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The annual Student Chapter Merit Award program recognizes chapters for outstanding activities and programs in four broad areas:
- Basic Student Chapter Requirements
- Chapter Programming and Professional Develoment of Members
- Support of the Human Resource Profession
- Partnership with SHRM
All SHRM student chapters are invited to submit an entry and chapters can earn awards regardless of their size. (You can read more about the Merit Awards in the Student Chapter FAQ). Here are some tips for successfully competing for these honors:
Appoint a Merit Award Vice President
Designate one individual who will be responsible for completing the Merit Award entry. If no one person is responsible, the task of tracking chapter activities and completing the Merit Award entry can easily "fall through the cracks." Many active chapters fail to get the recognition they deserve simply because they don't take the time to complete an award entry.
Work on the award application throughout the year
Review the application at the beginning of the school year and plan your strategy for copmleting the required number of activities. Plan your chapter events to support your goal of winning a Superior Merit Award. As you complete activities throughout the year, fill in the appropriate spaces on the award application and keep copies of any necessary documentation. Some chapters keep a notebook or file specifically for the Merit Award so that all the needed information will be in one place at the end of the year. If you wait and try to assemble everything in March, the job will be much more difficult.
Read the directions carefully
The award application may seem complicated the first time you read it, so allow plenty of time to read and understand the directions. In most categories you simply write the requested information in the space and the category is complete. Read carefully and be sure to provide the information requested.
Categories marked with a stop sign symbol are mandatory. Further, those items marked with a document icon require your chapter to submit additional documentation. Following are examples of appropriate documentation:
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Workshop or seminar sponsored by chapter
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Program or flyer from the seminar. Should list the chapter as a sponsor or co-sponsor of the event, the time and date it took place. |
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Company visit programs
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Flyer announcing the company tour or a sign-up sheet of people who participated or a copy of a thank-you letter to the company. |
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Research survey or special project
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Brief explanation of the event or project: who was involved? What did they do? What was the result? Copies of any relevant flyers, programs, letters, or articles can also be included. If there is a tangible project such as a research report, include a copy. |
When providing documentation, ask yourself: Could someone unfamiliar with the chapter understand this event? Does this documentation provide evidence that the event or project took place as described?
Practice “front-end loading”
Plan to get the majority of activities completed in the fall semester. This way, if you fall behind you still have time to get the needed points in the spring. Remember that "senior-itis" will strike in the spring semester and chapter officers may be thinking more about finding a job than about completing activities for the Merit Award. Completing a lot of activities and projects in the fall (the "front-end" of the year) will make it easier to follow through in the spring and win an award.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
If the Merit Award process seems overwhelming, go to your chapter advisor or the college relations chair from your sponsoring professional chapter, and ask them to help you make sense out of it. They want to see you succeed and they are there to support you. You can also contact Student Programs at SHRMStudent@shrm.org for assistance in understanding the award application. The phone number is 1-800-283-SHRM.
As you prepare your application
- Remember that items marked with a stop sign are mandatory.
- Provide documentation only for those categories marked with the document icon.
- Count each activity in only one category. Double counting of speakers or conferences in more than one category is not allowed.
- Keep a completed copy for your chapter. Merit Award entries will not be returned.
This year's winners
For a complete listing of this year's winners, visit the Awards & Scholarships area of the Student website.
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