About the School
LER News & Notes
December Commencement
December commencement will be Saturday, December 12 at 2:30 pm at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Colwell Playhouse, 500 S. Goodwin, Urbana. Cap and gown may be ordered beginning Friday, Oct. 2, from http://www.herffjones.com/illinois. The commencement speaker will be Sandra Perry Sigman, 1981 LER alum, currently a U.S. EEO Manager with Exxon Mobil in Houston, TX. Reception following in the Wagner Education Center, LER, 504 E. Armory, Champaign, IL.
LER Open HOUSE
LER Open House is Scheduled for October 26th 2009, starting at 6:30p.m. The alum speaker will be Alan May, VP, Strategy, Compensation and Benefits, Boeing Corporation.
Professor Leroy recognized as distinguished alumni
On the evening of September 11th, in conjunction with the CHRM Roundtable, LER honored alumnus Professor Michael LeRoy at the annual Distinguished Alumni Dinner. Professor LeRoy was joined by over 90 faculty, former Directors, current students, and alumni who came to celebrate his accomplishments. Professor LeRoy was introduced by Professor and Director emeritus—and longtime friend—Pete Feuille. Professor LeRoy’s comments were sincere and memorable as he shared with the audience his journey through disappointments and challenges before arriving where he is today. In addition to his widely acknowledged teaching ability in the classroom, Professor LeRoy has published extensively on strikes and lockouts, voluntary and mandatory arbitration, employee involvement teams, and more recently on employment and labor law implications stemming from 9/11 and domestic terrorism. Professor LeRoy has testified before the full U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources and served as an advisor to the President's Commission on the United States Postal Service. His most recent research has appeared in Northwestern University Law Review, UCLA Law Review, Southern California Law Review, Emory Law Journal, and Stanford Law & Policy Review.
LER Mourns Loss of Bill Adelman
Bill Adelman, famous among thousands of people in Illinois and nationally as a great labor historian and narrator of labor history, died suddenly on Tuesday afternoon, working in his yard. People lucky enough to have heard him tell the stories of Haymarket or Pullman will never pass through the streets of Chicago without hearing Bill’s voice and seeing his face. He was 77. He was a Professor of Labor & Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois, Chicago and a Founding Member/Vice President of the Illinois History Labor Society.Memorial donations to either of the following would be deeply appreciated; Illinois Labor History Society or Miller, Cooke and Wood Theater Scholarship in memory of William J. Adelman.
Associate Professor Robert Bruno is quoted in New York Times
"On a Furlough, but Never Leaving the Cubicle," an article published June 14th, 2009 in the New York Times, featured Associate Professor and Co-Director of LEP, Bob Bruno, as an expert commentator. The article discusses the complications with furloughs that many institutions are implementing. Link to the article.
LER Mourns Loss of martin wagner
(6/15/09)Martin Wagner was an international leader in the field of labor and employment relations, serving as a beloved teacher, distinguished arbitrator, influential policy expert, and accomplished scholar. He was a key architect of public sector labor relations in Illinois, chairing numerous boards, commissions and policy initiatives. Here in LER, Martin’s legacy is visible every day in the Martin Wagner Educational Center, as well as in the endowed professorship that he established, his being honored through the Loichle Family Fellowship, and in the extended work of countless former students and colleagues. Martin died peacefully this morning. He was accompanied at the time by his daughter Martha and son John. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Parkland College Foundation Gloria Valenti Scholarship or The University of Illinois Foundation Allan E. Crandell, MD Award. Both awards will be used to support students who demonstrate extraordinary potential to provide compassionate healthcare – honoring work that was so important to Martin in recent years. In addition, a special commemorative celebration of Martin’s life and accomplishments is planned for Saturday morning at 10:00 am, September 12th in Smith Memorial Hall, with a memorial service to follow at the Wagner Education Center.
LER joins in mourning the loss of Sherman david Rosen
(6/2/09)LER joins in mourning the loss of Sherm Rosen, a 1952 alum and leader in our field. He had a long and successful career as a management consultant and HR professional, retiring in 1992 from Hartmarx Corporation as Executive VP for HR. Sherm was honored in 1987 as our Alumni of the Year and he co-edited a popular Handbook of Human Resource Management that bridged theory and practice in the field. Sherman David Rosen, age 79, passed away on May 30, 2009. Born May 28, 1930 in Chicago to Charles and Sarah Rosen, he was a resident of Aurora for 50 years. Beloved husband of Sarene (Foosaner) of 52 years; survived by his loving children, Marianne (Thomas) Moberly, James (Marguerite Farrell) and Claire (Danny) Saddler and adored grandchildren Jonathan, Caroline and Ben Moberly, Samantha and Jacob Saddler, Talia and Michael Farrell-Rosen. Link to Sherman's obituary.
