ILIR hosted a send off for our 26 spring graduates on May 10.  The Convocation Ceremony featured student speakers Elizabeth Juris and Kevin Quinlan (both MHRIR 2008) as well as keynote speaker Craig Ritchie (AM 1992) who is currently an Associate Director for Human Resources (IL/WI Region) with Verizon Wireless.    Congratulations, Class of 2008!

Jeff Nowak of Franczek Sullivan P.C. joined the alumni on the May 4 edition of the ILIR Teleconference Series to discuss FMLA changes and proposed changes as well as other ongoing legal topics relevant to HR professionals.

Audio: May 9 Teleconference

Slide Presentation

Additional Materials

. . . actually, that is obviously from the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner — but make sure you take a minute this week to hold your seat for the 2008 June Jubilee in Chicago honoring Kim Warmbier and Dr. Fred Walumbwa. Visit the June Jubilee site for information and to register: www.ilir.uiuc.edu/jubilee.html.

The News Bureau, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has prominently featured the scholarship of Professor Michael LeRoy twice this semester.

Deal ending writers strike scores rare victory for unions (2/12/08)

Study shows ’snowballing futility’ for workers in arbitration cases (5/5/08)

When starting a program internationally, sometimes the little things make a major impact. With that in mind, the Institute is welcoming the support of alumnus Vijay Kalagara (MHRIR 2007) to establish a scholarship fund specifically to defray textbook costs for international students.

The Vijay Kalagara International Scholarship Fund is now available in the drop down list when you support ILIR via online payment at http://www.ilir.uiuc.edu/alumni/givenow.htm.

Alumni Board member Linda Blandford-Beringsmith and her husband Alan welcomed Dean Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Gentz Franz, and about 25 alumni and guests to their home for a casual barbecue on May 4. The alumni were able to network and meet with the Dean and get a first-hand Institute update.

Professor Michael LeRoy (AM 1981) joined around two dozen alumni on May 3 at the home of Jan and Lee Loichle in the Phoenix, Arizona area for the ILIR inaugural Knowledge Update. In addition to the alumni networking event, Professor LeRoy presented on a number of developing topics in practice and his research — allowing the alumni an ongoing chance to connect with ILIR’s faculty and their research.

Professor LeRoy’s Presentation Notes

The ILIR 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award is being presented to Kim Warmbier (AM) at this year’s June Jubilee to recognized her leadership in the field of HR and her continued commitment to the institute.

Kim is currently the Chief Personnel Officer for PepsiCo Sales and serves as HR leader for a population of over 26,000 personnel responsible for revenues in excess of $20 billion. She is approaching twenty years with PepsiCo. Kim sits on the board of CHRM and the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. With her husband of 19 years, Ken, she has two children and the family shares a love of sports, along with reading, music and traveling from their home in McKinney, Texas. She has been very involved in continuing to support and represent ILIR and we are proud to honor her as one of our especially Distinguished Alumni.

June Jubilee information is available at www.ilir.uiuc.edu/jubilee.html

The ILIR 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award is being presented to Kim Warmbier (AM) at this year’s June Jubilee to recognized her leadership in the field of HR and her continued commitment to the institute.

Fred has already shown tremendous leadership in the field. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Arizona State University’s School of Global Management and Leadership. Recently, in 2007, he was selected as a Senior Scientist in advising the Gallop Organization which he has been involved with since completing his doctorate. In his short five years as an ILIR alum, he has compiled a collection of publications and accolades too long to note and is very deserving of this year’s First Decade Achievement Award.

June Jubilee information is available at www.ilir.uiuc.edu/jubilee.html

Around 50 participants joined Rich Floersch and Don Crosby of McDonald’s for a look at global HR practices in the April 4, 2008 edition of the ILIR Teleconference Series.

Audio: April 4 Telconference - McDonalds

Slide Presentation

Chicago area alumni report they gathered at a local establishment in Chicago on February 22 after a hard day’s work. The ILIR alumni representation is pictured at left. The ringleaders are looking forward to organizing another opportunity to network and catch up in a informal and unofficial capacity. We will pass that along through more “official” channels as information comes our way.

Wish List

The following items represent wishful thinking from Institute faculty, staff and students alike:

• Expansion and renovation of the ILIR Building
• Funding endowed chairs or professorships
• Endowing student fellowships
• Funding the ILIR Faculty Teaching Excellence Award
• Endowing the ILIR Student Academic Achievement Prize
• Endowing the Garman Student Excellence Prize

For additional information about giving a gift to the Institute, visit ILIR Giving Online or contact Gentz Franz, at (217) 333-1488 or gfranz@uiuc.edu.

As always, we thank you for your continuing support.

Remember all the receptions, guest speakers, site visits, student organization events, and free food you enjoyed as a grad student? These are all activities that add to the richness of the ILIR experience and are all funded by the money in our ILIR Annual Fund. While major gifts such as Fellowships, Student Assistance Grants, and Corporate support are designated to specific areas, the majority of our Annual Fund money is what we refer to as “unrestricted;” at the discretion of the Dean and other ILIR decision makers, we tap into this money to support various programs which will enhance the experience of our students, faculty, alumni, and supporters.

When you give online, or write a check to the LIR Annual Fund, you are enabling us to say, “that’s a great idea, and here are the funds to make it happen!” These ideas have led to some unique opportunities in the past…and we invite you to support future opportunities. Whether your annual gift is $20 or $2000, we promise it will be put to good use. Thank you for supporting the ILIR annual fund, and thank you for trusting us with your money.

Send Annual Fund checks to:
Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations
504 E. Armory Avenue
Champaign , IL 61820

The School of Engineering and the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations are pioneering a new graduate program option that teams students from these schools, merges their skills sets and creates multidisciplinary solutions to real life problems. Students who enroll in this innovative new program will gain valuable new skills and insights so they can be effective at the intersection of social and technical systems in the workplace.The SocioTechnical Program pilot projects are expected to begin in spring of 2008 after students have completed 2 half semester courses.

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