grams at Penn State. Today we offer six undergraduate and
graduate degrees in residence at University Park and six fully
online degrees (undergraduate and graduate) through PSU’s
World Campus. And the total number of
students enrolled in our World Campus and
University Park degree programs exceeds
2,000.
In Spring 2013, just prior to our elevation to a School, we celebrated our 70th
Anniversary. To commemorate this milestone we organized an Anniversary Dinner
and Professional Development Symposium
that was attended by over two hundred alumni, students, faculty, and staff. It was a great way to end the program’s first seventy years as a Department and kick off the next seventy years
as a School!
(continued on page 5)
--From Jackie Brova and Rex Simpson, LER Alumni Board Co
-Presidents
The Affiliated Programs Group (a.k.a. the Alumni Board)
is made up of 34 alums who support the School throughout
the year. The full Board meets on campus twice a year; in the
fall (Nov. 14th) and in the spring (usually April), but members
are also available during the year
to speak to classes, work with
our student groups, discuss program development with Dr. Clark
and other faculty members, and
to help students through a variety
of projects and programs.
The fall Board meeting is traditionally centered around a
Thursday night talk by our Outstanding Alum honoree (this year
LER alum Adam Taliaferro) and APG Board Member Amy Dietz and 2012
the Saturday morning tailgate that LER Grad Emily Pattyn.
has fast become an LER tradition. The spring program features our career counseling round tables for students. But the
Board also sponsors a wide variety of other activities including student debates and programs; student and faculty visits to
companies, law firms, labor unions and government agencies
throughout the Northeast; and an annual football tailgate. The
Board works directly with students on helpful developmental
programs like job interviewing (a focus of the November
meeting), business writing workshops, resume reviews, as
well as participating in student/alumni mentoring.
The Board is also active in raising development funds for
the School. Since its creation in the 1990s, the Board has
helped raise nearly $1 million. More than 175 LER students
have received over $400,000 in scholarships and grants. In
addition to scholarships, our fund raising has been instrumental in supporting students studying abroad, in paying for the
cost of students travelling to scholarly or professional conferences and competitions, and in helping to support student organizations and activities. If you are able to help us, you can
make sure your gift goes to help the program by noting on
your check that your gift is for the “LER School”. A gift to the
School is tax deductible and enables us to continue the tremendous growth and progress LER has made in recent years
and maintain the student-centered culture that makes our
School so unique and valued.
In addition to helping financially, please consider contributing your time and expertise. The School can use your
help! The Board is not a private club, but a diverse group of
alums who care about Penn State, the LER School, and our
students, and want to give back to the program. If you would
be interested in helping the School and our LER students contact co-chairs Rex Simpson at rcs30@psu.edu or Jackie
Brova at jjbrova@ptd.net or stop by our fall meeting at the
Nittany Lion Inn on November 14th. We look forward to
hearing from you! We are!
INSIDE
This is our first newsletter in some time. The reason--we
have had so much going on that we have not had a moment to
put one together! But over the last few months we decided to
make getting a newsletter out a top priority. We have a lot of
good news to report about our program, our students, and our
faculty, so please take a few minutes and find out what we
have been up to.
Perhaps the biggest news is that last year Penn State’s
Board of Trustees voted to elevate our program from a Department to a School! We are now the School of Labor and Employment Relations. This is a relatively rare occurrence at a
university like ours and is a pretty big deal for us. The promotion to School status is a reflection of the progress our program has made in the last five to ten years. During this time
our full-time faculty has grown from 8 to 22 and our part-time
faculty has increased from less than 10 to more than 60. Since
2008, LER has built one of the largest and best online pro-
Stan Gully joined the LER Faculty in Fall 2014
as a Professor of Human Resource Management.
Stan earned his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. His interests include leadership and team effectiveness, individual differences and motivation,
strategic staffing and recruitment, employee wellness. Stan has published numerous articles, chapters, and books
on these topics and was inducted as a Fellow of the Society of
Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Jean Phillips joined the LER Faculty in Fall
2014 as a Professor of Human Resource Management. Jean earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State
University in Business Management and Organizational Behavior. Her interests focus on recruitment and staffing, motivation, and the processes
that lead to employee retention, wellness, and performance. She received the 2004 Cummings Scholar Award
from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of
Management. She has published nine books, in addition to numerous articles and book chapters.
Niki Dickerson von Lockette joined the LER
Faculty in Fall 2013 as a Professor of Labor and
Employment Relations and Sociology. Niki received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan
in Sociology. Her work examines the impact of
residential segregation on unemployment and wages for blacks and Latinos in metropolitan areas and
the effects of workplace occupational segregation on worker attitudes. She has served as consultant for the U.S. Departments of
Labor and Commerce and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Mary Bellman is a Lecturer of Labor and Employment Relations as well as a labor educator.
Mary holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the
University of New Mexico where her research focused on union organizing by women in Central
America. Mary has many years of experience leading programs for workers, most recently at the
University of Minnesota's Labor Education Service
from 2008-2014. In addition to teaching resident instruction
courses, Mary will be organizing, as well as teaching, education
programs for Pennsylvania unions and workers.
