Header for SMLR Update
In This Issue
CWW Welcomes a New Director
Prof. Castellano's Award
Prof. Methot Polls for Student Participation
Acting Dean Schurman's Classroom Testimonies
7th Annual Labor & Management Conference
Professor Dana Britton is Director of the Center for Women and Work 
   
Dana Britton
Professor Dana Britton has recently been appointed as SMLR's Director of the Center for Women and Work. As Director, Professor Britton will enhance the prominence and impact of the Center in New Jersey, nationally, and internationally.

 

Professor Britton, who received her doctorate in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin, joins SMLR from Kansas State University (KSU), where she has been a professor of sociology since 1995. She also served as executive director of the KSU ADVANCE-Institutional Transformation Program from 2008-2011 and is now serving as executive director of the KSU Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering. Both of these programs seek to increase the participation and advancement of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines.

 

Recently, Professor Britton ended a term (2007-2011) as editor of the top-ranked sociology specialty journal, Gender & Society. Her research interests are in the areas of gender and work and gender and social control, topics which she has written  about in two books, one edited volume, and many journal articles. She is a current co-principal investigator on an NSF ADVANCE PAID (Partnerships for Adaptation, Implementation, and Dissemination) grant to study the transition from associate professor to full professor for faculty in science fields. As part of this project, she has conducted 178 interviews with faculty on 13 college campuses.

 

Professor Britton is looking forward to leading the Center for Women and Work beginning summer 2012.  

 

She says, "The opportunity to work with researchers who have demonstrated so much success in creating change through initiatives on workforce development, women's leadership, and working families is very exciting. I look forward to joining the faculty of SMLR and building on the great work of the Center to further increase its visibility and impact both at Rutgers and within broader academic, policy, and community contexts."

 

If you would like to contact Professor Britton, please e-mail brittn@ksu.edu or call 785-532-6088. For more information on the Center for Women and Work, visit cww.rutgers.edu

 

 
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Issue: 3  
December 23, 2011

In this issue of the SMLR Update, we take a moment to celebrate our successful courses and programs and recognize distinguished faculty and staff for their outstanding service to the school. Please take a moment to read more below and feel free to spread our news. We're looking forward to sharing additional successes with you in the new year. Happy Holidays! 

Awards
Professor Castellano Receives Special Award,
Leads Successful Undergraduate HRM Program
 

On December 4, Professor Bill Castellano, director of SMLR's undergraduate Human Resource Management (HRM) program, was awarded honorary membership into the University's Chapter of The National Society of Leadership and Success during an
Bill Castellano
Professor Bill Castellano
induction ceremony in Scott Hall. Professor Castellano was recognized by the student-led society for embodying the society's mission of helping people discover and achieve their goals and demonstrating leadership qualities in a professional capacity. Professor Castellano's HRM undergraduate program boasts 150 students currently declared as majors and 250 students declared as minors, far exceeding initial expectations. ... read more.
Achievements

Professor Methot Polls for Participation    

Jessica Methot
Professor Jessica Methot engages students by polling the classroom.   

 

Each week, Professor Jessica Methot meets with approximately 80 Rutgers undergraduate students in Lucy Stone Hall, where she shares the tools and techniques needed to strategically manage employees in her Introduction to Human Resource Management class. While Professor Methot enjoys the engaging teacher-student dialogue and insightful questions that come with leading the popular course, she was once faced with a difficult challenge, one that plagues many instructors within today's tech-oriented society--how to curtail social loafers. Professor Methot's introduction of classroom polling helped increase student participation and performance this semester. ...  read more.   

In the Classroom
Students Gain Insight Into Work and Society During Simulated, Classroom Testimony

Work, Society, Sue
Acting Dean Sue Schurman leads her class' discussion.

When electing to take the course, Work, Society, and Quality of Life
, Rutgers' students join a dynamic class marked by in-depth group discussions. The culmination of the course--and perhaps most entertaining portion--comes in the form of a multi-faceted final project, involving a simulated testimony to a Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security and a fictitious guest worker bill. On December 6, students in the fall 2011 semester of Work teamed to partake in their final presentation. Highlighted by vibrant, oral arguments and lively cross examinations, the event once again succeeded in challenging students' thinking while giving insight into the legislative process. ... read more.
Recognition 
Finegold, Director, and Mangels are Honored
for Contributions to SMLR 
 
On December 16, SMLR faculty and staff gathered to
David Finegold & Joanne Mangels
Joanne Mangles (on left) and former Dean David Finegold
recognize esteemed current and/or former colleagues--Professor David Finegold, Professor Steven Director, and Joanne Mangels--during the school's annual holiday gathering. Professor Finegold, who recently completed a remarkable five-year term as SMLR's
Steven Director
Professor Steven Director
dean, is now Rutgers' senior vice president for Lifelong Learning and Strategic Growth Initiatives. Professor Director was honored for his impressive 32 years of service to the school, and Joanne Mangels was honored for her 25 years of outstanding work at SMLR. ... read more
Events
7th Annual Labor and Management Conference Addresses Healthcare Reform
 
On December 9, approximately 85 people gathered at Rutgers' Labor Education Center to attend the 7th Annual Labor and Management Conference, addressing

Tracy Chang (center), director of LEARN, speaks with conference presenters and attendees.
what labor and management need to know about the impact of the healthcare reform. Led by guest speakers from within the healthcare industry and organized by SMLR's Labor Education and Research Now (LEARN), the conference allowed attendees to raise questions, share insights, and offer solutions on improving New Jersey's healthcare delivery and payment. ... read more.
Presentations
Labor Studies Faculty Present Research in Cape Town

On December 2-3, a group of SMLR faculty from the Labor Studies and Employment Relations department presented the preliminary results of their study, "Trade Union Responses to Representing Workers in The Informal Economy," at an American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS) conference in Cape Town, South Africa. The SMLR delegation was led by Acting SMLR Dean Sue Schurman and LSER department Chair Adrienne Eaton, who serve as co-principal investigators for the ACILS-sponsored study. Professors Janice Fine, Dorothy Sue Cobble and Tracy Chang were also included in the delegation.The group also participated in the International Workers Education Association (IFWEA)'s general conference, held on November 28 through December 1 in Cape Town ... read more.  

 

In the Media
The Star-Ledger and The Trenton Times recently featured Professor Dorothy Sue Cobble and her co-author, Michael Merrill's, op-ed on Occupy Wall Street. The article explains why Occupy Wall Street is not the first movement to use occupation as a protest tactic (and creative political theater) to hold elected officials accountable for their inaction. 

On December 20, The Star-Ledger quoted Professor Jeff Keefe in an article on South Jersey mayors' efforts to stop unemployment insurance for beach workers 
Save the Date

Privacy and Social Media 

Social media has transformed the way we communicate. But how has it impacted the workplace and employment relations? This privacy and social media workshop, organized through LEARN, will examine privacy issues in the workplace, as well as discipline and discharge grievances resulting from the use of social media.

 

February 10, 2011
9:00 a.m.--4:00 p.m.
Labor Education Center  

Share Your News!
If you have news that you would like to share, please e-mail Renee Walker, director of communications, at rwalker@smlr.rutgers.edu.

Read more of our news and learn about the School of Management and Labor Relations by visiting smlr.rutgers.edu.