHRM student chapter merit award program encourages 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. Liberty was one of 163 winners this year from across the country.

“The students have done a remarkable job this year advancing the student chapter, the School of Business, and the HR profession,” said Dr. Eric Richardson, the chapter’s faculty advisor. “They have set the bar high for the chapter’s upcoming leadership.”

Throughout the academic year, Liberty’s SHRM members were involved in community service through IRON Lives, a local nonprofit that helps provide youth with solid character, academic and professional guidance, and training. Chapter members helped with both personal and professional development of middle and high school students.

In April, Liberty’s SHRM chapter attended the 2016 Virginia State SHRM Conference, where members Rachel Godwin, former chapter president and 2016 graduate, and Ben Hughes gave a presentation. Godwin and Hughes, who both graduated in May, were the chapter’s president and vice president, respectively. Hughes is returning to pursue a Master of Business Administration and will assume the role of chapter president.

Student chapter leadership also led educational events, including a LinkedIn workshop and an Adobe workshop (read more about Liberty’s technology partnerships), throughout the year.

SHRM is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 285,000 professional and 20,000 student members in over 160 countries, the association serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession.