The NIU Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) student chapter has been honored with a Superior Merit Award for 2007-2008. This award is the most selective award from the SHRM national organization; it recognizes the highest achieving student chapters in the country for their exceptional ability in operations, the professional development of chapter members, and promotion of the profession. Congratulations to all NIU SHRM student members. The NIU SHRM student chapter is lead by student officers: Bill Roman, Andrew Landon, Jeff Prigge, Joe Majewski, Aimee Carey, Tony Leifert, and Ricardo Acevedo. NIU Management professors who advise the NIU SHRM members are: Curt Behrens, Associate Professor of Management; Terry Bishop, Associate Professor of Management, and; Chris Thomas, Assistant Professor of Management.
NIU members of the Society for the Advancement of Management (SAM) - a professional organization for students - traveled to Arlington, Virginia, where they competed in the April 2008 SAM International Conference Case Competition. The theme for this year's case competition was Innovation. Approximately 350 conference participants were challenged to recommend strategies for revitalizing a struggling company in the restaurant industry. The company had over-
saturated the market and had failed to adjust to marketplace trends, which resulted in lost market share and falling revenues. SAM conference participants were allowed one month prior to the conference to work on the project. Then, during the conference more than 30 student teams presented their recommendations for review by a panel of both faculty and industry leaders.
For several years, NIU students have competed in the case competitions that are held during SAM International Conferences. The NIU students who participated in the 2008 SAM conference are business majors: Nick Del Monaco, Jennifer Reckwerdt, Paul Berkes, Alyssa Gaenzle, and Ryan Becker. Visit www.sa.niu.edu/sfam/ to access the NIU SAM student chapter website.
Congratulations to our NIU Human Resource Management students for their participation in the 2008 HR Games and Student Conference for the North Central Region of SHRM. Eight NIU students attended the games, which were recently held at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Team Red included Aimee Carey (captain), Nick Del Monaco, Joe Majewski, Bill Roman. Team Black included Andy Landon (captain), Michelle Jurinak, Natisha Franklin, Riccardo Acevedo. The NIU Black team finished in sixth place of the 20 teams participating.
The HR Games are an opportunity for HR students to demonstrate their knowledge of HR subjects in a competitive framework. There were eight preliminary rounds, culminating in semi-final and final rounds. The HR Games also fosters interaction among students and professionals and encourages preparation for HR certification. Teams came from 7 states (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin).
Management Department faculty members and NIU SHRM advisors Terry Bishop and Chris Thomas attended the HR Games with the students.
American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) Student Organization Members: Kevin Franckowiak, Ryan Jones, Philip Raatz, and Katie Sojer.
These APICS student members - - all OM&IS majors - - were awarded third place in the 12th Annual APICS Regional Student Case Competition held on Saturday, February 17, 2007. Participating in this competition were 18 APICS student chapters including Iowa State University, Purdue University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wichita State University, Virginia Tech University, Bowling Green State University, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University, and University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. The case in the competition involved a processing room for incoming dental insurance claims. The student teams were to recommend a course of action to reduce the average completion time of a claim from four days to only two days. The student teams were given the case at 9:00pm on Friday and only had until 11:00am on Saturday to turn in their proposed solution – a three-page report and a five-minute presentation. All 18 student teams presented their solutions to the over 200 people in attendance and were evaluated on their written report and presentation by a team of APICS judges.
The NIU College of Business team participating in the Deloitte Tax Case Competition received the regional honorable mention for our region. We join Georgia State, University of Kansas and University of Washington as the regional honorable mention teams. Congratulations to team members: Kari Ehlers, Jessica Johns, Dan Siebold, and Justin VanZuiden. Congratulations also to the team coach, Accountancy professor Kate Mantzke.