Emily Morrison joined the LER Staff last
spring. She comes to the School from Verizon
Wireless in State College where she worked as a
Customer Service Representative. Emily has taken
on responsibility for course scheduling and instructor onboarding and payroll. Her work also
includes working with the School’s labor education pro-
gram, including the new Labor Leadership Initiative. Emily
has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Letters, Arts, and Sciences
from Penn State University.
Elaine Farndale, formerly an Assistant
Professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations, has been granted tenured and promoted to Associate Professor.
Elaine is known globally for her work in the
area of international and comparative human
resources management.
Sarah Damaske, Assistant Professor of Labor
and Employment Relations, and her coauthor, received extensive press coverage for
a study in the Journal of Science and Medicine. The study examined the levels of the
stress hormone, cortisol, in a variety of workers throughout the day. The data showed that
both men and women are significantly less
stressed at work than they are at home. Further, the women
in the study said they were happier at work, while the men
said they felt happier at home. The study discusses the implications the findings have for people trying to juggle the
dual responsibilities of work and family. Sarah was featured
in stories in dozens of top news outlets including Good
Morning America, NPR, PBS News Hour, the New York
Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Le Figaro,
Time, and Forbes. For a synopsis of the study go to http://
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/
wp/2014/05/22/are-you-more-stressed-at-home-than-atwork/.
Paul Clark, Professor and
Director of the School of
Labor and Employment Relations, was honored in April
as the recipient of the 2014
President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Integration. The prestigious, university-wide award is given to a
full-time faculty member
who has exhibited extraordinary achievement in the integration of teaching, research or creative accomplishment
and service during their career at Penn State.
For
the full story see:
http://news.psu.edu/
story/308546/2014/03/20/clark-recognized-president%E2%
80%99s-award-academic-integration.
In August, the Center for Global Workers’ Rights and
the School of Labor and Employment Relations welcomed the first group of students to the new masters’ program in Labor and Global Workers’ Rights. The degree
provides an opportunity for mid-career union and government officials from around the world to study the impacts
of globalization on workers and workers’ rights. The incoming class includes students from Italy, Jamaica, China, and the U.S. The program is affiliated with the Global
Labour University (GLU), which is composed of top universities in Germany, India, South Africa, and Brazil.
Penn State became the U.S. affiliate of the GLU last year.
Professor Mark Anner heads the program.
The first class in the Labor and Global Workers’ Rights Master’s Program
Mark Schnurman has been named the 2014 recipient of the
Kelley-Willits Award for Excellence in Online Teaching. This
award is given each year to an instructor in the School’s Labor
and Employment Relations/Human Resources and Employment Relations Online Programs who
demonstrates exceptional teaching ability,
concern for students, and commitment to
the School’s mission of preparing practitioners for productive careers in the field of
human resources and employment relations.
Schnurman is a veteran instructor who
has taught courses both in the MPS in
HRER program and the undergraduate
online program since 2009. Mark maintains full time employment as the Chief Sales Officer for Eastern Consolidated, a
large commercial real estate firm in northern New Jersey,
while regularly teaching HRER 505—Seminar in Human Resources as well as LER 460 Human Resources Ethics.
Schnurman consistently receives excellent student evaluations. He is a demanding, but fair, instructor, who challenges
the students in his classes. He is also an alumnus of the School
who is a member of the Affiliated Programs Board. In addition
to his teaching duties, he works tirelessly with students outside
the classroom to help prepare them for employment by mentoring students on career development and assisting with resume preparation and interview practice. Mark Schnurman has
always been willing to give back to Penn State and our students and is truly a worthy awardee of the Kelly-Willits
Award.
Schnurman will receive his award at the APG semiannual
meeting on campus, November 14th.
LER Continues To Be A Leader In Online Degree Programs
Higher education continues to serve millions of students in
the traditional brick-and-mortar environment; however, the
past decade has witnessed the extraordinary growth of online
degree programs. LER first offered an online degree program—the Masters of Professional Studies (MPS) in Human
Resource and Employment Relations (HRER)--in 2008. Since
then the School, working with Penn State’s World Campus,
has added a BA and a BS degree in Labor and Employment
Relations (LER), a BA and BS degrees in Organizational
Leadership (OLEAD), and an Integrated BS in LER/MS in
HRER degree program.
Penn State’s approach to online education is different from
many universities in that our online students do not earn an
“online degree”. Rather, they earn the same degree as students at University Park or any other Penn State campus. The
only difference is the way the coursework is delivered.
The LER School’s objective in developing online programs is to provide a viable alternative for students, particularly adult learners, who require flexibility in the way they
approach the learning process. For example, as a matter of
policy our classes are “asynchronous”. This means that, with
minor exceptions, students can log on at times that are convenient to them to complete required class assignments. Each
week some of our students begin and end their involvement
early, while others wait for the weekend to study and submit
assignments, most of which are due Sunday night. The classes
require an exceptional amount of work, including extensive
writing.
