A new partnership between Executive and Professional Education (EPE) in the College of Business Administration and the human resources (HR) organization—the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)—has enabled EPE to expand its offerings to include the “SHRM Learning System” and the “Essentials of HR Management” programs. These join the two other HR certification programs EPE offers that SHRM previously approved: “Senior Professional Human Resources Certification” and “Global Professional Human Resources Certification.”

“We became a full SHRM partner in April, 2007, after a year of demonstrating to the organization our seriousness and professionalism,” said Robert Garcia (EMBA ’97), director of EPE, who has been expanding his office’s relationships with local and national associations during the past year.

The HR partnerships enable attendees to earn credits toward certification in their fields in addition to benefiting from information-filled programs.

“Though SHRM had a partner in South Florida for its domestic policies and procedures program, we offered their ‘Global Professional Human Resources Certification’ program,” he said. “It was so successful that they decided to look more closely at us as a full partner.”

Maria E. Morales, vice president, employee relations and human resources operations for Latin América, CitiBank, and a 25-year HR veteran, attended the global program in the fall of 2006.

“It was a chance to share with colleagues—all of whom were very senior HR officers, including those giving the class and those taking it.”
—Maria E. Morales, vice president, employee relations and human resources operations for Latin América, CitiBank

“I’m very grateful that I took it,” she said. “It was a chance to share with colleagues—all of whom were very senior HR officers, including those giving the class and those taking it.”

Immediately upon completing the course, conveniently offered on Saturdays, she took the Global Professionals in Human Resources (GPHR) exam and passed it.

“Going through the materials in the course made a big difference in reviewing factual information I needed for the exam, and the informal setting and being with peers made it very enjoyable,” she said.

Several months ago, the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) also awarded “HRCI Approved Provider” status to EPE. The designation enables EPE to assign recertification credit hours (based on stringent HRCI standards) to its HR-related professional education programs. Florida International University is the only university in South Florida to have earned this status.

Florida International Bankers Association relationship deepens.

Since February, 2007, when the college and Florida International Bankers Association (FIBA) announced a partnership that would provide anti-money laundering (AML) compliance training at the college’s Downtown Center, the relationship has been growing. This new program is being launched under the auspices of EPE.

In early March, 2007, 31 participants completed all three modules of “FIBA Private Bankers AML Certificate,” the first FIBA program for international private bankers offered at the Downtown Center. It enables them to see how to provide products and services to their members while complying with current regulations—thus offering both sales and AML-compliance components.

The Downtown Center also has been the site of three additional FIBA anti-money laundering courses for management, senior compliance officers, and outside directors, with others on the docket.

“Many outside bank directors are not bankers themselves and need to understand AML, so we expect this to be another program that will continue to grow,” said Pat Roth, executive director of FIBA.

“The prestige of Florida International University and its reputation as a serious institution of higher learning serves as quality assurance.”
—Pat Roth, executive director, FIBA

“We think the growth of the partnership with the college is excellent,” she said. “The prestige of Florida International University and its reputation as a serious institution of higher learning serves as quality assurance and works as a good combination with what our subject matter experts deliver to the participants.”

EPE is looking at bringing some of the FIBA courses online in the near future.