Texas SHRM State Council Meeting

Your Texas SHRM State Council met in Austin on April 10 to discuss areas to enhance service to you and provide attendees with more tools for their local chapters. A part of this meeting was dedicated to Core Leadership Areas (CLA’s) receiving feedback from the local chapters in attendance.

Based on the questions asked in the College Relations area, here are some of the responses received:

1. What are your Chapter goals?

• Turn students into professional members
• Get more involvement from student members
• Educate students on Human Resources
• Develop students into Human Resource leaders
• Add value for the colleges and universities
• Develop and have constant contact for Student Chapter Advisors
• Relationship development
• Work opportunities for students
• Mentorship opportunities
• Provide realistic expectations for students entering Human Resource jobs

2. How can Texas SHRM College Relations make your job easier?

• Identify contacts at universities and colleges in our areas
• Provide the language needed to talk/communicate with universities and colleges
• Provide role models that we can emulate
• Enhance sharing of knowledge and ideas
• Have a conference call

3. What are you doing that is working or not working?

• Working:
• Communication
• Large scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students (AHRMA)
• HR Student Summit (AHRMA) with panel discussions and a low registration fee ($20) that is based on $700 sponsorships by corporations

• Not Working
• Programs developed for Student Chapters are not working
• Scholarships are not being applied for
• Luncheons are not being attended
• Sponsors contact information not available
• Student Chapter Advisors not working out
• Having to start programs over due to Advisors leaving
• College funding

So what are we going to do about these concerns? Here are a few proposed ideas to enhance college relations across the State. 

1. We’re going to start having a quarterly conference call to open channels of communication and capture ideas, but it’s going to have to be a total team effort to make this work.
2. Through the Texas SHRM Newsletter, expect continued updates, answers and ideas to enhance your chapter operations, both at the local level and college/university level.
3. A Statewide Summit to prepare teams for the SHRM Case Challenge and Leadership Conference.
4. Encouragement and support as we look to identify Student Advisors in your areas and encourage them to become more engaged with local and student chapters.

Texas SHRM