Across the Nation - News of the Councils
by Mike Willihnganz, Associate Editor
This column is intended to keep IPMAAC members informed of the various meetings, conferences, and training opportunities offered by local, regional and national assessment organizations. It provides assessment organizations with a forum in which to publicize (at no cost!) assessment-related activities of interest to the profession. Contributions are encouraged and should be sent to the associate editor.
MAPAC
The Mid-Atlantic Personnel Assessment Consortium (MAPAC) recently held two half-day workshops addressing the topics of "The Use of Taxonomies for Test Design and Development for Entry-Level Selection" and "Strategies for Reducing Adverse Impact: What Works and What Doesn't." The January MAPAC meeting included presentations by Fred Kleiman, "Behavioral Job Simulations using AcuVision," Dr. Marianne Bays, "Reconciling Downsizing and Professionalism in Personnel Selection, Kris Smith, "Use of Multiple-Choice Questions for Writing Assessment," Dr. Norman Peterson, "Revising the Dictionary of Occupational Titles," and Dr. Wayne Camara, "Test Speededness and Other Implications of Testing Persons with Disabilities in Large Scale Programs." For more information on upcoming meetings and workshops contact Paul Katanik at (301) 983-7343.
WRIPAC
The Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council (WRIPAC) recently offered two training workshops, "Easier, Speedier, and Still Valid" and its very popular "Job Analysis Workshop." The two-day, hands-on job analysis training class will be offered numerous times throughout the year. WRIPAC's February meeting is being held in Newport Beach, California. One of the highlights of the meeting is a luncheon presentation by Dr. Richard Arvey entitle "Alternative Assessment Technologies: The Feasibility of Using Individual Differences in Emotions to Predict Job Success." The May WRIPAC meeting will be held in Sacramento. For information regarding upcoming workshops or meetings contact Laura MacMahon at (702) 328-2085.
Metropolitan New York Association for Applied Psychology
The Metropolitan New York Association for Applied Psychology will present Jay Jamrog speaking on the topic "Thinking Strategically About the Future of HR" at its February 22nd meeting. The March meeting, with the date and speaker to be announced, will be a career development event, and Arlene A. Johnson will present "Employee Initiatives on Work-Life Issues" at the April 17th meeting. A May workshop, to be conducted by Dr. Jack Wiley, will address employee surveys. For more information contact Dr. Adrienne Zimberg at (212) 539-7593.
PTC/Arizona
Personnel Testing Council of Arizona is co-sponsoring a workshop with the Employment Management Association on February 7th entitled "Illiteracy Versus Work Place Requirements: The Growing Gap." For information contact Terry McKinney at (602) 261-8861.
PTC/Northern California
Personnel Testing Council of Northern California will hold its annual conference on March 14th and 15th in Sacramento. Conference sessions will address the topics of civil service reform, recruiting and examining over the Internet, legal updates, and current issues in recruitment and testing. For information contact Ninette Brintz at (916) 653-0890.
|PTC/Southern California
Personnel Testing Council of Southern California had a successful fall conference entitled "Challenges in Personnel Testing: The Role of Selection in Changing Organizations." Speakers included Dr. Wayne Cascio, Dr. Richard Arvey, Dr. Terry Mitchell, Harry Brull, and Dr. Walter Borman. The upcoming spring conference, which will be a legal issues forum, will be held in Long Beach on March 29th. For information regarding monthly meetings and the spring conference contact Lisa Holden at (213) 244-3268 or Kristene Smith at (909) 387-6086.
PTC/Metropolitan Washington
Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington is currently in the process of planning a two-day workshop to be held early this summer. Watch for more information in the next issue of the ACN. For information on up-coming meetings contact Kerrie Baker at (202) 324-1512.
Upcoming National Conferences
Eleventh Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, April 25-28, 1996. San Diego, California. Contact: SIOP (708) 640-0068
Annual Conference of the American Society for Training & Development. June 2-6, 1996. Orlando, Florida. Contact: ASTD (703) 836-8100
Annual Conference of the Society of Human Resources Management. June 23-26, 1996. Chicago, Illinois. Contact: SHRM (703) 548-3440.
Annual Conference of the American Psychological Society. June 29-July 2, 1996. San Francisco, California. Contact: APS (202) 783-2077.
Mike Willihnganz is the Supervisor, Recruitment & Selection for the Sacramento Municipal Utilitiy District (SMUD), an electric utility serving the Sacramento area. He can be reached at (916) 732-6051; fax (916) 732-6412