Smeal Human Capital Student Consultants (SHCSC) 2017-2018 Strategic Plan
Introductory Statement This strategic plan has been developed by the Smeal Human Capital Student Consultants organization in order to provide a disciplined approach to the management of our organization over the next two semesters with goals aimed for the next 3-5 years. The authors of this strategic plan are as follows: Executive Director Lindsay Wolins lvw5256@psu.edu Director of Alumni and Corporate Outreach Gabrielle Mashakas gpm5103@psu.edu Director of Honor and Integrity Andrew Meehan avm5870@psu.edu Director of Recruiting and Marketing Eric Stanko eds5225@psu.edu Background Statement/History The Smeal Human Capital Student Consultants Organization was formed in April 2014. There were many purposes that lead to the development and formation of this organization. The first purpose of creation was to create student awareness of the opportunities that are held within the Human Capital concentration of the Management major, which is housed within the Smeal College of Business. The second was to create both networking opportunities and developmental programs for students interested in Human Resources and Human Capital careers. Lastly, the organization s purpose is to offer its members resume building opportunities, professional networking experiences, and practical business experiences that they will be able to utilize in their future careers. This organization will be governed by a student-run Executive Board consisting of the following positions: Executive Director, Director of Alumni and Corporate Outreach, Director of Honor and Integrity, and Director of Recruiting and Marketing. The organization will also form a Smeal Alumni Advisory Board to provide professional advice, mentoring, and vision to the organization and its members. We will maintain status as a Smeal-recognized Student Organization through the Office of Career and Corporate Services and will be advised by a fulltime faculty member from the Department of Management and Organization in the Smeal College of Business. Having recently formed an Alumni Advisory Board, we will have broadened opportunities for professional development events and feedback. This board holds representatives from the Smeal College of Business Corporate Associates, as well as Smeal alumni, to act as mentors and advisors for the organization. We are starting to work with Career and Corporate Connections Office to maintain a professional relationship with these advisors while maintaining and upholding the Smeal brand. Executive Board and Organization Composition
Executive Director Role: Manages leadership team and day to day functions. Similar to a President. Provides motivation and direction to the Executive Board members and organization-at-large. Lindsay Wolins (Semester 6, Management) Director of Alumni and Corporate Outreach Role: Serves as the main contact point to SHCSC alumni, SBDC at Penn State, corporate recruiters, and other student organizations. This person also manages SHCSC s listserv. Gabrielle Mashakas (Semester 6, Management) Director of Honor and Integrity Role: Ensures ethical practices among and within the organization. Encourages professionalism in client interactions. Ensures the organization adheres to the Smeal Honor Code. Manages group financial business, similar to a Treasurer. Andrew Meehan (Semester 6, Management) Director of Recruiting and Marketing Role: Organizes recruiting and networking events between members and corporate partners. Develops organizational awareness and promotes our brand through social media. Eric Stanko (Semester 6, Management) General Members General members will be divided into two committees, which they will self-select into. The committees are the Fundraising and Community Service Committee and the Marketing Committee. The Fundraising and Community Service Committee will focus on managing and developing events that will help the organization raise funds and reach out into the community. Members will brainstorm ideas for these types of events, decide on what ideas to pursue, develop action plans, and help execute said plans. This committee will be run by the Director of Honor and Integrity as well as the Director of Alumni and Corporate Outreach. The Marketing Committee is focused on marketing to and recruiting new members. Members will be responsible for developing marketing and recruiting strategies and working with the organization to implement them. This committee will be run by the Director of Recruiting and Marketing. Vision, Mission, and Values
The Smeal Human Capital Consultant s mission is to hold our members to the highest professional standards while adhering to the Smeal Honor Code and the Three Pillars of the Smeal College of Business. We intend to provide business experiences through consulting, networking, and leadership opportunities. Our vision is to prepare undergraduate students of the Smeal College of Business to become business leaders in the workforce. We hope to represent Smeal and the Department of Management and Organization by providing a valuable service to our stakeholders, both internal and external. Additionally, we view community service as an important part of our development and of our culture as Penn State and Smeal students. As we grow the organization, we look to add value to the educational experiences of Management majors at Smeal, including those who transfer from the Division of Undergraduate Studies or a Commonwealth Campus. We plan to actively recruit those students and encourage them to become active in an organization that will lead to a successful career as a Smeal alumni. Our values include: abiding by the Smeal Honor Code, upholding the highest professional standards, encouraging collaboration within the group, and utilizing educational and impactful networking opportunities. Organizational Vision Our influence within the communities connects to the following: 1. Commonwealth Campuses 2. Small Business Development Center 3. The National Society of Human Resources Management 4. Other student consulting organizations 5. Division of Undergraduate Studies 6. Human Capital Management Majors 7. Management Majors 8. Consulting firms 9. Recruiters at Penn State Career Fairs Our interaction with the business environment will change as the demand for Human Capital consultants and practitioners continues to grow globally. The industry will face challenges such as creating career awareness, refining necessary skills, and re-establishing the recruiting process for practitioners and consultants in Human Capital. By engaging with our organization, these stakeholders gain the opportunity to find more valuable and marketable candidates, and our client constituency will receive the benefit of our expanded skill sets. Although many of our members will chose a career outside of Human Capital Consulting, we hope that the organization offers them the basic skills to excel in their future careers and life goals. Due to the recent revision of the Management major, there may be more opportunities available for Management students. This is particularly true concerning the Human Capital Concentration. Ultimately, we believe this revision will increase the enrollment rate for Management undergraduate majors with a concentration in Human Capital. Ultimately, the combination of these factors will create a more competitive environment for Smeal students. With the two management concentrations, Human Capital Management and
