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NAHR Foundation Initiatives

    National Academy of Human Resources Foundation

    The tax-exempt NAHR Foundation was formed to allow the Academy to go beyond its role of honoring professional achievement and serving member personal development to furthering professionalism in the field at large. The NAHR Foundation does this by conducting outreach initiatives through various  programs, projects and studies that reflect the interest of its members and is responsive to the needs of the profession, business, government and society.
    The Academy Foundation develops and supports unique programs and studies that enhance the human resources profession in ways that exemplify the special nature of the Academy by utilizing the immense individual and collective experience and wisdom of the Fellows.

    Additionally, the Foundation, through its various programs and initiatives, strives to increase the knowledge base in the field and develop in students and other qualified individuals interested in the human resources profession as a career.

    It is through the collaborative efforts of the Fellows that the work of the profession is advanced.

    Click here to print a copy of the NAHR Foundation Programs Overview.

    New NAHR Foundation programs and initiatives underway:

    • Building Bridges Conference – A one day session is being developed to bring together CHROs (both Fellow and non-Fellows) and HR academics (both Fellows and non-Fellows) to collaborate on current HR topics, with the intent of helping HR practitioners better understand HR academic research, influence HR related research being done by academic institutions, encouraging academics to research timely and relevant HR issues, and ensure that academics teaching HR courses are using current and relevant topics and material.
    • NAHR Fellows in the Classroom – In order to find ways to 1) further our impact with students studying HR,  and 2) to expose business students to HR and the value it can have on an organization, we are asking our CHRO and retired CHRO Fellows who are already spending time ‘in the classroom; either as guest speakers or adjunct faculty to share ideas and potentially material to use in the classroom with other Fellows.  Utilizing out new website http://www.nationalacademyhr.org/ we will be sharing this material and soliciting Fellows who are interested in guest lecturing.  We are also reaching out to a number of universities to gauge their interest in having a Fellow be a guest lecturer.
    • NAHR Oral History Project – An oral history project is a method of gathering, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events, typically focused on a particular theme.  The NAHR HR Orla History Project’s intention is to document and memorialize for current and future generations the rich experience of NAHR Fellows for them to learn from.
    • SHRM HR Curriculum Guidebook – Templates for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs A number of Fellows have reviewed the SHRM HR Curriculum Guidebook – Templates for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs and provided their input to SHRM.  The SHRM HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs was developed to provide direction and structure to university HR curriculums and their content to ensure that the human resources student is best prepared for a career in HR by teaching HR within a business context.

    Past and present NAHR Foundation programs and initiatives:

    • The original initiative of the NAHR Foundation, the CHRO Academy, remains the Foundation’s signature program and is an integral component of the organization. The CHRO Academy is a special program which aids in the assimilation and development of recently appointed heads of HR. The CHRO Academy is designed as a place where first time CHROs can meet in neutral territory and share knowledge with acclaimed human resource experts and the most distinguished and experienced human resources leaders in America – the Fellows of the NAHR.  During the past sixteen years 463 first time CHROs have participated in this program. 
    • “The Modern CHRO Role and Strategies for Success” is a two-part education and experiential session conducted by Cornell University Center for Advanced Human Resources (CAHRS), ILR Executive Education and the NAHR Foundation.  The session is designed for the top HR leader in an organization whose next assignment is likely to be a CHRO. NAHR Fellows participate as lecturers.  The program will begin its twelvfth session in November 2018.
    • Masters Students’ participation in the NAHR annual dinner and related activities of the day was designed to attract top Masters students to the HR profession. NAHR Academic Fellows recommend students for the program and Fellows attending the annual dinner mentor them throughout the day's activities. The students participate in a special morning session to discuss a number of current HR topics, and they attend the annual Fellows’ pre-dinner discussion meeting and annual dinner. In prior years these students were also offered internships with a variety of Fellows’ organizations.  This program is in its tenth year.
    • The Association of American Universities (AAU) HR Institute will present its eighth session in November 2018. The purpose of the AAU-HR Institute is to strengthen HR leadership in higher education throughout the nation by serving as a significant catalyst for change by elevating HR executive development at major research universities. The NAHR Foundation provided funding to create the organization and NAHR Fellows continue to participate as lecturers.  
    • The Retail HR Leaders Forum is a joint project of NAHR and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) designed to further the development of the HR profession in the retail industry. The initial Retail HR Leaders Forum was held in April 2013.
    • The NAHR Graduate Scholarship Sponsorships were established with the SHRM Foundation to provide annual scholarships for graduate students. The NAHR Foundation provides funding for the scholarships, which are awarded by the SHRM Foundation. The scholarships support the objective of providing lifelong learning for HR professionals. The recipients are honored at the November NAHR events.  The recipients for 2018 are: Shannon Fazande (click here for bio) from Tulane University and Burgandy Mallinger (click here for bio) from the University of Minnesota at Duluth.
    • A View From the Top book was published in 2016.  Fellows contributed to this book with 25 individual essays on relevant HR topics, with each chapter focusing on best practices related to the specific chapter topic.  The online version of the book can be found at https://store.shrm.org/view-from-the-top.html.  
    • The New Chief HR Officer – Defining the New Role of Human Resource Leaders book was published in April 2011. The book captures the experiences and lessons presented by 29 Fellows and other HR leaders as part of the CHRO Academy and the “Modern CHRO Role and Strategies for Success” program. 
    • Development of best practices cases is a partnership between NAHR and SHRM aimed at creating high-level cases written by NAHR Fellows about NAHR member organizations. Four cases have been published and are available on the NAHR website: Aetna, IBM, Nokia, and Northrop Grumman. 
      Click here to view Aetna 
      Click here to view IBM
      Click here to view Nokia
      ​Click here to view Northrop Gruman
    • CHREATE – The Global Consortium to Reimagine HR, Employment Alternatives, Talent, and the Enterprise (formerly called the Future of HR Project) engaged a select group of HR leaders, consultants, academics, and professional association executives to determine where progress is most needed to advance the HR profession and its role in effective organizations. Volunteer HR leaders formed teams to advance pivotal arenas where accelerated progress would make the biggest impact on HR’s future readiness.
      Click here to see the tools and thought leadership that has been developed.
    • NAHR Fellows volunteered to participate in the HR Leaders on Boards project, aimed at understanding the opportunities and challenges of having more HR leaders on corporate boards. Interviews with Fellows and their CEOs and Board members were conducted and the observations and conclusions were made available to NAHR Fellows and other interested parties.
      Click here to view the study.