In order to mentor students effectively, we have recruited
over 50 online faculty members. Most of our online instructors are leading professionals in their specialties--human resource management, labor relations, or labor and employment
law--who want to share their expertise and experience with
our students. Students benefit not only from the course content, but also by interacting with such an accomplished group
of instructors.
Our program has grown rapidly in its first six years. For
example our BA/BS programs have experienced a growth rate
of 65 percent since 2011. We expect to see continued growth
(Continued on page 10)
Labor Education Program Revived
LER traces its roots back to 1942 when Penn State first held
non-credit classes for workers at the Philadelphia shipyards.
For the next sixty years, the program offered a range of
courses to unions and union leaders across the state as part of
its land grant mission to extend the resources of the University to all segments of Pennsylvania society. The program was
based on the idea that for union leaders to responsibly play
their role in the post-New Deal system of labor-management
relations they had to be informed and knowledgeable about
that role. At the time of its founding the University already
had established the Penn State Management Development
Program to meet the needs of management practitioners in
the Commonwealth.
In 2002, the University administration, while expressing support for
LER’s labor education mission, withdrew funding for the program. The
Department’s faculty continued to be
committed to the goal of an informed
and knowledgeable labor movement,
and in 2013 it secured the funds necessary to revive the program.
Renamed the Labor School at
Penn State, the labor education program has committed to two initial
initiatives. The first is a one-year
course of study for local leaders and
activists called the Union Leadership
Academy (ULA). The ULA curriculum is made up of four non-credit
courses focusing on labor’s history,
the current state of the labor movement, the legal rights of
workers, and the challenges unions face. The first ULA classes were held in the Harrisburg area in 2013-2014 and 24
local activists completed the program. The program is being
offered in Harrisburg again in 2014-2015. And there are tentative plans to offer the program in a few other locations in
the next few years.
In 2014, the program undertook a second major initiative
called the Labor Leadership Institute (LLI). The LLI is an
intensive, hands-on program for full-time, emerging union
leaders. It consists of two four-day, on-campus sessions at
the beginning and end of the year and three two-day weekend
sessions held in between. The sessions focus on advanced
leadership and managerial skills, and address critical economic, political and social questions. Instructors include
prominent union leaders, leading consultants, and top labor
educators from Penn State and Cornell University’s faculty.
There are twenty-one participants from ten different unions
and one labor alliance member. The unions include the Steelworkers, the Communication Workers, IBEW, AFSCME, the
Sheet Metal Workers, the Operating Engineers, the UFCW,
SEIU, the Sheet Metal Workers, the Operating Engineers,
the UFCW, SEIU, the Amalgamated Transit Workers, and
the Transport Workers Union. Jobs for Justice is the eleventh participant.
The labor education effort is being led by LER faculty
members Doug Allen, Mary Bellman and Paul Clark.
Management Professional Development Outreach
During the 2013-14 academic year, the Academy of Human Capital Development, the LER School’s management
outreach program, offered a number of professional development opportunities for alumni and the general HR community. These programs included webinars, workshops and
on-site HR management training. These learning opportunities were approved by the Human Resource Certification
Institute (HRCI) and qualified as
recertification credits toward the
Professional in Human Resources
(PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Global
Professional in Human Resources
(GPHR). We are also happy to report that the LER School has been
designated as a pre-approved provider of HRCI programs. Among the
programs offered last year were:
• Leadership Development webinar;
• Developing Individual and organizational resilience webinar;
• HR’s role in creating sustainable competitive advantage workshop;
• Managing People workshop;
• The HR Practitioner of the 21st Century: Profile of a
Business Leader (This presentation was delivered at the
SHRM® 2013 Strategy Conference held September 30 –
October 2, 2013 in San Diego, California.)
In the coming year, the Academy plans to offer webinars,
on-campus workshops and on-site workshops on:
• Conducting Serious Incident Investigations webinar
and workshop;
• ADA Accommodations webinar;
• Generations in the Workplace: Appreciating our Differences webinar;
• The HR Practitioner of the 21st Century: Profile of a
Business Leader webinar;
• Counseling & Discipline workshop;
• Managing People workshop.
The Academy is also working with employers in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Texas, to design and deliver on-site
programs. If you are interested in attending a webinar or oncampus workshop, or in having a program delivered on-site
at your work location, please contact Dr. Tom C. Hogan,
SPHR, GPHR at tch12@psu.edu.
(continued from page 1)
As much as some things change, others remain the same.
In that regard, our students continue to do wonderful things.
All four of our student groups are very active. In recent years,
the Society for Labor and Employment Relations (SLER)
(some of you may remember it as the Labor Studies Club) has
had its biggest membership in recent memory and a full slate
of activities. The Penn State Chapter of the Society of Human
Resource Management (SHRM) also has been fully engaged.
Last spring they won the northeast regional SHRM Case
Competition (after finishing second the year before). They
were awarded a BIG check for $2,500 that helped pay the
team’s way to the National SHRM Conference in Orlando in
June (see photo on page 9).
