Knowledge in Motion

Author: Valarie England In April 2025, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) hosted their annual Tri-State conference. Attendees had the privilege of immersing themselves in the dynamic world of Human Resources. The conference was a resourceful two days filled with insights, innovations, and invaluable connections that left us all energized and excited for the future of HR. One of the most meaningful takeaways from the conference came from Professor Scott Pendergrast’s learning session on Effective Communication for Mental Health.

Author: Kristen Boyorek During the CUPA-HR conference held at Bryant University on April 10, Kimberly McCullen, Assoc. The Director of Workforce Development at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA illustrated the importance of understanding the different generations, the benefits of diverse generations, and how their shared and distinct cultural, historical, and experiential perspectives shape their values and contribute to an organization's success. For example, with age diversity in teams, there is increased collaboration, innovation, and productivity, and that ageism adds no value to teams.

In mid-July I attended the annual Network for Continuous Change and Innovation (NCCI) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. NCCI’s mission states they seek to “position higher education institutions to be agile, lifelong learning models to transform lives and communities around the world. All efforts of NCCI trace back to the goal of advancing sustainable excellence in higher education by promoting successful practices and approaches used to drive change, innovation, and continuous improvement across academic and administrative functions.” It is notable that NCCI’s mission is well aligned with goal three of CCRI’s strategic plan, to strengthen institutional effectiveness.