Federal government HR training platform that served 50,000+ federal workforce professionals.
Human Resources University was a learning and development platform created by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to serve as the national focal point for HR training and workforce development. HRU provided formal and informal training to federal HR professionals and contractors, both in classroom and online formats, with the goal of developing qualified HR professionals across the federal government and reducing redundancy in training delivery.
Managed by OPM and affiliated with the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, HRU operated from 2011 until September 2018. The platform achieved significant recognition for innovation and efficiency, earning honors for pooling government HR training resources. By 2014, HRU had generated over $100 million in cost savings for the federal government through consolidated training delivery.
HRU was led by a Provost reporting to the OPM Director. Founding Provost Kathryn Medina oversaw the successful 2011 launch, followed by Dr. Sydney Smith-Heimbrock. The institution maintained strategic partnerships with four major universities: American University, George Mason University, University of Maryland University College, and Catholic University of America.