Penn State’s United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS),
also sponsored by LER, successfully lobbied the University’s
administration to suspend Penn State’s contract with the apparel company Adidas. This was part of a successful national
campaign to get the company to meet its responsibility to
workers in Indonesia making college-branded apparel (more
detail in another story in this newsletter). And LER students
started a fourth group called Student Works at Penn State
(SWAPS) that focuses on domestic labor issues. Last year
they made a great mini-documentary on raising the minimum
wage.
While preparing students to work domestically in the
fields of labor, employment relations and human resources
management (HRM) continues to be our main mission, we
have also greatly increased our international focus and expertise. Over the last few years we have hired a number of faculty with strong backgrounds in both international HR and international labor. This has allowed us to increase the number
of internationally-focused courses we offer and to create a
new masters degree in labor and global workers’ rights and a
new online graduate certificate in international HRM (under
development).
Consistent with this focus, we now have more students
studying abroad than ever. This is in large part because LER
alumni have generously responded to our request for contributions to support LER majors going abroad. Not only are
students studying in a wide variety of locations (Ireland,
Spain, South Africa, China, Australia, Vietnam, and Canada),
more and more of our students are doing internships in exciting places like London and Dubai. For many of our students
the travel grants we are able to provide because of alumni
donations makes an abroad experience possible.
We are also very excited about two new international research initiatives. Over the last few years we formally
launched the Center for International HR Studies and the
Center for Global Workers’ Rights. These are the first research centers in the history of our program. Each will conduct research and develop programs to bring together scholars
from around the world working in their respective areas and
bring scholars and practitioners together to learn from one
another. The Centers have already sponsored conferences that
have brought researchers from over 40 nations to campus.
Lastly, in an effort to better serve the labor and management communities, we have reinstated our Labor Education
Program and launched the Academy of Human Resource Development. These programs will allow us to reach out to practitioners through training seminars, webinars, and workshops.
Articles in this newsletter provide more details on these opportunities. If you are looking for training opportunities, why not
look into what we have to offer.
In sum, in the past few years our program has continued the
positive momentum we have built over the last decade. We are
now viewed as one of the top five labor/employment relations/
human resources programs in the country and our online degree programs are ranked number one. Our international visibility and reputation have also grown in recent years. The progress we have made is a result of the hard work and commitment of all members of the PSU LER community—alums,
students, faculty, and staff. Our goal for the future is to continue to build a program that provides our students with the best
possible educational experience and significantly contributes
to the practice of labor, employment relations, and human resource management. We need your support if we are going to
accomplish these goals. To learn how you can get involved
see the note from our Alumni Board on the back cover.
One last thing. This will be the School’s final printed
newsletter. To save money, and trees, our newsletter will now
appear four times a year and come to you via email. To check
our mailing list we are also sending this newsletter to alums
via email. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE EVERSION OF THIS NEWLETTER BY THE TIME YOU
RECEIVE THE HARD COPY, WE MAY NOT HAVE AN
UP TO DATE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR YOU. IF THE
NEWSLETTER DID NOT REACH YOU VIA EMAIL,
PLEASE SEND JESSICA STEELE (jgs18@psu.edu) FROM
OUR STAFF YOUR CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS. WE
PROMISE NOT TO OVER DO THE MAILINGS!
Connect with LER Alums and
Students on Social Media
The LER School is active across most major
social media. Stay connected with the LER
community through Facebook and Twitter
https://
twitter.com/
LERatPSU
Join almost 2,000 alums on
the PSU LER Linkedin group
https://
www.face
book.com/
PennState
LSER
• MPS in Human Resources and Employment Relations Program Student
Levi Brown graduated with a B.S.
in LER degree in 2005 and earned a
second degree in Psychology in 2006.
During his time at Penn State he was a
member of the Nittany Lions football
team, starting at offensive tackle for
four seasons and earning AllAmerican honors. In 2007 he was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals as the
fifth pick in the first round of the NFL
draft.
Levi had a great career with the
Cardinals playing in Super Bowl
XLIII and being picked as an alternate
for the Pro Bowl. In his seventh year
with the Cardinals he was traded to
the Steelers. In 2014 he retired from
the NFL.
Even in the midst of his very successful career in the NFL, Levi was
looking to the future. In 2009 he and
wife Lynnette Brown (Penn State ’05)
became partners in an upscale Scottsdale, Arizona restaurant. Not long after, Levi applied to the MPS in HRER
program. As a masters degree was one
of a Levi’s long-term goals, he wanted
to get started on his coursework even
though his day job with the NFL only
left him time to take one to two courses a year. The online degree fit his
situation well, allowing him to take
courses away from campus and work
towards the degree at a pace that suited his other responsibilities. He has
even found time to intern with Lubin
& Enoch, a Phoenix law firm specializing in employment and labor law
founded by LER alum Nicolas Enoch.
