Greg Ashley is unaware of another program quite like the Ph.D. in Human Capital Management at Bellevue University. Ashley, the program’s director and one of its professors, said the “eclectic blend of hard and soft science” sets it apart. “For example,” he said, “students are taught not only quantitative approaches to analyze data but also the ‘human’ side of human capital management like leadership, organizational behavior and the context of the workplace.”
Ashley has served as the program’s director since 2014. He has taught in the program since joining the College of Business in 2009. Over that time, he has seen the program continuously evolve – just like the field of human capital. “The speed of change tends to be faster than in other disciplines like finance and accounting. Consequently, we update course material regularly based on new research in the literature.”
Ashley and his colleagues also base their program updates on another vital piece of research: student feedback. “We place a lot of value on that and have made many changes as a result. Also, as program director I monitor the persistence rate and have made changes to improve the program based on that metric.”
Moving forward, Ashley said his goals for the program include ensuring the content remains current and relevant, and continuing to evaluate student feedback. A third goal is another example of the program’s uniqueness. “We’re always looking for synergies between education and practitioners,” he added.