The Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno captured first and second place in the Regional “HRGames” hosted by California State University, Sacramento on April 15th and 16th. The Craig teams competed against seven other teams representing the Society for Human Resource Management Western Region. The universities that participated were Central Washington University, Montana State University, University of Hawaii, and University of Nevada.

Members included Ethan Feist, Leslie Gee, and Liwpho Saechao (all from Fresno), Kathy Copeland (Visalia), Ellen Dias (Madera), and Amy Van Dyk (Tulare). University advisers are Professor Diane L. Decker, Dr. Rudy J. Sanchez and Dr. Julie Olson-Buchanan.

The competition is based on the “Professional in Human Resources” (PHR) exam given by the national Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) organization. The students test their knowledge in all areas of management practices, employee selection, labor and employee relations, compensation and benefits, training and development, and safety and health in a “Jeopardy-style” format. Professor Decker stated, “I am very proud of the accomplishments of both of our teams. Preparing for this competition requires much time, effort and dedication, on the part of each student, and each one demonstrated a tremendous amount of commitment in these areas. This type of commitment will serve our team well in National Competition.”

The first place team will proceed to the National Competition to be held in June. The Regional Champion team members are Kathy Copeland, Ellen Dias, and Ethan Feist. The second place team members are Leslie Gee, Liwpho Saechao, and Amy Van Dyk. California State University, Fresno will compete against four other “Regional Champions” from around the country. These teams are North Carolina State University, Pennsylvania State University, Southwest Minnesota State University, and Utah State University. The competition for the National Championship will be held at the 57th Annual SHRM Conference June 19th and 20th.

(Copy by Patricia Lomany, Merit Award Vice President, SHRM Student Chapter)