President’s Pen
by Betty Lonis, SPHR

I would like to announce a change to the Board of Directors. Jeff McKinney, Director of Programs, has resigned his position from the Board. Jeff has served on the Board for many years and we will miss him.

We have decided that we will not backfill the Director of Programs role. Rather, we have redesigned the Director of Finance role, which Helena Masters currently holds, to focus on two areas: assistant Treasurer and managing vendor relationships. Now that MP Records Communications is handling our meeting registration on-site, we are able to better utilize the Director of Finance role for these new duties. In addition, the Professional Development Committee has stepped up to take on some of the roles the Director of Programs used to perform.

Please join me in wishing Jeff the best of luck in his future endeavors and let’s thank Helena Masters for taking on the newly revised duties.

I’d like to give you a brief update from the Board planning meeting that was held in January. We are very excited about our initial plans for 2004. Each board member is in the process of working back with their respective committees to finalize the goals and objectives for their area. We will approve the final goals and objectives at our Board meeting this month. I will have a more detailed report for you in the March newsletter. We look forward to building on our success from last year.

I hope to see you at our February luncheon meeting.

Please feel free to contact me at (317) 277-5345 or through e-mail at president@hraci.org.

Betty Lonis

HRACI Presents What’s In Store For 2004? - Roundtable Discussions

Is your organization ready to tackle the many changes in store for 2004? With glimpses of an economic recovery in sight, now is the time for us to seriously discuss key HR issues for the New Year: changing labor market, dwindling talent, and knowledge drains.

If you’re concerned about how all these changes will impact your business, then join your colleagues for lively and in-depth roundtable discussions. You will:

• Find out the challenges faced by different industries and how they plan to tackle them in 2004
• Develop more networking contacts to share and exchange ideas (bring plenty of business cards!)
• Take away new ideas to help you as you develop your own strategies

Key Discussion Items: To get the most out of our roundtable discussions, please think about the following questions prior to the meeting.

• What employment challenges is your organization/industry facing in 2004?
• What role is HR playing to be prepared for those challenges?
• What are your primary strategies for tackling those challenges?

Idea Exchange: Do you have sample processes, forms or ideas you’d like to share with your colleagues? If so, bring copies (at least 30 and be sure to include your contact information) to the meeting.

Time:
11:30 a.m. - Registration and networking
Noon - Luncheon
12:20 p.m. - Announcements & Keynote Presentation
1:20 p.m. - Adjournment

The SHRM Foundation: Investing in Your Future as an HR Leader

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Cindy is arranging a tour of the JA facility on Wednesday, February 25 at 8:30 am. Contact Cindy if you are interested in the one-hour tour.

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The Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI is hosting mock interview sessions for students during National Engineering Week on Thursday, February 26. Volunteers are needed to conduct the mock interviews during the morning session (9 am-12:15 pm) and the afternoon session (1 pm-4:15 pm). If you are interesting in volunteering, please contact Terri Ryckaert, Assistant Director of Student Services, 274-0805, tryckaer@iupui.edu.

The Kelley School of Business Placement Office, IUPUI needs volunteers for mock interviews and/or resume screening. Interested in volunteering? Contact Wanda Henderson, 278-0506, wmhender@iupui.edu.

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Sara Rasmussen