Although it will take Levi a few
more years to finish the degree, he
believes the time spent in the program
will be well worth the effort. Now that
he has retired from football, Levi sees
himself becoming involved in business ventures that will require a solid
knowledge of human resources and
employment relations. As he wrote in
his admissions essay for the MPS in
HRER program, “As I look forward to
the future I realize that whether I have
a long or short NFL career a strong
educational background will make
incorporating new endeavors seamless.” And where better to get that
strong educational background than
from his alma mater.
• Shirley Lee Pryce, a student in the
School’s new M.P.S. in Labor and
Global Workers Rights, recently received one of her country’s highest
honors. This fall Shirley travelled to
Jamaica to have the Order of Distinction conferred on her by the country’s
Prime Minister for her contribution to
the Jamaica Household Workers Union and the Caribbean Domestic
Workers Network.
Shirley is the Founder and President of the Jamaican Household
Workers’ Union. Her organization is
one of the founding members of the
Caribbean Domestic Workers Network. She was actively involved in the
campaign to establish the International
Labour Organization’s Convention for
Domestic Workers, ILO Convention
189. In February 2014, she was elected to the leadership of the international Association for Women’s Rights in
Development (AWID). Shirley is a
former domestic worker and has been
a human rights advocate for over 20
years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree
in Social Work.
• When Ed Meskey graduated in
Spring 2012 with a BS in Labor and
Employment Relations he took a job in
Microsoft’s accelerated two-year development program called HR Trax.
His first rotation was a Human Resource Manager in their Advanced
Strategy and Research Division in
Redmond, Washington. In September
2013 Ed transferred to Microsoft’s
International Retail operation and
accepted a one-year assignment as an
HR Project Manager, as well as an
HR Manager for the Sales, Marketing
and Services division, based in Shanghai, China. He recently finished his
year in China. We asked him to tell us
a bit about the experience.
Prior to enrolling at Penn State I
served four years in the Air Force.
During my time in the service I had
the chance to live in a number of locations and even a few months in Japan.
But nothing quite prepared me for
China. It is the most challenging country I have lived in. But, in the end, it
was the best experience to date.
I always wanted to work internationally, and I had a strong interest in
China for many reasons. As soon as I
read the job description last May, I
was even more excited. I was tasked
with being an HR Project Manager
and working on a team that begin to
build out a replicable HR framework
for our physical retail expansion into
China. During my time there, Microsoft’s footprint expanded significantly. One of my proudest moments
was when we launched our first "store
-in-store" (like a China Best Buy) in
Beijing. It was so rewarding to see
real full-time employees that we
staffed and trained, working in our
stores.
My year was full of adventures,
both professional and personal, dramatic and mundane. I remember when
I gave one of my first presentations to
new employees of Microsoft’s China
operation. When I spoke in Chinese
for the first minute, the look of shock
on people's faces was priceless...although, in retrospect I wonder
HRER Alums Ed Meskey, Stephanie Song, Anqi
Wang, and Charlene Xing.
if their shock was because of something horrible I accidentally said.
I gained a new appreciation for what it is
like to work outside of the corporate HQ. I
took on additional responsibilities throughout the year and was able to deliver numerous manager trainings after we completely
overhauled our performance & development
system. I learned to be even more adaptable
and I remember receiving an email from a
colleague that asked, "Can you fly to Beijing
this week to help me deliver the manager
readiness training on Friday in English?"
This came out of the blue, but like my other
adventures, I welcomed the opportunity with
open arms. It ended up being a great experience and I loved the collaboration with my
Chinese teammates.
I travelled a great deal throughout the
year and one thing that I loved was looking
for every opportunity to connect with individuals and try to truly understand the culture. I remember one day in the Metro station I noticed an old woman struggling to
carry a bag up the stairs. Everyone was passing by, ignoring her. So I went up to her and
in my limited Chinese asked her if I could
help. I carried the bag up the stairs for her
and when we reached the top she had tears in
her eyes. She gave me a hug and said "xie
xie" (thank you) more times than I can count.
I don’t think I will forget that moment and
connection.
I spent my last night in China in style by
going out to dinner for spicy Sichuan style
hot pot with Penn State LER friends and alums Stephanie Song, Anqi Wang, and Charlene Xing. I love knowing that I can be completely around the world, out of my comfort
zone, and there are LER alums to connect
with. I owe so much to the Penn State professors and alums, as working in China
would never have been possible without a
degree from the School of Labor & Employment Relations. I look forward to more opportunities to give back in the future.
LER undergraduate and HRER
graduate students are exceptionally
well-prepared to enter the world of
work. Many of the best employers
in the U.S. and around the globe are
well aware of this and seek out our
grads. They also regularly sponsor
internships for our students. If your
company has an entry level position, please let us know and we will
make our students aware of the opportunity. Better yet, make a trip
back to campus. We can set up interviews right in our office. Or if
your company or organization can
sponsor an internship, please send
us that information. By hiring an
LER student or providing an internship experience you could have a
significant impact on the life of an
LER major or HRER grad student,
while greatly benefitting your employer. Below is a partial list of employers who have hired our grads in
the last few years:
HIRED LER/HRER GRADS:
Google • GE • Volvo Group • Amazon • Samsung Electronics • Target • PNC • Microsoft • Lockheed
Martin • Service Em ployees International Union • Lancaster General Health • Bell Helicopter •
Textron • National Labor Relations Board • Aria Hotel and Casino • United Food and Commercial Workers Union • GE China •
Air Products • Sheetz Corporate •
Hershey Company • Johnson &
Johnson • Siemens Medical Solutions • Deloitte Consulting • Nestle • Penn State University •
TEKsystems • JLG Industries •
American Rights at Work • Pepsi •
Interweave Consulting • US Postal
Service.
