The Baldwin Wallace University student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) received a SHRM Superior Merit Award for the 2017-2018 academic year.

The award recognizes the chapter for “providing superior growth and development opportunities to… chapter members and the Baldwin Wallace student body,” according to the chapter’s website.

“SHRM is actually an international society for HR professionals, and we are a student chapter,” said Gwyn Dubel ’19, president of BW’s student chapter of SHRM.

“SHRM at BW has been around, I think, for almost 20 years, but it’s been really revitalized in the past couple years.”

In order to earn an SHRM Superior Merit Award, Dubel said, a student chapter must accomplish set objectives focused on member participation, support of SHRM initiatives, and campus involvement.

A chapter may qualify for an Honorable Mention, Merit Award, or Superior Merit Award depending on how many standards it met.

The Superior Merit Award is the highest possible level of honors. Three years ago, the BW chapter earned a Merit Award.

For the past two years, it has earned Superior Merit Awards. “There’s a lot of things our SHRM chapter has developed over the past couple years that I think is just a testament to the leadership we’ve had and the teams that have led our chapter,” Dubel said.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to do and provide for our members and for the BW community.” On campus, SHRM puts on professional development events and works to increase knowledge of the HR major and profession, said Dubel.

“We do different things that help not only our members but the whole BW community develop professionally,” Dubel said, “just like the HR function does, essentially, in a professional setting.”

BW SHRM chapter member Emma Hubbard ’21 said an understanding of human resources is valuable even to students not planning on going into HR. “If you’re going to get an interview somewhere someday,” Hubbard said, “then you’ll be in contact with HR professionals.”

The chapter teams up with Career Services to put on events and programming, such as Career Expo preparation events, and hosts LinkedIn photo opportunities, the next of which will be held on Nov. 13 from 5-7 p.m. in Bonds Hall.

The chapter also provides quality professional development opportunities to its members, Dubel said. “Within our organization, we have company tours at organizations that implement HR methods that are preferably new or innovative, like Quicken Loans or Federal Reserve Bank,” she said.

“Those are available to our members, and those are things that we do to help them develop professionally.” BW’s SHRM members also attend HR conferences and competitions.

In April 2017, BW’s team received 3rd place at the SHRM Student Case Competition East in Philadelphia, PA. Local conferences attended by the chapter include the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration Annual Conference and the Northern Ohio Human Resource Conference.

This past June 17-20, Dubel, Hubbard, and fellow chapter member Alli Zarlinga ’20 attended the SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, Illinois.

The attendees went to sessions on topics in HR and met and networked with HR professionals, said Hubbard. Zarlinga, who recently transferred from Tri-C, said the chapter was instrumental in providing her new and meaningful opportunities.

“I kind of when out of my comfort zone to go to a conference over the summer or work a job fair,” said Zarlinga. “I definitely feel like SHRM is broadening my horizons and opening my eyes to new things and new experiences.” The BW chapter of SHRM is open to students of all majors, not just HR majors, said Dubel.

“I’m in Business Administration, but I feel like SHRM is such a great organization to be a part of because it does offer you a lot of opportunities.

I’ve been able to refine my resume and get a professional headshot and… go to the exposition and meet new people and build my LinkedIn,” said Hubbard.

“No matter what major you’re going into, it’s going to help you.” More info on SHRM meetings and membership and on upcoming SHRM events at BW can be found on the chapter website at bwushrm. weebly.com, or by emailing [email protected].