Advance, Cornell ILR School's publication for alumni and friends.
Issue link: https://advance.epubxp.com/i/362921
9 Through ILR Online, a webcast series offered two or three times a semester, ILR faculty mem- bers share their expertise with practitioners and policymakers worldwide. Each webcast addresses a con- temporary workplace issue and presents best practices. Topics often relate to human capital development, labor relations, inclusion or diversity. "We identify problem areas and issues that allow us to create a dialogue with audiences we're try- ing to reach," says Associate Dean of Outreach Susanne Bruyère. "For presenters, we draw on our own faculty, as well as collabora- tors they've worked with, external experts, policymakers and people who represent these interests in Washington, D.C." "Our hope for the series," she says, "is that it translates into more informed policy and prac- tice." Webcasts are interactive, allowing participants to submit questions and respond to polls. Presenters may appear live in studio, be vid- eotaped or take part from remote locations via videoconference. The series, which began as an alumni-focused initiative, is produced by ILR's Offce of Communications and Marketing, in collaboration with the Dean's Offce and Alumni Affairs and Development. It resulted from a 2007 survey by the ILR Alumni Association. Beth Florin MS '85, managing director of the compensation consulting frm Pearl Meyer & Partners, designed and imple- mented the survey. A key fnding, she says, was that alumni wanted to continue learning and to hear about profes- sors' research. "Our frm had just started using webinar technology to facilitate information sharing across widely dispersed audienc- es, and this vehicle seemed like the perfect answer for ILR." During 2013, an average of 450 people registered for each web- cast. Of those, about 25 percent were alumni. Senior Extension Associate Hannah Rudstam of the Employ- ment and Disability Institute was a presenter for "Beyond Yellow Ribbons: Putting Veterans with Disabilities to Work." Afterward, she received calls from the New York State Governor's Offce and the New York State Department of Labor. "We had some good conversa- tions about what they could do to ensure that New York state veterans fnd and keep jobs, even when working with a disability," she says. "We also discussed the possibility of several collaborative projects." Rudstam was also contacted by other participants, including of- fcials from Manpower, Northrop Grumman and Pricewaterhouse- Coopers. Mark Harf, Center of Excellence lead in Global Commercial Op- erations at Pfzer, whose profes- sional background spans human resources, general management and operations, fnds the series useful "from all perspectives, and especially so because of its business orientation." "The series was particularly useful in the aftermath of the 2008 economic shifts, as it touched on a relevant set of topics to everyday business," he says. "The webcasts' value to me came from their fact-based, future-oriented perspective, as opposed to just opinion or repeating the news." ILR Online can be accessed via tablet, smartphone or computer. To view past webcasts, go to www.ilr.cornell.edu/media/ ilronlinewebcasts.html The webcasts' value to me came from their fact- based, future-oriented perspective, as opposed to just opinion or repeating the news.~ } Webcast Series Expands Global Outreach