The Deans, Chairs, and Directors Council was formed in 1988 to promote the development of quality industrial relations and human resources programs in higher education by:

(1) assisting member units in program, faculty, and resources development,

(2) enhancing the communication of national and international developments in the field to its members,

(3) providing for periodic surveys of program content, degree requirements, faculty salaries, and student enrollment characteristics,

(4) facilitating the development of curriculum content and requirements,

(5) providing a mechanism for representing the administrative interests  of academic programs to the Industrial Relations Research  Association and other appropriate organizations,

(6) representing the interests of industrial relations and human resources and (7) otherwise promoting the interests of the field in ways deemed relevant by the members. 

Upon request, the DCDC can also facilitate the evaluation of programs, but doesn't itself evaluate programs. 

The DCDC is supported by the LERA, but is its own independent organization.

Name Change in 2021

In 2021, this group changed it's name from University Council of IR/HR Programs (or UCIRHRP) to the Deans, Chairs, and Directors Council, or the DCDC.

Chair

Marc Weinstein (left), Florida International University, is the current Chair of the DCDC, from 2021 to 2024. The Chair of the DCDC is also a voting member of the LERA Executive Board.

Membership

The membership of the DCDC consists of academic units that conduct research and/or offer degree programs in industrial relations and human resources. This includes colleges, schools, departments, institutes, centers, or other administrative bodies within an accredited four-year college, university, or graduate institution that are primarily responsible for research and/or educational programs related to employment relationship. Representatives to the DCDC shall be the dean, director, chairperson, or head of the unit, or designee.  

Dues

Annual dues for member organizations are $50, and are used to support the operations of the group, and student award competitions. To pay dues online, please visit: https://lera.memberclicks.net/dcdc-dues.

Meetings

The DCDC meets annually in conjunction with the LERA annual meeting. To register, please register for the LERA annual meeting, and submit an RSVP to the DCDC meeting when you register. You will find LERA meetings here: https://www.leraweb.org/meetings. 

DCDC Sponsored Student Competitions

The DCDC sponsors two student competitions each year, in conjunction with the LERA Annual Meeting. The DCDC Best Student Paper and the DCDC Best Student Poster both carry cash awards of $300 each. Be sure to encourage your students to apply. They will find complete information and submission guidelines at the LERA deadlines page.