UHD's SHRM Chapter Named Outstanding Chapter for 2025-2026
UHD's SHRM Chapter Named Outstanding Chapter for 2025-2026
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) student chapter at the University of Houston-Downtown received the Outstanding Chapter award for the 2025-2026 academic year. Chapter president Tony Rivas discussed the initiatives, partnerships, and support system that contributed to the recognition, along with plans for the chapter's next phase.
A Commitment to Change
Rivas identified hosting the Texas SHRM Student Conference and Competition, in coordination with the Marilyn Davies College of Business, as one of the chapter's signature accomplishments this year. Equally important, he said, was a deliberate shift in how the chapter delivered programming.
UHD is a commuter campus, and Rivas noted that most HR students are working professionals balancing evening or online coursework. To reach them, the chapter expanded evening guest speaker sessions and added a Zoom option for members unable to attend in person. One member joined a session during a scheduled lunch break at her job.
The chapter also built new partnerships this year, connecting with Disrupt HR, a newer organization in the Houston market, in addition to established affiliates HR Houston and Texas Bay Area SHRM, which serves the Webster and Galveston area.
"That commitment to change is what helped us fight positively for hosting the Texas SHRM Student Conference," Rivas said. "If we were a dwindling organization, if we had several no-call, no-shows for our events, I don't think we would have been able to make that case."
The chapter has also seen membership growth this year, aided in part by UHD's undergraduate HR program, which has begun attracting students in addition to the chapter's traditional graduate membership base.
The Application Process
SHRM's Outstanding Chapter Award requires chapters to submit a detailed application documenting their activities and impact over the academic year. Rivas described the process as thorough, requiring chapters to identify their chapter number, secure faculty advisor sign-off, and provide documented evidence of programming and outreach, including links to the chapter's LinkedIn presence and photos from chapter events.
One question in particular stood out to Rivas: what the chapter had done to promote the HR profession on campus more broadly, not only among HR students. He pointed to the chapter's partnership with UHD's Student Leadership and Involvement office and its tabling events on main campus as part of the chapter's answer to that question.The application was submitted in April. Notification of the win came months later, and the award was formally announced at the national SHRM convention in Orlando.
Institutional Support Behind the Win
Rivas credited several people at UHD with helping make the chapter's growth possible. Faculty advisor Dr. Zhang maintained a largely hands-off, student-led approach to the organization while advocating for the chapter in other ways, including securing Rivas a seat on the HR Advisory Council alongside professionals such as Dr. Whitney Morgan and Dr. Julio Canedo. The council also includes HR directors and other HR professionals from the local Houston business community, giving Rivas the opportunity to share a student perspective directly with practicing HR leaders. Dr. Canedo also helped secure funding for the Texas SHRM Student Conference and Competition.
Incoming co-faculty advisors Shovna Tripathy and Jayci Pickering are expected to continue that same student-led model. Tripathy assisted Rivas directly with the award application process.
Rivas also pointed to the accessibility of MDCOB leadership, including Associate Dean Poleski's regular presence at chapter tabling events, as a factor in the chapter's momentum this year. He described this level of engagement from faculty and administration as central to the chapter's culture: "We're people first, not just students."
What Set the Chapter Apart
Asked what set UHD's chapter apart from others competing for the same recognition, Rivas pointed to the responsiveness and continuity of the chapter's faculty advisors and partners. He contrasted this with chapters at other institutions that experience longer advisor response times or high turnover in student leadership each semester.
"I know I can email Whitney, email Dr. Canedo, and I'm going to get an answer," Rivas said. "I'm not just a student ID number."
Plans for 2026-2027
Rivas outlined several priorities for the coming academic year. The chapter plans to continue and expand its Zoom-based programming to accommodate working students, and to add more informal social events, including study sessions, alongside its formal HR programming.
Rivas is also in early discussions with UHD's Center for Career and Professional Development about establishing an HR-specific career fair, modeled after existing fairs for majors such as accounting. He described this as a longer-term, roughly 24-month initiative that he expects to continue supporting after graduation.
Looking further ahead, the chapter is also setting its sights on the 2027 Texas SHRM Student Conference and Competition. Rivas said planning and preparation for that event will begin this year, so the chapter's incoming leadership can build on this year's momentum.
Rivas said he hopes the award encourages broader student involvement across campus organizations, regardless of whether students choose SHRM specifically. He noted that UHD student organizations have had a strong run of recognitions in recent years, and framed the chapter's win as part of that larger trend following a prior period of reduced chapter activity.
"This was not a one-man show," Rivas said. "This was a collaboration among SHRM members."
The recognition marks a milestone for a chapter that has grown steadily after a period of reduced activity, and it positions UHD's SHRM chapter as a continued point of pride for the Marilyn Davies College of Business heading into the next academic year.
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