SPONSORED INTERNSHIPS:
Bechtel • Amazon • Lockheed Martin • United Nations • Zurich • NBC
Universal • API Tech • The ONE
Group • Bank of China • Morgan
Stanley • GE • Aerotech •
LinkedIn • Target • National Labor
Relations Board • USA Football •
AFSCME • Disney World • Day &
Zimmerman • Air Products • ZeroChaos • Volvo (Sweden) • Towers
Watson • Google • Al-Rawabi Beverage Company (Dubai, UAE) •
AETNA • Home Instead Senior
Care • Aramark • United Food and
Commercial Workers Union • MedWestvaco • Donna Karan • TerraCycles.
LER Students Learn and Practice
Sustainability in Innovative Course
Students in Professor Tom Hogan’s innovative LER 460 UP HR
Ethics course not only learn about
ethics, social responsibility, sustainability and HR leadership, they also
have an opportunity to apply what
they learned to a real world situation. Professor Hogan’s course has
formed a partnership with the Penn
State Sustainability Institute Sustainable Communities Collaborative
Program and the Borough of State
College.
For the Spring 2014 semester,
students assisted the Borough in
developing a new volunteer operat-
ing model that would better identify, attract, acquire, engage and retain volunteers, while learning the
value and importance of community
service and giving back. Students
presented a project status report to
the Borough Council in March and
a final report and recommendations
at the end of April.
Professor Hogan attended the
2014 Annual Sustainable Cities
Conference in Eugene, Oregon to
share his experience and insights
about the course and service learning with other universities and cities.
visit we learned from UCP staff what it really takes to care
Society for Labor and Employment Relations (SLER)
for people with disabilities and the special challenges facing
The Society for Labor and Employment Relations (SLER) is
HR professionals in non-profit organizations. In between
a student organization that provides members with rewardmeetings, SLER members did get to enjoy some time in New
ing activities and events that give them a chance to explore
York and see the sights. Overall SLER members report learnevery facet of the School of LER and to develop as LER
ing a tremendous amount about their field, and having some
practitioners. 2013-14 was a very active year for SLER. Our
fun in the process. They want to sincerely thank the alums
membership grew to over sixty active members. In addition
whose gifts to the School made the trip possible and Amy
to bringing many speakers to campus to discuss professional
Dietz, their fearless advisor and van
development, SLER members also
sponsored a team for THON and
driver.
In 2014-15 SLER plans a major
worked with the Relay for Life
restructuring of the club meetevent to raise money to fight canings. Instead of guest speakers, the
cer. It also engaged in a number of
club is going to have interactive
social events and increased its connection and collaboration with the
activities encompassing the five
major facets of the LER major
three other clubs that are associated
(labor, government, law, consulting,
with the School of LER (USAS,
and HR). The goal is to increase
SWAPS, and SHRM).
social interaction and networking
The highlight of SLER’s year
was the Annual Networking Trip. SLER Members Visit with Alum Mark Schnurman during
between students and practitionThe 2014 trip took a group of ten their Spring Networking Trip to New York City.
ers. Most importantly, these activiLER majors to New York City in
ties allow students to interact and
late March. The first stop was Cablevision in Piscataway, NJ
work with their peers, and to apply many of the things that
where HR Director, and LER Alumni, James Peloso set up a
they have learned in the classroom. SLER will also continue
roundtable with several members of his HR team to give us
to sponsor the many events they have sponsored in the past,
different perspectives on HR work at a large communicaincluding student-faculty luncheons, the annual studenttions corporation. Then it was on to the Big Apple (NYC) to
faculty bowling tournament, reconnecting with our alumni
meet with Eastern Consolidated where LER alum Mark
when they come to campus for Alumni weekends, dominating
Schnurman gave a dynamic talk in which he urged the stuIM Volleyball, and travelling to NYC again, this time to visit
dents to “never stop learning.” The last leg of the trip was to
additional alumni sites during the 2015 SLER Networking
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of New York City. During this
trip. SLER is looking forward to a great year!
With a big boost from the Penn State United Students Against Sweatshop (USAS) chapter Adidas recently agreed to pay 2,700 Indonesian garment workers over $2 million in severance
pay owed to them since the factory making
Adidas garments closed two years ago. The
successful agreement was the result of a concerted international campaign aided by Penn
State’s USAS Chapter. Penn State USAS
members, which includes several LER majors, met with President Erickson and members of his council last year to explain why
Penn State should terminate its contract with
Adidas. President Erickson listened carefully
to the students, and a few days later, announced that the University was suspending
its contract with Adidas. He said the suspension would
become permanent should Adidas not pay the Indonesian
workers their severance within 60 days.
