SUNY New Paltz Advances to Semi-Finals of HR Games Competition

The SUNY New Paltz student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Management Association, advanced to the semi-finals at the Northeast Regional HR Games competition held in Glassboro, New Jersey. The SUNY New Paltz team, which was sponsored by the Mid-Hudson Human Resource Association (MHHRA), ranked fourth overall between the sixteen teams competing. In head-to-head competition, the team defeated highly ranked colleges such as Shippensburg State University, Temple University Ambler, and SUNY Oswego among others. The undergraduate student participants included Danielle Glendenning, Jeff Katz and Scott Perlin. Kristin Backhaus, Assistant Professor of Management and Advisor of Management Association, coached the team.

“Our team did a great job, especially considering the quality of the competing schools. I was very proud of their performance and was delighted that they made it to the semi-finals round. It was a pleasure working with them,” said Backhaus.

The HR Games is one-day game show tournament between students of various SHRM chapters throughout the Northeast region. This academic competition tests students by using a Jeopardy style format to answer human resource questions. The questions for matches are complied into categories such as training and development, management practices, selection and recruitment, and employee/labor relations. During each round of play, students from each team select point values and a question category. The question is read twice and students have 15 seconds to answer. Each spring, SHRM holds competitions across four regions with the regional winners advancing to compete against each other at the SHRM Annual Conference.

Backhaus believes the benefits of participating in the HR Games include “students learning key HR terms and concepts and becoming conversant in HR terminology. It shows future employers that they have initiative and that they are knowledgeable in the subject matter areas of HR.”

Management Association is a student association of the School of Business at SUNY New Paltz.