The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has awarded a 2018-2019 Outstanding Student Chapter Award designation to the Anderson University SHRM student chapter for providing superior growth and development opportunities to its members.

The SHRM student chapter merit award program, which began in 1972, was created to encourage student chapters to acquire 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.

“SHRM is committed to engaging the future leaders of the HR profession—HR and business students. As we work to shape better workplaces—where employers and employees can thrive together—we are energized by the work our student chapters are doing to encourage students to choose HR as a career path,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and chief executive officer of SHRM.  “Awarding this Outstanding Student Chapter Award designation is just one small way for SHRM to recognize and celebrate the big steps the Anderson University SHRM student chapter has taken this past academic year.”

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, 2018, to March 31, 2019.

“I am very proud of our students and their efforts to achieve this ‘Outstanding’ rating from the national SHRM organization,” said Steve Nail, dean of the Anderson University College of Business. “Their hard work and drive towards excellence is representative of the quality of students at Anderson University."

AU SHRM Chapter President for 2018-19, Caleb Allen, said teamwork was key to the achievement. 

“Our motto this year was, ‘Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork,’ and through these efforts, we believe we were exceptionally successful," he said. He said HR students have been involved in events such as the first-ever student led HR Conference at Anderson University, a student mentoring program, a case study competition, interactive mini-conferences, and donations to Miracle Hill Ministries.

"The outstanding Anderson SHRM Chapter has excelled in developing unprecedented state-of-the-art initiatives and programs to assist in the transition from college to career,” said Dr. Evie Maxey, Anderson’s SHRM faculty advisor. “We are elated for our newly established student SHRM chapter to receive this recognition. This will be a springboard for continued excellence in student leadership development."