Four student members of West Virginia University’s Society for Human Resource Management recently returned to Morgantown after a case-study competition in Clemson, S.C.

According to their faculty advisor, Suzanne Gosden Kitchen, this was the students’ first attempt at competing in the SHRM Southeast Regional Case Study Competition.

They placed second among seven teams competing and won $500 each in a contest that required them to perform as HR consultants in a professional scenario.

Jenna Brady, president of the SHRM chapter, which is also an official student organization at WVU, said the competition was a great way to learn on a professional level.

“Working together as a team to apply a broad base of knowledge when solving a complex, time-sensitive problem turned out to be a fantastic learning opportunity,” she said.

Nathan Wright said the competition was tough and tested his team’s abilities.

“We entered the competition with determination, but no prior experience,” he said. “We hoped for the best. Winning second place emphasizes the excellence of our education at WVU and enhances the value of my degree.”

Sherri Erbentraut, director of the West Virginia State Council of SHRM, called the achievement “an awesome accomplishment. We are extremely proud of our student chapters,” she wrote to Dr. Kitchen.

Kitchen is new to the WVU B&E faculty. She joined the College in 2011. She said the competition required students to use all the knowledge they had acquired in all their courses.

“Their solutions to the case study scenario were very credible and realistic,” she said. “Every management professor should be congratulated because they all contributed to the success of our group.”

Dr. Joyce Heames, department chair, shared the news of the team’s experience with the College and the department, thanking Dr. Kitchen for her leadership and guidance as faculty advisor and commending the students.

Students attended the event partially with club funds from membership dues and received generous financial support from WVU’s Student Government Association, the North Central West Virginia SHRM Chapter, the SHRM State Council, and B&E’s Department of Management and Industrial Relations. Plans to attend the competition next year are under way, as are multiple fund-raising efforts.

-WVU-

04/24/12

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CONTACT: Suzanne Gosden Kitchen
(304) 293-7797; Suzanne.Gosden@mail.wvu.edu