Strategic Synergy: How ADP and the Feliciano School of Business Are Shaping the Future of HR

Finding the right partner to collaborate with can benefit both sides and lead to outstanding results. One extraordinary example of this synergy can be found in the multi-year relationship between ADP and the Feliciano School of Business. Operating in 140 countries, ADP is a global provider of human capital management solutions and a leader in the human resource management industry, employing more than 200 Montclair State University alumni. FSBUS is well known for its rigorous academic curriculum and for giving students hands-on experience in the business world.

In 2019, ADP and FSBUS worked together to create the Professional Selling and Sales Management certificate program, a 12-credit track that emphasized analytical, leadership and communication skills. Setting their sights on an even more ambitious educational goal, the Management department formed an advisory board of top executives willing to share their insights, expertise and current thought leadership in the HR field. The result of these efforts became the Strategic Human Capital Management concentration for the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree program.

Launched in fall 2023 with 21 enrolled students, the program revolves around the new expanded role of HR in business – one where the human resources department actively helps companies achieve their overall objectives, instead of hewing to the more traditional HR model of employee management. “Most companies today are thinking about HR more strategically. We wanted our program to reflect the latest state of HR,” says Melissa Gutworth, associate professor of Management and coordinator of the program.

Arguably, the most important feature of the Strategic Human Capital Management program is that students are given hands-on training with ADP’s software. Called Workforce Now, the software is used by more than 900,000 companies around the globe and covers topics such as onboarding, hiring, training, performance appraisal and compensation – in short, the entire employee life cycle. Students gain proficiency in how to use this software through two lab courses, giving them a competitive advantage when they graduate. “Even if they end up at a company that’s not using Workforce Now, our students are going to be able to adapt very quickly to whatever HR software that company is using,” Gutworth says.

In April 2024, students in the Strategic Human Capital Management program got to further strengthen their bonds in the business world with an on-site visit to ADP’s corporate headquarters. They had the opportunity to meet with HR executives and recruiters – and ADP got to scout out new talent for their own ranks. In a reunion of sorts, students shared a celebratory session with the Montclair alumni employed by ADP, forging connections and hearing firsthand experiences of working in the trenches.

Even though the program is less than a year old, it has already resulted in some notable achievements. One student enrolled in the concentration applied for and won a $1,000 scholarship from a local chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management. “The biggest thing that makes the Strategic Human Capital Management program unique is the fact that we have this partnership with ADP. We’re the only school in New Jersey that does,” Gutworth says.