Before the 60 day period was up, Adidas and the
Indonesian workers announced they had reached an
agreement. Damon Sims, Penn State’s Vice
President for Student Affairs, noted afterwards, “The positive result has come, in part,
thanks to the diligent and commendable effort of Penn State students, faculty and community members, who continue to demand
fairness for workers in the garment industry
around the world.” Afterwards,USAS President, Lili Hadsell (pictured below) was honored with The Penn State Nancy and Joseph
Birkle Student Engagement Award by the
Center for Democratic Deliberation as a result of her leadership on this issue. Penn
State USAS coordinates its activities closely with LER
and the Center for Global Workers’ Rights.
SHRM Wins Northeast Regional Student Conference and Case Competition
the 2014 SHRM Annual Student ConferEight LER/HRER students attended the
ence and 2014 SHRM National Conference
2014 Society of Human Resource Manand Exposition in Orlando, Florida in June.
agement (SHRM) Northeast Regional StuThe $2,500 is intended to help defray the
dent Conference which was held April 11
cost of airline tickets and hotel costs.
– 12 in Providence, Rhode Island. The
The LER School team consisted of
conference provided participants with proChristen Sheroff (Co-Captain), Olivia
fessional development opportunities inWashington
(Co-Captain),
Brandon
cluding workshops, career development
Kreider, Jocelin Linares, Josh Loder, Malmentoring and networking opportunities.
ory Sanchez, Megan Flaherty, Julia
Professor Tom Hogan, SPHR, GPHR,
McClarnon (Alternate) and Porche Maloserves as a faculty adviser for the PSU
ney (Alternate). When the results were talSHRM Chapter and attended the Conferlied, Penn State topped the 11 teams in the
ence with the students along with faculty
undergraduate division, including Cornell
adviser Greg Loviscky of the Department
LER Team in the 2014 Society of Human
and Rutgers. Not only did our team come
of Psychology.
Management Northeast Regional
home with the winner’ check, they reportThe Conference also provided colleges Resource
Case Competition with the winners’ check.
ed that competing in the Case Competition
and universities an opportunity to enter
teams into the 2014 SHRM Case Competition. The teams
was great fun and a wonderful learning opportunity. Returnwere competing to test their knowledge and skills and for a
ing students are already looking forward to next year’s comgrand prize of $2,500 and complimentary registrations for
petition!
The International Human Resource Management Project (IHRMP) was conceived in spring
2012 to encourage scholarly research on international human resource management (IHRM) and to
serve the International HR practitioner community.
Through targeted events, our goal has been to develop a strong community of academics and practitioners passionate about IHRM, enabling the sharing of ideas to advance knowledge and practice in
the field.
After a thorough review by Liberal Arts’ Associate Dean for Research Eric Silver, the IHRMP
was determined to have achieved its objective of
raising the LER School’s profile in international
HR during the past two years. As a result, last
summer the IHRMP was elevated by the College of
the Liberal Arts to a full research center status and
was renamed the Center for International Human
Resource Studies (CIHRS): http://lser.la.psu.edu/
ihrm/. This new status gives the Center the opportunity to continue to pursue its goals.
Professor Elaine Farndale will serve as Director
of the Center with the assistance and support of
Professors Sumita Raghuram and Helen Liu and
the new post-doctoral scholar Maja Vidović. The
Center’s next major event will be a second Global
IHRM Conference to be held at University Park on
May 14-15, 2015.
World Campus MPS in HRER
Students Visit UP for Annual
On-Campus Hybrid Courses
For the fifth summer in a row, the School of Labor and Employment Relations offered intensive on-campus hybrid classes for
HRER students pursuing the Masters in Professional Studies in
HRER degree. Fifty students enrolled in one of the three courses
offered: HRER 504--Seminar in Employment Relations, HRER
802--Organizations in the Workplace, and HRER 825--Strategic
Business Tools for HR Professionals.
Students in the courses complete preparatory work in the weeks
preceding the campus visit, attend classes for five days on campus,
and complete written work in the weeks following the residential
experience. Rex Simpson, Dan Geltrude, and Antone Aboud served
as this year's instructors.
The one week in-residence courses are offered to World Campus students to give them a chance to visit the beautiful University
Park Campus and experience a mostly face-to face course. Students
work hard, but also have time to enjoy the pleasures of “Happy
Valley.” This year’s students made several visits to the world famous Creamery for Penn State ice cream and also attended a minor
league baseball game at Medlar Field next to Beaver Stadium. The
last evening on campus students enjoyed a group dinner on the patio at the Nittany Lion Inn. The evening ended with a short walk to
the Nittany Lion shrine for group photos and a rousing rendition of
"WE ARE...PENN STATE!"
