School of Management students place highly in competition

Johanna Bocklet, Laken Bordner, Jamie Boyle and Sara McBride recently took fourth place in a Society for Human Resource Management student competition in Utah. Photo courtesy of Kris Racina.
Johanna Bocklet, Laken Bordner, Jamie Boyle and Sara McBride recently took fourth place in a Society for Human Resource Management student competition in Utah. Photo courtesy of Kris Racina.


A team of School of Management students took fourth place in the Society for Human Resource Management’s Student Case Competition and Career Summit Division II.

The students — Johanna Bocklet, Laken Bordner, Jamie Boyle and Sara McBride — competed April 29-30 at the Regional Conference West in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fourteen teams entered the division contest this year.



The team received the case directly from SHRM, and faculty advisors were not allowed to know about the case or to help the students in any way.

Former SOM faculty member and SHRM advisor Wendy Tisland prepared the students well for this competition in her Introductory Human Resource Management class (BA 307).

The students are proud to have placed higher than many other larger schools with concentrated human resources degree programs.

“Attending the SHRM Case Competition and Career Summit was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me during my education,” said Jamie Boyle, Ӱ SHRM president. “During both days of the summit, students were able to network with over 40 HR professionals, getting help on resumes, interviews, or just making connections for future opportunities. I made connections with a number of professionals that will help move my career forward. I am very pleased that after the conference, I have at least five solid follow-up conversations and interviews to help jump-start my future career in HR.”

The SHRM Student Case Competition and Career Summit provides opportunities for students and human resources professionals to connect, while also exposing students to the types of real-world problems they may one day encounter when they enter the workforce. To excel in the competition as these Ӱ students have done, they must demonstrate strategic thinking, ethical decision-making, and strong leadership and presentation skills.

Charla Brown, far left, and Kris Racina, far right, join Ӱ students at the Society for Human Resource Management event in April. Brown chairs the business administration program and is assistant professor of human resource management at the University of Ӱ Southeast. Racina is a business administration instructor at the Ӱ School of Management. Students, from left, are Laken Bordner, Johanna Bocklet, Jamie Boyle and Sara McBride. Photo courtesy of Kris Racina.
Charla Brown, far left, and Kris Racina, far right, join Ӱ students at the Society for Human Resource Management event in April. Brown chairs the business administration program and is assistant professor of human resource management at the University of Ӱ Southeast. Racina is a business administration instructor at the Ӱ School of Management. Students, from left, are Laken Bordner, Johanna Bocklet, Jamie Boyle and Sara McBride. Photo courtesy of Kris Racina.


The Ӱ chapter of plans to attend the competition again next year, and the student organization is actively recruiting new students for the upcoming academic year. Any interested students who would like to learn more about this student group and the chance to participate in next year’s case competition in Portland, Oregon, should contact Kris Racina at khracina@alaska.edu or 907-474-6532 or Wendy Tisland at wrtisland@alaska.edu.

Laken Bordner, Sara McBride, Johanna Bocklet and Jamie Boyle celebrate their fourth-place finish at a Society of Human Resource Management student competition. Photo courtesy of Jamie Boyle.
Laken Bordner, Sara McBride, Johanna Bocklet and Jamie Boyle celebrate their fourth-place finish at a Society of Human Resource Management student competition. Photo courtesy of Jamie Boyle.


Below are the final standings (in order of placement):

West Division


  1. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

  2. University of Texas at Tyler

  3. Boise State University

  4. University of Ӱ Fairbanks

  5. Florida International University, College of Business

  6. University of Nevada, Reno

  7. University of Phoenix

  8. San Diego State University

  9. University of Michigan-Dearborn

  10. Utah State University

  11. San Jose State University

  12. California State University Bakersfield

  13. Portland State University

  14. Western Oregon University