JOel Zelnick visits LER
From April 29 to May 4, Joel Zelnick, M.A. ’57, visited campus for the first time since the announcement of the Joel and Barbara Zelnick Endowment. Among other meetings with the LER community, he was welcomed at a reception on Friday, May 1. His remarks are available through a number of online videos. The faculty, staff and students appreciated the opportunity to thank this alumnus for his generosity to the School. The occasion also resulted in revisiting Zelnick’s masters thesis. Through the efforts of Kathy Kuntz and other staff, the 50 year old thesis was located and Zelnick was presented with a copy – the document is now also available online.
Professor Michael LeRoy is recipient of ler distinguished alumni award
Prior to earning his JD at North Carolina, Michael completed his Masters degree at LER. It is fitting that someone who began his career with us, and has given so much back to us during his prolific career, be given this honor and recognized formally – he is truly a distinguished alum. The event this year will take place on campus in conjunction with the Fall CHRM Roundtable on September 11th, 2009. Details will be made available as the time approaches, but I wanted to be sure that you and others are able to mark your calendar for this exciting celebration. We applaud Michael for his accomplishments and years of service, both as an alum and as a Faculty member. We look forward to celebrating all of this in September.
LER joins in mourning the loss of Archie Green
LER joins in mourning the loss of Archie Green whose life ended on March 22, 2009 at the age of 91. Dr. Green served as librarian at LER (then ILIR) from 1960-1972 but had made broader contributions to the study of Labor and Employment Relations. He combined his trade of carpentry and his training in Library Science from the University of Illinois to pioneer the scholarly study of what he coined “laborlore.” His dedication to this field of “studying the creativity of ordinary, working Americans” resulted in a 2007 Living Legend medal from the Library of Congress. He is survived by his wife of 65 years Louanne and three children, a sister and four grandchildren. Hear a NPR retrospective.
LER Announces Vijay Kalagara International Student Book Scholarship
Vijay Kalagara, MHRIR ’07, understood the value of his LER experience -- access to opportunity. For that reason, Vijay pledged $1 a day, matched by his employer, to provide greater access to future International LER students. The Vijay Kalagara International Student Book Scholarship will provide financial support to international students who need it most. Vijay recalls “In my first semester, the money I spent on textbooks was equivalent to my senior-year college tuition in India.” In Fall 2009, two International students will be awarded a $250 scholarship through the generosity of Vijay’s gift. Download Application
2009 Derber lecture
(3/26/09) The 2009 Milton Derber Lecture, “The Role of Government when Labor Markets, Financial Markets and Product Markets Collide” will be held on Thursday, April 16th at 4:00 p.m. in the Wagner Education Center at LER, 504 E. Armory, Champaign. This event is free and open to the public. Our featured speaker is Lisa M. Lynch, Dean and Professor of Economics at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. From 1995-1997 she was the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor and she has been a faculty member at Tufts University, M.I.T., The Ohio State University, and the University of Bristol. She is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank, Chair of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve system, and member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Economic Policy Institute, and IZA in Bonn, Germany. She has published extensively on issues such as the impact of technological change and organizational innovation (especially training) on productivity and wages, the determinants of youth unemployment, and the school to work transition. Watch the Derber lecture live.
Nell madigan elected to Midwest ACE executive Board
(2/12/09) Assistant Dean Nell Madigan was recently elected as Vice President, Colleges for the Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers. Her term will begin in July, 2009. The Association brings together professionals in collegiate career services and recruiting/staffing to collaborate and connect to help college-educated candidates achieve career goals and employers add value to their recruiting function. For more information about the organization, visit: www.mwace.org.
Joel cutcher-gershenfeld new LERA president
(2/10/09) Dean Cutcher-Gershenfeld took up the gavel as The Labor and Employment Relations Association President at the 2009 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. He was joined at the conference by LER faculty members Steve Ashby, Ariel Avgar, Monica Bielski-Boris, Bob Bruno and Peter Feuille. His next major LERA event is the National Policy Forum June 11-12 in Washington D.C. and will be leading the LERA Annual Meeting in Atlanta in January, 2010. LERA allows professionals interested in all aspects of labor and employment relations network to share ideas and learn about new developments, issues, and practices in the field. For more information about the organzition, visit: www.lera.uiuc.edu
LER Spring 2009 Commencement
(1/12/09) LER Spring 2009 Convocation
Saturday, May 16, 2009 time 3:00 pm
Wohlers Hall, Champaign, IL
Details for campus wide activities:
www.illinois.edu/commencement
Bob Bruno featured on NBC Nightly News
(12/12/08) Associate Professor and Director of Labor Education Programs was featured on a segment of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. The piece focused on the post-layoff employee sit in at Republic Window in Chicago. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#28118573 Congratulations, Bob!