Organizational Leadership, students must choose between these career paths. Smeal Human Capital Student Consultants will not only offer students excellent professional development experience and networking opportunities, but it will also raise awareness and passion for those potential career paths within this degree and industry. Increased demand and increased enrollment will lead to a competitive and self-promoting atmosphere. The market and demand for Human Capital Consultants and Practitioners and the skills associated with this industry are rapidly increasing. Within the last 5 years, three student consulting organizations have formed within Smeal, ultimately attracting new recruiters and businesses seeking this demand. The projected growth for human resource/human capital positions at both the staff/professional level is predicted between to be at 21% between 2010-2020. This is considered faster than average, which is very promising for individuals looking to enter the industry (Bureau of Labor Statistics, US DOL Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed August 26, 2014). The communities affected by our organization now have the resources and opportunity to influence Smeal students interested in this field. Additionally, recruiters will have a more valued and marketable candidate pool to select from. This ultimately makes consulting more competitive not only for students, but for companies as well. With Human Capital Consulting being fairly new to Smeal, it is important for our organization to conduct market research. This will allow us to create and implement industry relevant workshops that will provide our members with opportunities for continuous professional growth and learning. Our organization will need to operate with the highest professionalism possible. Our organization s yearly calendar will be strategically developed to tailor to each academic class needs, as explained within our bylaws. Specific guidelines will be established so our members will have taken specific Smeal Management courses; this will be beneficial for our members when they start to work on projects, workshops, and opportunities. For example, a member will only be allowed to write interview guidelines for a project if that member has taken the appropriate courses within the major. In order for this vision to be achieved, our members must also be held to the highest professional standard as well. Another benefit of this rule-based system is to provide our members with personal goals and expectations as they move forward with our organization. The members we hope to attract will be self-motivated, results-driven, and passionate as to fit our organization s corporate culture. As the organization progresses into its third year, it is our hope that current and future members will continue to hold onto the values and passions that were instilled in the organization when it was founded. Our members will view our organization as an important aspect of developing their practitioner and consulting skills. Additionally, our members will respect the organization and its values based on the degree of professionalism that we require.
In the next few years, we hope to bring a stronger awareness to the fields of Human Capital and Human Capital Consulting throughout the Smeal College of Business. Our goal is to become a campus-wide professional organization working with the Smeal Corporate Associates, SBDC clients, and others to provide a valuable service to all of our clients. We hope to grow our organization to provide opportunities for 50 student-consultants within 5 years. We expect to develop a brand that complements the Smeal brand and to provide networking and mentoring opportunities for our members and alumni. Mission Statement The Smeal Human Capital Student Consultant s mission is to hold our members to the highest professional standards while adhering to the Smeal Honor Code and the Three Pillars of the Smeal College of Business. We intend to provide business experiences through educational consulting, networking, and leadership opportunities. Our organization will provide developmental opportunities for student-consultants; examples include: leadership experiences, resume building, and networking events. We will encourage a healthy work-life balance for all of our members by offering a combination of professional and social activities. We will encourage professional development and review our performance to continually improve. Currently our members are Management majors within the Smeal College of Business; most have a concentration in Human Capital. Their goals are to build their resume, learn Human Capital Consulting skills, to learn about the opportunities within Human Capital, and to network with companies and recruiters. We offer our members many leadership opportunities and projects that will help build their skills and resumes. In Fall 2017, we plan to acquire additional projects that our members can collaborate on. Human Capital consulting projects will be offered for all those who qualify by having taken the appropriate courses in the Human Capital concentration at Smeal. We plan to accomplish this is by: 1. Providing excellent Human Capital skills that encourage the flow of more projects for the following years 2. Building membership and awareness of Human Capital and its career opportunities 3. Building a client list with corporate sponsors and other companies The purpose of our organization is to offer leadership roles for students who are looking for opportunities in leadership and professional knowledge to help build their resume and grow their practitioner skills to have a bright future. Values The Smeal Human Capital Student Consultants values are as follows: Abiding by the Smeal Honor Code Upholding the highest professional standards Encouraging collaboration within the group Utilizing educational and impactful networking opportunities Goals Goals for Fall 2017 Semester
