“I got to a point where I knew that I wanted to make my career in human resources, but I did not have a specialist degree in this area. As I scanned the job advertisements I increasingly noticed that master’s degrees were “preferred” for the types of positions to which I aspired. I noted that faculty and researchers from the Cornell ILR school featured prominently in reading that I did on various HR topics and issues. I did some research and determined that Cornell had a top program. I told myself that if I was going to give up a salary for two years I should really try to go to a top program, so I put all my eggs in one basket and applied to Cornell.

“The first important lesson I learned was how much I didn’t know! After spending 11 years as an HR practitioner, I wondered how much I would really learn in a specialized HR degree. Within days of being back in the classroom I was astounded by how much I didn’t know. And ultimately this was the most important lesson, the power and importance of engaging in lifelong learning. Development in an International Field At the time I attended Cornell ILR there was not as much focus on international HR as you find in the curriculum today. Cornell, however, is a very international community, and one of my closest friends in the ILR program was from Japan. A combination of my friendship with Fumie and my having studied in London as an undergraduate inspired me to express an interest in “positions with an international focus” when I joined Mobil Corporation, now ExxonMobil. Living, studying, and working in project teams in this community also built capability in the area of cultural understanding and valuing of difference, which are key capabilities to successful work in an international setting.

“I have many favorite memories of Cornell/ ILR. One is the launch of the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS). The first meeting of the center sponsors took place while I was there, and several colleagues and I had the honor of presenting the results of one of our research projects to this group. It was a great opportunity to test our thinking with a group of senior HR executives. Another favorite memory is graduation. Frank Rhodes was president at the time, and he would always end his graduation message with an old Irish toast. I have loved that toast ever since I first heard President Rhodes say it and I have used it many times since, particularly now that I have direct responsibility for HR services to our company in Ireland. Finally, I have great memories of the “mature students breakfast club” that used to meet on Fridays at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and then be at the Catherwood Library when the doors opened. I am still in touch with these friends today and a few have even visited us in London.

“I believe that students at the ILR school benefit from the convergence of a top-tier faculty, a dynamic and diverse student body, and world class resources such as the Catherwood Library. Protecting the School’s ability to bring all three factors together into the future should be a strategic focus for ILR.

“I came to Cornell expecting to fund my own way through the program and was ultimately offered assistantships for three of my four semesters. This meant the financial investment I made from my own resources was far less than I expected, and I wanted to show my appreciation by giving back to the school when I was in a position to do so. I want to be a part of helping Cornell ILR continue to bring top-tier faculty and dynamic and diverse students together with world-class resources to enable that very special learning environment I experienced to continue to develop future HR researchers, teachers, and leaders.”

—Louisa J. Hayward, ILR Connections, Fall 2004

- Louisa Jane Hayward, MS ‘89