LER and SHell team up to donate to ronald Mcdonald house
(12/08/08) LER and Shell were able to work together to make a donation of $645.00 on behalf of the University of Illinois and Shell to the Ronald McDonald House of Central Illinois. Shell handed out signature cards to the students and $5 was donated for each card returned (129 total). Students are currently collecting pop tabs to also help benefit the Ronald McDonald House.
MSA Mulicultural fest
The MSA Multicultural Festival featured food contributed from around the world and a panel presentation by two alums with strong industry experience addressing multicultural matters -- Rebekah Ferguson from General Mills and Everton Callum from Microsoft. While diversity programs were once focused primarily on physical differences (race, gender, and age), today's programs emphasize appreciation of a broad array of differences and a focus on inclusion. Thanks to Shell Corporation for generous support that helped to make this event possible.
Google visits ler
John Ross, Senior HR Business Partner for North America Sales & Operations at Google and a 2003 graduate of our School, gave a guest lecture on October 22nd to students from LER 590EO (Strategic Human Resource Management and the Entrepreneurial Firm) and LER 568 (Firm Performance and Human Resource Management). John’s talk titled “Maintaining the Entrepreneurial Spirit in a Growing Google” provided students with a unique first hand account of the role human resource management plays at Google and its expected contribution in the years ahead. John’s talk was extremely well received and included many questions from our students, which made for an engaging and fruitful exchange. Students also had the opportunity to present their analysis of Google’s human resource management strengths and weaknesses with feedback from John and a class discussion. We are extremely thankful to John Ross for his insights, effort and time.
New Recruiting and Seminar Space Dedicated
On October 17th LER welcomed distinguished guests, corporate partners, and many current and emeriti faculty to dedicate the new Recruiting and Seminar Suite. This new space was made possible through generous contributions from alumni George Paulin, Joyce Ingram, and Sandy Perry Sigman and emeriti faculty Walt and Pat Franke, and Wally and Denise Hendricks. Corporate support came from Whirlpool, Emerson, Northrop Grumman, Dow, Eaton, Norfolk Southern, Sara Lee, and ExxonMobil. Many thanks to all who contributed and made this new space a reality. The library (which formerly occupied the space where we have the Suite) has been physically moved to the University’s central stacks and will soon be available on a digital online Library portal.
New Walt Franke Suite Announced
On October 17th LER Alumnus Bruce Carmichael unveiled the “undercover” plan to name the new Administrative Suite (adjacent to the Recruiting and Seminar Suite) the “Walt Franke Suite” in honor of former Director Walt Franke. Walt and Pat Franke were in attendance and received the honor and surprise in front of friends such as Alice Vernon, Ernie Hoffman, Roberto Chavarry, and many other members of the Faculty and Staff. Over the past 4 months donations have been collected from Walt’s friends and former students as we’ve raised money to honor Walt and address the growing needs of students, faculty and staff. It is an exciting time to grow into the future while honoring the past and we’re thrilled to have Walt’s name associated with this building enhancement. If you would like to give to this fund to help us continue enhancing our building, visit http://ler.illinois.edu/alumni/givenow.html .
Assistant Professor Ariel Avgar co-winner of the 2008 thomas a kochan and stephan r. sleigh best dissertation award from the labor and emPloyment relations associations (LERA)
Ariel's thesis, which is entitled "Treating Conflict: Conflict and its Resolution in Healthcare," was reviewed by a blue-ribbon committee of leaders in the field for this competitive and prestigious award. Ariel and the other co-winner, David Madland, will receive a cash prize and recognition at LERA's 61st Annual Meeting in San Francisco in January. Three additional dissertations were selected to receive Honorable Mention from among the nominees and they too will be recognized. Congratulations Ariel!
AFL-CIO Secretary-treasurer richard trumPka in residence at ler
(October 13-17, 2008) Richard L. Trumpka, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO served as the School of Labor and Employment Relations’ First Labor Leader in Residence. The nation’s second highest ranked labor leader and former United Mine Worker president visited the classrooms of LER master students, held discussions on labor education with LER faculty, and delivered public lectures -- both in Chicago and at the UIUC Campus. The UIUC lecture was delivered at the YMCA and focused on "Race, Labor and the 2008 Election." Mr. Trumpka also spoke before the Urbana-Champaign Central Labor Council and led a rally in support of locked-out AFSCME employees at Heartland Human Services in Effingham. Trumpka closed his week in residence by co-leading a panel of union, management and government officials in a public forum on 21st Century Assumptions in Labor and Employment Relations.