Grand Valley State University selected Robert Shorty, Ph.D., to be the first vice president of the newly created department, People, Equity and Culture. The department encompasses various supportive departments already existing on campus, and seeks to streamline the efforts of human resources, inclusion and equity all under one umbrella.

Shorty began his career in social work, helping children with emotional and behavioral disorders. He then moved into the corporate sphere as a human resources manager, where he eventually made his way into various diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives for large companies.

Shorty’s experience in the corporate world includes work for legacy brands like Nike, McDonald’s and Starbucks. Though his most recent career ventures have been with commercial businesses, Shorty said he’s always had an interest in higher education.

“My higher education interest really came in my Ph.D. studies,” Shorty said. “As I began that journey working towards my Ph.D. in Organization Development, I really learned a lot about higher education systems and structures, and knew that at some point, I would want to leave my corporate career and get into academics.”

Shorty was introduced to human resources positions by chance. He was hoping for a position in Assets Protection at Target, but was recommended to pursue human resources positions.

“I had a friend who was working for Target Corporation at the time,” Shorty said. “As I went through the interview process, I eventually made it to the leader (of) Assets Protection who said, ‘Hey, I would love to have you on the team, but you belong in HR.’”

Shorty said the recommended position was in the same vein as social work, his previous occupation, and he chose to follow the opportunity in front of him. Shorty’s foray into corporate human resources eventually landed him the role of senior director of human resources for Nike. 

“(HR) really was a nice, sweet spot to be able to support people in a different way than I had in the past, but in a really important way when we think about how much time people spend at work,” Shorty said. “I jokingly call HR ‘professional social work’ from time to time.”

Shorty worked a similar position at the fast food conglomerate McDonald’s for an extended period of time. Shorty said his time with the company allowed him to help people on a new scale, one which represented many different groups of people.

“At McDonald’s, you are working with 35,000 small businesses all under one brand in the franchise model, ” Shorty said. “It was an opportunity to not only impact the corporate space, but really also support owner operators and small business owners in communities who are really doing the work in the community that is needed.”

Shorty said his goal has always been to help others. With GVSU, Shorty hopes to drive both efficiency and success in his quest to help those in the University’s community.

“Our goal is to streamline all of the work that is happening when we think about all of the people across the University and really (be) able to bring that together in one vision,” Shorty said. “When we look at all the resources we are providing to people, we can bring them together in a way that the work is simplified.”

The new position Shorty will take on at GVSU, vice president for the Department of People, Equity and Culture, has yet to take definitive shape. He said expectations are ever-changing as he and the University seek to figure out exactly what the new department will look like going forward. Shorty said he plans to use his initial weeks in the position to absorb his surroundings and become more acquainted with GVSU as a whole.

“The day to day with an inaugural role is going to be built fluidly, as I jump into the role and really try to understand,” Shorty said. “I’m coming in with kind of a blank slate. I want to use the first 90 days to just be a learner and really understand the culture, understand the people and understand what our faculty, students, staff and community are needing from a People, Culture and Equity perspective.”

Shorty said he is optimistic that he can enact change for the betterment of GVSU and support staff and students on campus.

“I want to get across all of the (GVSU) campuses and regional centers and hear from our staff, faculty and community partners to design a plan that is meaningful and robust and that connects with all of our constituents,” Shorty said. “I really want to be able to make an impact, mostly rooted in my belief that (these students are) the next generation. These are the leaders that are going to be driving our world in the future.”