A Mercer University academic program is connecting budding professionals with opportunities to enhance their careers. With support from a new scholarship fund, students in the College of Professional Advancement’s human resources administration and talent development bachelor’s degree program can join two professional organizations in their field and receive financial assistance for other educational opportunities.
“This program was revised a couple of years ago to better align with industry standards and the competencies outlined by leading professional organizations,” said Dr. Jacqueline Stephen, assistant professor of human resources administration and talent development, instructional designer and director of the College of Professional Advancement’s Office of Distance Learning. “That alignment inspired the redesign of courses within the talent development track to include experiential learning activities that actively engage students and support both their academic and professional growth.”
Classes in this accelerated online program are eight weeks each.
In addition to human resources administrator roles, the program prepares students for careers as instructional designers, talent development managers, and training and development specialists.
“I think it’s a great field to be in because training is a function in every organization,” Dr. Stephen said. “Human resources development is necessary. No matter the organization or what systems they have in place, there will always be a need for someone to lead training.”
Chantia Daniels discovered a love for talent development and coaching while working in corporate America. After being laid off from her job as a manager at GEICO, she said she decided to “dive head first” into a career in talent development by enrolling in Mercer’s program.
“I definitely want to be the in-front-of-the-scenes type of person, doing training. But I’m also learning a lot of the behind-the-scenes (work), like the instructional design. So I want to play off of both of those strengths in my next career,” Daniels said.
Charlotte Whitehead, who is set to complete the program in May 2026, has supported instructors in implementing their curricula for several years in higher education. She has a passion for instructional design and talent development and enrolled at Mercer, so she could take those interests further.
“I felt like my career in higher education was stagnated because I didn’t have higher education,” she said. “This was my way of saying to my institution that I’m willing to invest in me so that I can then be the best me coming to work and also realizing that my future is really in my hands,” she said. “Anyone considering going back to school, it doesn’t have to be daunting and unachievable. If you lean into the resources available to you, you can do what your heart desires. Sometimes we are talked out of our dreams simply because we don’t see the path.”
The new Human Resources Administration and Talent Development Student Enhancement Fund, created through a donation from Professor Emerita of Counseling and Human Sciences Dr. Laurie Lankin, covers the cost of student memberships in local chapters of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Dr. Lankin served as the coordinator of the human resources administration and talent development major when it began in 2009 and worked at Mercer for 33 years.
“It’s a great time and a hard time to be in HR. It’s really important, and the professional organizations have always been essential for this field,” said Dr. Lankin, who retired about three years ago. “When I was teaching, I got amazing amounts of info from both of them. I’m excited that our students will be able to have them too. The Mercer education is outstanding in so many ways, and adding to it the specifics of the professional organizations really helps. I’ve seen how getting involved in professional organizations can really expand your ideas of what your professional (options) can be.”
Dr. Stephen emphasized the importance of students in the program engaging in networking and with professional organizations once they reach the 300- and 400-level talent development courses, noting that organizations like ATD and SHRM offer valuable opportunities and resources. Through the scholarship fund, Daniels and Whitehead obtained student memberships to both groups and were recently selected for the ATD Greater Atlanta Chapter’s 2025 Mentoring Program.
“I am so excited to be able to sit in the room at the table with industry leaders in this training and development space and ask those questions and help refine my processes and the way I do the things I do,” Whitehead said. “I’m looking to go all in.”
This competitive six-month program, which kicked off in late April, pairs mentees with experienced mentors in the talent development field. In addition, mentees also attend in-person and virtual meetings with their cohort and complete a capstone project.
“I really want my mentor to take me under their wing and show me what all is out there and give me advice on what routes to take,” Daniels said. “(It will be) a lot of learning, development, networking, having that person to guide and mold us as we get into the talent development industry.”
Dr. Stephen was chosen to serve as a mentor for the program in 2024 and again this year. She said being involved last year was valuable to her as a teacher, and she’s been able to tie some of what she learned into her classes. She said the mentorship program will elevate Daniels and Whitehead, make them more qualified for future opportunities, and help them to expand their professional network and “carve out” their career focus.
“I think one of the first things they’ll realize is the potential their degree will have,” she said. “It moves you from a transactional relationship to a transformational relationship. They got their foot into the door to the network that I belong to as a professional. They understand the value of belonging to this professional organization and ongoing professional development.”
The Human Resources Administration and Talent Development Student Enhancement Fund also provides financial assistance for students seeking certifications from the two professional organizations. For instance, Daniels plans to pursue her SHRM certification this summer as the capstone project to complete her degree. The fund also paid for Daniels and Whitehead to co-present with Dr. Stephen at the Online Learning Consortium’s Innovate 2025 conference in early April.
“I’m just really getting all that I can, both with the education and the outside memberships, before I jump back into the workforce,” Daniels said.
At the conference, Daniels, Whitehead and Dr. Stephen presented their research, “Hitting the Right Notes: Creating Harmony Between Teaching Style and Learning Preferences in Online Courses.” About 75 people attended the session.
“Sometimes we need to be inspired and we need to be pushed outside our comfort zone and encouraged,” Dr. Stephen said of the students’ presentation with her. “Somebody did this for me, and I wanted to do the same thing for them. This demonstrates it’s possible to take online learning further and give the same experience that students get in person. They do want to be engaged and involved, but we just have to find creative ways to do that.”
Whitehead said she knows “how to tell a data story” from her higher education work, and she found it rewarding to be able to deliver her portion of the presentation in a way that fit her personality and style. Daniels said presenting at the conference was a new but welcome experience.
“It allowed me to get myself out there with facilitating again and attend other conference presentations, all on the wavelength of online learning,” Daniels said. “I’m so appreciative of the opportunities Dr. Stephen has given just by being one of my professors. (The program), it’s godsent.”
