Top-notch Faculty
During my undergrad experience at UNC, my best professors came from the Kenan-Flagler Business School. Years later when I started in the Weekend MBA Program, I was even more impressed by the level of excellence of the faculty teaching for the MBA for Executives Programs.
During the elective registration process, I was excited for the opportunity to take Leveraging Human Capital for Global Competitiveness taught by Professor Susan Palmer. I was always interested in studying HR policies in more depth since I didn’t think companies were doing enough to manage their human capital. Conversations with my classmates who worked at companies like Exxon Mobil, Cisco, IBM, and BMW only increased my interest in the topic.
In the course, we studied corporate recruiting practices, motivating employee performance, HR Information Systems (HRIS), talent management, dealing with turnover, employer branding, and aligning corporate HR policies with the overall strategy of the company. Professor Palmer was able to integrate academic best practices and research in the field with her past professional experience with Wells Fargo and Prudential Financial.
A major component of the course was to analyze an organization’s human capital practices within the context of its overall business strategy. I had a difficult time choosing a company to analyze, so Professor Palmer met with me several times outside of class to help me decide. I eventually chose a small software company founded by Kenan-Flagler alumni. Using my UNC connections, I was able to meet with the Chief Operating Officer, who provided me with great insight into how they were using their HR strategies to grow.
Even after the course was over, Professor Palmer kept in touch with us. It was great to keep the dialogue going and continue sharing ideas about topics we had discussed in class. The course also helped me obtain a job with a start-up that was specializing in implementing strategic HR systems into small- to medium-sized companies. With the in-depth knowledge and practical experience I got from Professor Palmer’s course, I was able succeed in this new industry right away.
After starting in the position, I reached out to Professor Palmer to see if she would be able to assist me with a range of HR issues I was having with a specific client. We ended up meeting for a two-hour lunch, and I left with a specific action plan to help solve my client’s problems. This meeting was outside of her role as a faculty member, but she was more than willing to meet with me. I am still thankful for Professor Palmer’s teachings and guidance as well as all of the other great faculty members at Kenan-Flagler.
