Help us enhance our student program!

The U of M Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Chapter is a robust student organization poised to prepare students from all majors on our campus for careers in Human Resource Management. The chapter has a student leadership board and a faculty advisor, Dr. Kathy Tuberville.

The goals of the chapter are to equip students with real-world HR content, experience, and connections in order to help them obtain HR internships and full-time opportunities. The Chapter has won national awards since 2017, including the #1 in the US Central Division Competition, to Superior Merit and Outstanding Merit through the academic year, 2023-24.

The University of Memphis SHRM Student Chapter received the Superior Merit Award from SHRM National for 2023-2024 

 Meeting minimally monthly, the chapter programming includes:

• Monthly meetings bringing HR professionals to share expertise on a variety of topics.
• Signature events such as the 2024 TN SHRM Conference Student Day experience in Memphis, TN (first one in the state of Tennessee) and attendance at other state conferences in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.
• Finale events for the Fall and Spring semesters which provide employer-driven content and career connections. 
• In the fall semester, the program is HR Academy where employers lead a lecture with case studies and work with students to solve "real world" scenarios. A lunchean is held with employers for networking, door prizes, and career connections. 
• In the spring semester, HR Discovery Day is a unique experience where students spend the day in downtown Memphis visiting HR offices of key organizations. The employers provide content and tours so that students have experiential opportunity of a "day in the life" of HR professionals.

Students of the SHRM Student Chapter representing University of Memphis at the Annual 2024 TN SHRM Conference.

 

These experiences have provided tremendous insight into student career planning and development.

We would like to continue to grow our HR major by offering world class career tools to help students transition into their HR careers effectively.

Funding is needed for:

• Additional event programming including job shadowing, out of town speakers, and employer/student events over the summer.
• Scholarships for students to obtain a student membership with SHRM (national).
• Scholarships for SHRM-CP exams to become certified prior to graduating.

Why is this type of programming helpful for students? 

Since 2014, when the chapter was re-launched on our campus, students have acquired internships and full-time opportunities through our connections with the HR community. These connections are valuable and HR professionals recognize the importance of SHRM programming. The programming is also a recruiting tool to help prospective students understand their opportunities in the HR profession.

Row 1: Careers in HR - A panel-led discussion where HR leaders shared their career journeys and why they chose HR

Row 2: HR Academy - A case study-led discussion by First Horizon, followed by networking with Memphis HR leaders

Row 3: HR Discovery Day - Students exploring HR in action with local Memphis organizations (First Horizon and AutoZone)

Row 4: Professional Engagement Night - A networking event which connected students with HR professionals for career insights