Patrick Wright, professor of human resources and director of the ILR School's Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS), has been named the first William J. Conaty Professor of Strategic Human Resources. The professorship is made possible through a donation by the General Electric (GE) Foundation and is named for Conaty who recently retired as GE's senior vice president in human resources. Conaty is considered one of the world's leading practitioners of human resources, and the named professorship recognizes Wright for his leadership in teaching, research and service to the HR field.

"Bill Conaty has been a strong supporter of CAHRS and the Cornell ILR School for many years," Wright said. "I can't think of a better way to celebrate Bill's many accomplishments and to acknowledge his role in the creation of the contemporary human resource function."

Conaty, who worked for 40 years in the HR field, is an active CAHRS board member. In 1993 he took over GE's top HR job.

"This generous gift will help the ILR School retain our current world-class tenured faculty in HR studies, as well as attract new scholars in the years to come," said ILR School Dean Harry Katz. "Perhaps more importantly, it will also help us attract talented undergraduate and graduate students who wish to follow in Bill Conaty's footsteps."