For the third year running, the NIU FMA Chapter has earned the FMA Superior Chapter Award, the highest honor for an FMA Student Chapter or Honor Society. Of the more than 200 active FMA student chapters located throughout the country, less than 5% receive this honor each year. The Superior Chapter designation is awarded only to those chapters that excel in meeting a list of quality criteria. As part of its annual operations, the NIU FMA Student Chapter commits itself to fulfilling several community service activities, which include participating in a tax assistance program (in Chicago), raising donations for Safe Passage, and fundraising for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life - Colleges Against Cancer, among other activites. Congratulations to the entire NIU FMA membership and to NIU FMA student officers Scott Pinto, Kyle Seckler, Arin Stanton, Alison Kepner, Erin Scardina, Jessica Daniels, Matthew Barden, and Jason Wedel for their outstanding performance. Norm Goldstein serves as the NIU FMA chapter faculty advisor.
Representing various Accountancy student organizations: Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), and Student Accountancy Society (SAS). In Spring 2006, ALAC members raised $1,200 in support of the American Cancer Society and the Brian Deets Endowed Scholarship Fund. The Brian Deets endowed scholarship was established to honor Brian Deets, an Accountancy major who was killed in a car accident on his way to class in February 2001. Each year since 2001, ALCA members conduct fundraisers in between their classes on the school's premises for the Brian Deets Endowed Scholarship Fund. This fundraiser -- created by students to honor the memory of an outstanding former student -- provides scholarship monies to future outstanding students. Since 2001, nearly $20,000 has been raised for the endowed scholarship fund. This year, ALAC members expanded the fundraising effort to include the American Cancer Society in support of an Accountancy member who is currently battling the disease.
In Spring 2006, NIU's student chapter of SHRM was awarded a Superior Merit Award by the national SHRM professional organization. This award recognizes the high quality of the NIU student chapter's professional development activities and operation. SHRM is housed out of the Department of Management, with Management faculty members Terry Bishop and Curt Behrens serving as faculty advisors.
Developed a branding strategy for Forest Park, Illinois, after a semester-long marketing study with the city. Joe Locke (B.S. MGMT 1968), whose financial advising company is located in Forest Park, served as a business resource and coach to the students. The ELC student team recommendations for rebranding Forest Park received coverage in the local newspaper, The Forest Park Review. Full story.
Kim Hiller, Management major, recipient of the Gold award designation; David Nyquist, Operations Management & Information Systems major, recipient of the Bronze award designation. Both Kim and David will receive their scholarships awards, as presented to them by NIU President John Peters during an awards luncheon in March 2006.
Passed the Certified Treasury Professional examination and earned the CTPA credential.
In Spring 2005, Jennifer and Ryan were honored at the Illinois CPA Society Awards ceremony for achieving a score of 90 or above on all sections of the CPA exam and for passing the exam with scores that rank within the top 5% nationally. Both Jennifer and Ryan took the college's CPA Review course before sitting for the CPA exam.
The NIU SAM Chapter was recognized nationally by placing third among outstanding chapters in the nation. The students received the award at the SAM International Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
These APICS student members -- all OM&IS majors -- won the 10th Annual APICS Regional Student Case Competition held on Saturday, February 5, 2005. The case involved a Midwestern manufacturing plant of a large automotive parts supplier where performance lagged and the plant faced possible closure. The student teams created and presented their recommendations to save the plant from closure in the face of time and resource constraints. Facing their own time constraints, the student teams had only from 9:00 pm Friday to noon Saturday to create their solutions and finalize their presentations. On Saturday, all student teams presented their solutions to more than 200 conference attendees and a panel of APICS judges.
The NIU APICS chapter members won first place competing against 13 APICS student chapters from schools such as University of Illinois, Ball State University, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, and University of Houston. NIU's APICS faculty advisor is OM&IS professor Dr. Charles Petersen.
Pictured from left to right: Erica Creen, Tom Maley (Vice President of Education - Fox River Chapter), Brandon Dirksen, Charles Petersen (Faculty Advisory), Heath Wood, Mike Loughman (President - Fox River Chapter), and Parveen Usman.