The School plans to offer the same three on-campus hybrid
courses again in the Summer of 2015. Space in the courses is limited. If you are interested in registering, please contact Erin Hetzel,
Graduate Program Staff Assistant at eab27@psu.edu.
2005 LER Grad Presents Annual Outstanding Alumni Lecture
Since 1997, the LER School has asked an accomplished
graduate of our program to deliver the Outstanding Alumni
Lecture on campus. Past speakers have included human resources executives, labor
leaders, CEOs, and accomplished labor and
employment law attorneys. On November
13, Adam Taliaferro delivered the 16th Annual Lecture.
Nittany Lion football fans will remember
Adam as the Penn State football player who
suffered a spinal injury during the October
2000 Ohio State game that left him paralyzed. Doctors predicted that Adam had a
three percent chance of recovering the ability to walk.
Through his incredible determination and
courage, tireless rehabilitation and desire to
return to a normal life, Adam was walking
on his own five months after his injury. In
little more than 11 months after his injury,
he completed one of the major goals he had
established for himself. On September 1,
2001, Adam jogged onto the Beaver Stadium turf in front of a jubilant record crowd of more than
109,000, leading the Nittany Lions onto the field against the
Hurricanes.
Since his recovery Adam earned his LER degree, completed law school at Rutgers, worked for a major law firm, and was elected as a county
office holder in New Jersey. He currently
works for Bristol Myers Squibb handling
Government Affairs and in 2013 he won
election to Penn State’s Board of Trustees.
In his lecture, to a crowd of almost 300
students, faculty, staff, and community
members, Adam discussed the life lessons
he learned during his remarkable recovery.
At the top of his list were perseverance and
self-belief. He also urged students to enjoy
every minute of their years on campus and
take advantage of all the out-of-class opportunities Penn State offers. And he very graciously credited the LER major, faculty, and
staff with having a very positive impact on
his experience at Penn State and his subsequent success.
Adam’s message, and the genuineness
and humility that he displayed in delivering
it, made his talk one of the most compelling and well-received
Outstanding Alumni Lectures to date.
(Continued from page 3)
in these degrees in the year ahead, in part because LER has a partnership
agreement with the National Labor College (NLC) to help its students finish
their degrees now that the NLC has closed. In light of the NLC closing, LER
is gearing up to fill the void for union officers and activists who want to earn
labor-relevant bachelors and master’s degrees by creating new union-focused
courses.
At the same time our faculty is in the midst of crafting an online graduate
Certificate in International Human Resource Management. The curriculum
will be based around a core of four required classes designed to provide
HRER Practitioners with the ability to assist organizations as they continue
to compete in our global economy.
We have worked very hard to make sure that all of our online courses and
degree programs meet Penn State’s high standards for academic excellence.
We believe that the exceptionally positive feedback we have received from
students over the last six years suggests that we are successful in this regard.
Further evidence of the high regard our online programs are held in is the
fact that in 2012 TheBestSchools.org, the only rating service for online HR
graduate degrees, ranked our MPS in HRER degree as the number one program nationwide (http://www.thebestschools.org/blog/2012/10/18/20-onlinemaster-human-resources-degree-programs/). We are confident that based on
any criteria, Penn State LER is the leading provider of degrees in labor, employment relations, and human resources through online coursework. But
despite our No. 1 ranking, LER does not plan to rest on its past accomplishments. We will continue to work hard to make sure that we remain the top
program of its kind in our field.
LER Alums:
Our alums are doing great things, both professionally and personally. If you have
good news, don't be shy about sharing it.
Send us a couple sentences and we will
include it in future newsletters and post it
in the Alumni section of the LER webpage.
Its also easy for alums to lose touch with
one another. If you want to reconnect with
some of your classmates or with the
School's faculty member, send us a line
letting us know where you are and what
you are up to. Again, we'll share the info
with the rest of the LER community
through our newsletter and webpage. Sooo,
send your news to LER staff person Lisa
Pierson at lkh13@psu.edu.
LER Photo Gallery
School of Labor & Employment Relations
Full-Time Faculty 2014-2015
Back Row: Paul Clark, School Director; Doug Allen;
Alan Derickson; Weichen Zhu; Charles Lumpkins;
Tom Hogan; Jean Phillips; Sarah Damaske
Middle Row: Maya Vidovic; Niki von Lockette; Amy
Dietz; Helen Liu; Dennis Gouran; Sumita
Raghuram; Paul Whitehead; Ryan Lamare
Front Row: Mary Bellman; Chad Gray, Stan Gully;
Elaine Farndale; Lenny Pollack; Mark Anner
Missing: Antone Aboud; Rex Simpson
School of Labor & Employment
Relations Staff 2014-2015
Back Row: Patricia Everhart, Emily Morrison, Katelyn
Perry; Erin Hetzel
Front Row: Jessica Steele, Lisa Pierson; Sierra James
2014 LER Annual Student-Faculty Bowling
Tournament Team Champs
Left to Right: Professor Zhu, Professor Whitehead, Cesar
Rey, Professor Clark, Malory Sanchez, Meagan Wright
School of Labor & Employment Relations
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