Cornell ILR School & eCornell Launch Online HR Director's Certificate

Newest online program provides a practical, business driven approach to HR leadership; provides 9 Cornell graduate credits.

ITHACA, NEW YORK, April 13, 2010 -- Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), in partnership with eCornell, has launched a new online certificate program for human resources professionals seeking to advance their careers and obtain leadership positions in the field. Students who are accepted into and complete the web-based program receive an Ivy League credential that also comes with nine graduate credits from Cornell’s ILR School.

“The HR Director's Certificate is an elite online program that addresses the growing need for a practical, business-driven approach to human resources in today’s global workplace,” explained Harry C. Katz, Kenneth F. Kahn Dean of the Cornell ILR School. “The program is designed to give students the knowledge required to understand and develop effective HR strategies. But it will also provide graduates with the leadership, coaching, negotiation, and change management skills needed to drive and enable business results across the organization. The focus of the program is to certify HR Directors and equip them with the knowledge and ability to make human resources integral to any organization’s success.”

The HR Director's Certificate is offered completely online, and can be completed in as little as 4 or 5 months in an accelerated schedule, or nine months without taking more than one course at a time. The program is ideally suited for:

• HR Managers looking to be promoted to HR Director.
• HR Generalists looking to acquire advanced skills in HR management.
• HR Specialists looking to broaden their understanding across a range of HR topics including employee relations, engaging talent and HR strategy.
• HR professionals seeking an alternative to an advanced degree.

The online program consists of four main components:

• In-depth MasterCourses in Emerging and Advanced HR topics.
• Leadership MasterCourses focused on critical execution, negotiation, and coaching skills.
• Participation in 4 ILR faculty webcasts (live or archived).
• A Portfolio Project.

“We’ve developed a program that can be immediately applied in today’s workplace,” said Chris Proulx, CEO of eCornell. “Graduates of the program will be equipped to lead the HR function within their respective organizations and leverage their position in HR to drive business results.”

The program is delivered by eCornell using its proven instructor-led Structured Flexibility model that combines the structure of a well-defined course schedule, the flexibility of online learning, and access to subject-matter expert instructors to contextualize the learning and guide the learner to successful completion.

Tuition for the program is $8,100. Each student will work with an enrollment counselor and portfolio advisor to customize a course schedule and help meet personal and professional goals.

For more information or to enroll in the HR Director's Certificate please visit www.ecornell.com/hrdirector.

About the Cornell University ILR School
Cornell University’s ILR School is advancing the world of work through teaching, research and outreach. It was founded as The School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 1945, with a mission “to improve industrial and labor conditions in New York state.” Today, the school has national and international reach and is known more simply as ILR. Its focus has evolved to keep pace with the changing workplace and extends beyond labor-management relations to the many facets of work that are critical to an organization’s success in a global economy – from human resource management and labor economics and law, to organizational behavior and conflict resolution. ILR is a unique educational institution offering a four-year undergraduate program focused on the workplace, several types of graduate degrees, and career-long learning for professionals. To learn more about the ILR School, visit www.ilr.cornell.edu.

About eCornell
eCornell, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cornell University, provides many of the world’s leading organizations with online professional and executive development in the areas of leadership and management development, human resources, financial management and hospitality management. eCornell’s proven course development model and asynchronous instructor-led course delivery provide for engaging, rigorous and interactive learning. The company has delivered over 120,000 courses to more than 36,000 students in almost 200 countries. For more information visit www.ecornell.com.

Media Contact:
Will Hipwell, VP Marketing
(607) 330-3399
whipwell@ecornell.com