Continue to create a strong brand and image of the organization through campus involvement and marketing specifically within the Smeal College of Business Focus on recruiting at least 10 new members to participate in the Committees and assist with projects Plan at least three professional development workshops Host at least two networking events with presentations by a representative of our Alumni Advisory Board Goals for 2017-2018 School Year Obtain and complete a consulting project with a group of at least 3 team members by successfully submitting a project proposal Increase general membership including Executive Board to 20 members All members with interest will have participated in or observed a client meeting provided to our organization by the Small Business Development Center Continue offering professional development events and workshops throughout the school year Proposed Activities Our organization has many activities that have been made available to us. We have the opportunity to work on various consulting projects as well as the chance to set up networking events with businesses, alumni, and individuals within the local business environment. We will also collaborate with other organizations within Smeal to host informative sessions or utilize as guidance to ensure success for our club. We have connected with corporate associates to attain a lasting relationship and aid to support our mission. These activities will allow us to become successful as a whole while growing individually. The purpose of these events is to promote professionalism, develop abilities and skills, and reach out into the community. We have started creating a relationship with the SBDC and will continue to maintain this connection for future opportunities. Similarly, members will be encouraged to sit in on the SBDC s client meetings to attain a better understanding of effective consulting. Smeal alumni previously on our executive board will be a great asset to provide guidance and professional opportunities to our current members. As we move forward, we want to remain in contact with these resources to keep offering beneficial experiences to our members. We plan to start reaching out into our community by participating in community service projects. All of our members have many great ideas for events that will be implemented with successful planning and organization. This includes creating long-term connections with organizations and individuals who will give us advice and projects that will allow our members to learn. Diversity, integrity, and community service are factors that will be exemplified in our activities. We plan to use our skills and experiences to help aid our peers and individuals in our community. Attending community service events with other Smeal organizations would be beneficial in giving back to the community and strengthening bonds. There are costs associated with the Smeal Human Capital Student Consultants, as there are with any organization. We will be collecting dues in the amount of $15-$20 for the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semester, and $10 for only Spring 2018. This will go toward the budget for items such as food for meetings, t-shirts, projects, events, etc. As of this moment, we have $270 available to our organization. Once we have a greater understanding of our organization s costs
for the upcoming year, we will be better able to determine the amount of outside funding we will need. At this time, we are being cost effective as we continue our planning for the upcoming semesters. Smeal Human Capital Student Consultants is a club that is exclusive to Smeal members, and we want our events to primarily be exclusive to Smeal members as well. We will host a variety of events including professional development, networking, info sessions, and workshops. We plan to continue our involvement with corporate recruiters and Smeal alumni to support our organization and events. A relationship with corporate recruiters is beneficial to both parties. We could gain valuable advice and insight into the companies they represent, while they would have access to our members who possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities for the positions they are recruiting for. Our members could also participate in case studies, consulting projects, and professional events hosted by the recruiters. We believe a relationship with Smeal alumni would be beneficial to both parties as well. We have an advisory board that consists of Smeal alumni including former Smeal Human Capital Student Consultant members as well as other Smeal graduates who were in the Human Capital field or consulting field. We intend to work alongside Nittany Consulting Group and Student Consultants for Non- Profits to build a cohesive partnership between all of the Consulting Organizations in Smeal. We would like to hold a collaborative event with these organizations to introduce students to consulting. Another event Smeal HCSC plans to host is a resume workshop in the beginning of the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters to prepare students for the career fairs. Many of our members have a focus in Human Capital and can utilize what they have learned in the classroom by applying it in this real world setting. Of course, we would recommend that students reach out to the Career and Corporate Connections Office as well. Additionally, we intend to hold several information/networking events in the Fall with Smeal recruiters, specifically for management, marketing, and supply chain majors. Our second idea is a mentorship program in which new members will partner with a current member on the Executive Board to seek advice regarding the Human Capital major, career development, and Smeal. This peer mentoring will allow our members to ultimately use our Executive Board as a friendly resource for valuable information. This past year, we have developed an external mentoring program between Smeal graduates/practitioners in human capital/human resources and current SHCSC members. This mentoring has already begun to create sustainability of our organization and its goals. It has also provided networking and support for students who are seeking careers in human resources and human capital in the near future. We plan to continue the external mentoring program this following year.