With internationally-recognized faculty and top-ranked academic programs, the new Global Leadership and Management department (GLAM) has a clear mission: preparing students to lead and manage next generation workplaces.
Previously part of the Department of Management and International Business, GLAM will leverage the expertise of its faculty to equip students with both specific skills and theoretical background to lead. GLAM offers several highly regarded programs, including an undergraduate major in human resources, and the Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MSHRM), both ranked No. 1 nationally by HR.com.
“As a department, we are very fortunate to have expertise in international management, human resources, leadership, and new technologies,” said Juan I. Sanchez, Knight Ridder Byron Harless Eminent Scholar Chair in Management and chair of the new department. “Through the exploration of the intersection between these themes, which are of critical strategic importance to the university, our department is uniquely positioned to become a reference for what it is like to work and manage in next generation workplaces.”
Sanchez was instrumental in the creation of the MSHRM degree. Now with over 600 graduates, the program boasts chief people officers in Fortune 500 corporations and many of South Florida’s top HR executives among its alumni.
Critical to the program’s mission is preparing a human resources professional to be capable of sitting at the C-level table, working with senior executives on talent development issues.
“We try to create a strategic partner who can make a difference on the bottom line,” Sanchez said. “The successful HR practitioner needs to be a business driver, someone who knows how to develop and implement strategic management practices that increase the competitive advantage of the organization.” The HR curriculum continues to evolve to include additional relevant skills, he said, including coursework in finance and HR metrics. Sanchez envisions that analytics coursework will play a greater role in the curriculum as “our department brings together well-published scholar-practitioners who advocate evidence-based management. For instance, human resources management and recruiting are becoming data-based, and less about intuition,” he said.
The management major, one of the most popular at FIU, also rests within GLAM. Sanchez recognizes the department’s mission to increase the employability and timely graduation of management majors. To this end, coursework will continue to evolve. This may include certifications in performance coaching, project management, and other areas of high demand.
A key part of GLAM’s work is leadership. Nathan Hiller, faculty director of the Center for Leadership (CFL), is part of the department’s faculty. This year, HR.com and Leadership Excellence Magazine ranked the program No. 1 in the leadership development open-enrollment category, the fifth consecutive year CFL has ranked among the top three in this competitive category.
Highly cited publications in well regarded journals, service in the National Academy of Sciences and other Federal agencies, prestigious awards, willingness to partner with businesses and the drive to perform cutting-edge workplace research are all part of the department’s portfolio. It is the ability to integrate this expertise into an educational experience that will enable students to turn their dreams into realities at FIU Business.
