Public lecture to explore ways to make human resource management effective

A look at how human resource professionals operate will be the topic of the fifth lecture in York’s U50 College Masters Public Lecture Series.

York Professor Monica Belcourt (MA ’72, PhD ’87) will discuss the approaches that human resource professionals use to manage selection, training and performance appraisal in her talk "Making Human Resource Management Work For You". For those working or volunteering for a small organization without a human resources department, Belcourt will present on how to effectively manage employee and volunteer issues.

The lecture will take place Thursday, Sept. 17, from 7 to 9pm in the Harry Crowe Room, 109 Atkinson Building, Keele campus.

Right: Monica Belcourt

Belcourt, director of the School of Human Resource Management in York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, has worked as director of personnel for Canadian Pacific Railway, director of employee development at the National Film Board and as a functional HR specialist for the federal government. She alternated working in human resource management with graduate school, obtaining an MA in psychology, an MEd in adult education and a PhD in management. She also holds the designation of Certified Human Resource Professional.

Belcourt was awarded the inaugural Right Management HR Academic of the Year Award in 2009, presented at the Human Resources Summit Awards gala by the Human Resources Professionals Association and Canadian HR Reporter.

She is the academic editor of Canada’s first textbooks in human resource management, which now number 11 and include Managing Performance Through Training & Development; Recruitment and Selection in Canada; Strategic Compensation in Canada; The Canadian Labour Market; Industrial Relations in Canada; and International Human Resources: A Canadian Perspective. She is also the co-author of Managing Human Resources and Strategic Human Resources Planning.

In addition, Belcourt was part of a national team that established the competencies and the standards for the certification process for human resource professionals, and created the nationally recognized Certified HR Professional (CHRP) Designation. She was also president of the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario.

The college masters have designed this lecture series to highlight a sample of the diverse research in which faculty members at York are involved. Each of York’s nine colleges will host one such talk. The speakers and talks have been selected for the excitement in doing research that each speaker exhibits. The talks will be geared to a general audience, with no technical knowledge of the subject matter or the topic being presupposed.

There is no fee for this lecture, although advance registration is required.

To register or for more information contact Marie-Helene Budworth, master of New College, at ext. 22867 or budworth@yorku.ca.

For more information about upcoming U50 events, visit the U50 Web site.