Awards and Scholorships

JAMES HOUSE WILLIAMSON AWARD

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Purpose of the Award

To stimulate the development of sound human resources management in all of its various phases and to publicly recognize the work of those who have made significant contributions to this effort.

Eligibility

All persons nominated shall have made significant contributions to one or more of the various phases of human resources management in the State of Tennessee.

Presentation

The award shall be announced and presented at the annual TN SHRM State Conference by the last awardee of the honor, or a person designated by TN SHRM. The recipient shall be unannounced prior to that time, including to the awardee.

The James House Williamson Award Panel of Judges is composed of the five most recent recipients of the award, the most recent acting as chairman each year, and the TN SHRM Awards & Scholarships Chair who shall serve as panel secretary and non-voting member of the panel (unless said person is one of the five most recent recipients of the award). Only one award will be presented each year, or, at the discretion of the Panel, no award may be made, depending upon the panel’s evaluation of the accomplishments of those nominated. It shall be the duty of the JHW Award Panel to make the final selection of the person or persons to receive the award.

Nominations

Nominations are normally submitted by human resources groups or SHRM chapters, but may be submitted by any person or organization that takes part in the activities of the SHRM State Conference. All nominations must be in writing and submitted in the approved nomination format. The nomination must include a complete biographical sketch and must present, in the format stated on the following criteria sheets, a detailed evaluation of the nominee’s special contributions to the development of human resources management in the State of Tennessee. A digital picture of the nominee should also be included in the package.

The Nomination packages are due back to: Bill Cooper, Awards and Scholarship Chair, only via email at bill.cooper@lifeway.com, NO LATER THAN AUGUST 17, 2012. NOMINATIONS RECEIVED LATER THAN THIS DATE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED for the 2012 Award. The award shall be presented at the September 12-14, 2012 Tennessee State Human Resources Conference, Memphis.

History

James House Williamson was born in Gallatin, TN on June 1, 1904. He lived there until entering the University of Michigan to study civil engineering. He earned a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology and worked for a number of industrial firms and until joining the faculty of the University of Tennessee in June of 1937 as Coordinator for the Co-Operative Engineering Program. The U.S. Office of Education appointed him responsible for the Engineering Science and Management War Training Program in all states west of the Mississippi soon after the start of World War II. From 1944 to 1945 he coordinated the educational activities of the War Manpower Commission in the State of Tennessee.

Following the war he returned to UT’s College of Engineering before transferring to the Division of University Extension (now the Division of Continuing Education) in 1947. Under his guidance and dedication, UT’s Extension Centers were established in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Tullahoma, Oak Ridge, and Martin, bringing adult educational opportunities previously unavailable to so many in the state .

During the ensuing years, thousands of adults were able to participate in the evening programs and conferences devoted to industrial and business topics.

Williams served as permanent Secretary for the Tennessee Industrial Personnel Conference (later to evolve into the Tennessee HR Conference/SHRM Joint Conference and then the TN SHRM State Conference) for fifteen years before his death in February 1953. In all of his professional work and especially through his service to industry as Secretary of the Conference, he contributed significantly to the development of sound industrial management and personnel practices in Tennessee and neighboring states. In memory of him and in appreciation for his great service, the industries of Tennessee presented a plaque to the University of Tennessee and established the James House Williamson Award which the TN SHRM Conference continues today.

HR PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

AWARD RECIPIENTS

The HR Professional Excellence Award, presented by the Tennessee SHRM State Council, recognizes contributions to the Human Resource profession by any HR Professional working in the state of Tennessee. The call for nominations takes place in July of each year and awards are typically presented during the TN SHRM State Conference in September.

Multiple HR Professional Excellence Awards are generally presented at the conference. The following criteria should be considered:

Service to the Chapter - such as leadership, committee participation, program development and participation and support of chapter goals activities

Service to the HR Profession - including leadership roles in SHRM at the state, regional or national level; leadership roles in other professional organizations, volunteer activities that increase awareness of and reflect favorably on the role of HR professionals, innovations in HR practices, acting as a resource to peers, mentoring students or young professionals, publications, research, teaching and training in the fields of HR and business in general

Service to the Community– Civic, community, and charitable and service organization involvement

Professional History- Education, experience, work history, record of professional growth, accomplishments, professional certification

Selection of award recipients will be made by a panel of TN SHRM State Council members and chaired by the Awards and Scholarships Chair of TN SHRM. Only the panel will know the identity of the honorees until the moment of the award. Nominations can be submitted in any written format but should be specific and as detailed as possible describing exactly why your nominee should be honored.

NOMINATIONS:

Nominations are normally submitted individuals, groups, SHRM chapters, or other Human Resources associations, and may be submitted by any person or organization which takes part in the activities of the annual SHRM State Conference.

Nomination packages, in addition to the criteria stated above, must also include an 85-100-word synopsis of the primary strengths of the nomination and a digital picture for display of the potential winners, to be received NO LATER THAN AUGUST 17, 2012. NOMINATIONS RECEIVED LATER THAN THAT DATE CAN NOT BE CONSIDERED.

All nominations must be in writing and submitted to the Awards and Scholarship Chair, only by e-mail to: bill.cooper@lifeway.com.