As a sponsoring organization, each year IPAC submits a nomination to the Stephen E. Bemis Memorial Award Selection Committee for consideration. The IPAC Board would like your recommendations for who they should nominate this year.

The Stephen E. Bemis Memorial Award is jointly sponsored by many of the nation’s major assessment and testing associations. The purpose of the award is to recognize and honor an outstanding individual who demonstrates the qualities of Stephen Bemis. Attached are the criteria for the award. Also included in the attachment is a list of past recipients of the award. Last year the award was presented to Rod Freudenberg at the IPAC conference in Las Vegas. This year the award will be presented at the IPAC conference in Columbus, Ohio July 22-24, 2013.

At this point we are not asking for a complete nomination packet. Rather, we are asking you as a member to recommend an individual who demonstrates all three of the following attributes:

1. An accomplished personnel measurement practitioner who is recognized for his/her on-going commitment to the principles of merit and fairness;

2. A professional who has made an impact in the field by his/her practical contributions(s) that have either resulted in an improved or new procedure; and

3. A concerned individual who is recognized for his/her commitment to assisting fellow practitioners, being available to them, and freely calling on them.

For now, the equivalent of a standard page or two describing how the person you recommend for nomination meets the criteria above (specified in more detail in this document) would be sufficient. If selected as the IPAC Nominee for the Bemis Award, a two to four page nomination packet will be prepared and submitted to the Bemis Award Selection Committee during the month of April.

Recommendations for IPAC’s Bemis Award nomination need to be sent to me at joinerda@pacbell.net by Friday, March 29, 2013. I will then submit all recommendations I receive to the IPAC Board for a decision at their board meeting the first week of April.

There are many human resource professionals who are doing great work for our profession and who are emulating the characteristics of Steve Bemis summarized above. I encourage you to give some thought to this and help us identify at least one worthy individual to nominate. The IPAC Nominee does not need to be an IPAC member.

Please review the nomination criteria and if you have any questions, contact me at (916) 967-7795 or via e-mail: joinerda@pacbell.net.

Thank you for your assistance.

Dennis Joiner
IPAC Bemis Award Committee Chair

IPAC is now accepting registrations for our 2013 annual conference, to be held July 21-24 in Columbus, OH. Registration for our pre-conference workshops is also open. Early registration discounts are available through June 24.

See you in Columbus!

The January 2013 ACN is available to IPAC members. Highlights of this issue:

Coming Full Circle with Reactions: Towards an Understanding of Affective Training Reactions Through the Core Affect Circumplex
By Garett N. Howardson, The George Washington University

Garett N. Howardson is the winner of IPAC's 2012 James C. Johnson Student Paper Competition.

The Annual James C. Johnson Student Paper Competition (2011-2012)
By Lee Friedman, University Liaison/Student Paper Committee Chair

IPAC is offering the James C. Johnson Student Paper Award that will recognize the achievements of students in the field of personnel management. Graduate, undergraduate, and former students are invited to submit research papers to be judged on the basis of their contribution to the field. The award winner will present the winning paper at IPAC's Annual Conference in Columbus, OH, July 21-24, 2013. The winner will receive up to $600 in conference related travel expenses, free conference registration, one-year membership in IPAC, and recognition in the widely read IPAC newsletter. In addition, the University Department where the student's research was completed will receive a $500 grant and a plaque commemorating the student's IPAC award achievement.

Legal Update
By Richard Tonowski, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

As 2012 draws to a close, Richard Tonowski looks back on some landmark legal developments that have involved personnel assessments and EEO issues. His first (and probably last) annual awards are described.

Analyzing Item Analysis
By Dennis Doverspike and Rosanna Niguel, University of Akron

Their column for this issue of ACN draws on their recent experience trying to explain item analysis to undergraduate students, graduate students, assessment professionals, attorneys, and other experts.

Personality Traits in Federal Pre-Employent Testing: Why the O in KSAO?
By Peter Leeds, US Merit System Protection Board

In this article, Peter Leeds describes the use of personality predictors in the Federal Government.

The International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC) is pleased to announce that nominations for the 2013 Innovations in Assessment Award will be accepted starting April 15 through May 12, 2013. This award recognizes an individual or a work group for the development of an innovative personnel assessment tool, the use of an existing assessment tool in an innovative manner, or general innovations in assessment policies or procedures which resulted in improved effectiveness, efficiencies, or cost savings. You can nominate someone in our field who has developed an innovative tool or technique. Individuals and work teams are invited to nominate themselves as well.

The Innovations in Assessment Award will be presented formally at the IPAC Conference to be held July 21-24 in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will receive an engraved plaque to commemorate the accomplishment, the opportunity to present a paper about the innovation at the IPAC conference, and a waiver of the conference registration fee for one person. In addition, award recipient(s) will be invited to share their innovation with the IPAC membership in a future issue of the Assessment Council News.

Detailed information and a nomination form for the IPAC Innovations in Assessment Award is available in either Microsoft Word or PDF format. For more information about the award, please e-mail Dr. Warren Bobrow at warren@allaboutperformance.biz.

Read the closing letter from 2012 IPAC President Jeff Feuquay

Our newest IPAC Bylaws, as amended in October 2012, are available.

Presentations from our 2012 conference in Las Vegas are available (to current IPAC members only)

 

The June 2012 President's Message is available.