Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Two faculty members from the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois recently received honors at the annual meetings of the Labor and Employment Relations Association.

ILIR Professor and Director Emeritus Peter Feuille received the Susan C. Eaton Outstanding Scholar-Practitioner Award, given by LERA annually in recognition of outstanding research, teaching, and practice emphasizing the value of bringing together the academic and practitioner communities. Professor Feuille has long been involved in leadership roles with LERA and currently serves as the association's Secretary-Treasurer.

The Dean of ILIR, Joel Cutcher Gershenfeld, is currently the chair of LERA’s Industry Councils Committee, and has been selected as the President of LERA in 2009. A distinguished group of leaders have historically served in this position, including Secretaries of Labor, a Secretary of State, US Presidential advisors and thought leaders in the field of labor relations. Cutcher Gershenfeld follows a history of leadership from the Illinois campus, as former ILIR director, Milton Derber, served as LERA President in 1982.

The Labor and Employment Relations Association, founded in 1947 as the Industrial Relations Research Association, is a singular organization of professionals interested in industrial relations and human resources, including union leaders, managers, government officials and scholars. LERA’s national office is located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The organization is committed to the encouragement of research in all aspects of the field of labor, employment, and the workplace. National LERA encompasses more than 3,000 members and over 5,000 members in approximately 50 local LERA chapters that allow chapter members learn about issues important in their specific areas and develop a network of professional contacts.