The Project Management Institute (PMI), founded in 1969, is a leading global authority in project management. They curate resources, trainings and certifications for the project management profession in addition to promoting leadership, networking events and accreditation standards for relevant higher education and degree programs. The first local chapter of the organization was founded in 1974 here in Houston, so it's only appropriate that the first student venue – a chapter-like gathering – was also founded in the fall of 2022 here at the University of Houston.
Zara Rashidbayli, a Technology Project Management graduate student from Azerbaijan, is paving the way for students in Houston and beyond to become more involved in PMI than ever as Primary Student Officer – or the more colloquial "president" – of this student venue.
She has spent the last several months working with her fellow student officers, Secondary Student Officer Farah Almatri and Financial Student Officer Elizabeth Lakas Barrelier, and their faculty advisor Dennis Sherman, instructional assistant professor in Construction Management, to help build the group from the ground up.
"I was working in oil and gas as a project engineer back home in Azerbaijan, so I was already familiar with PMI, but since we didn't have an assigned chapter, we were just getting our information from another chapter and joining in on their events,” Rashidbayli said. “I heard from Dr. Sherman that a PMI representative wanted to visit what was then the College of Technology and discuss promoting student membership. Since our Technology Project Management program is accredited by PMI and they were interested in collaborating further, the idea of a student chapter was a great start.”
After meeting with PMI representatives to discuss their goals for the organization, including the mutually beneficial skills and experiences with which they hope to equip a new generation of graduates and professionals, the deal was sealed. Rashidbayli applied to be and was installed as the chapter's Primary Student Officer. The role has come with her fair share of hard work to do, but the benefits come in equal measure.
"Even if you have prior field experience like I do, this is very different. Here you're working with people like you – we're all just beginners and students – so this collaboration taught me a lot,” she said. “I've learned how to delegate things like organization of the meetings, purchasing the catering, the merchandise, promoting the venue… We currently have 86 members, which is a huge number, and to promote this organization and attract people to membership can't be done by just one person. We have a great team between the three of us and our advisor, Dr. Sherman. He was and still is our biggest supporter. This isn't a one-person accomplishment. It was teamwork, and we did a great job together.”
Those 86 University of Houston members are only the beginning. PMI Houston has undertaken a new collaboration with Rashidbayli as their Academic Outreach Lead, wherein she'll literally write the book on establishing new student venues.
"They’re creating an outreach system that will help other students to develop their own student venues. We are the first one, and the idea is that PMI Global wants to use the same approach for other universities,” she said. “Since we're first, they want to learn from us about what went well and what could use more help. I will be the lead for this program, and I will write the procedure for those who want to establish a new chapter or venue, how to maintain it and maintain membership, and how to attract new students as members.”
The primary draw, of course, is the slate of benefits offered to student members: a discounted yearly membership rate still provides full access to all the latest newsletters, examination guides, and other membership resources.
"For our program in particular, having open access to all of these resources is a big deal," Rashidbayli said. "We've been talking a lot about the Technology Division, but I want to highlight that many of our 86 members are not from the Technology Project Management program. This is a very open organization for everyone; it's for anyone who wants to learn leadership skills, get coaching, find a mentor, and so forth. You don't need to be studying Technology Project Management or even be a Technology Division student to join our organization; you'll always find something interesting no matter your major or your degree program."
Rashidbayli also made sure to mention that the time for annual student officer elections is approaching, and the venue is still looking to fill one remaining position. Those interested in applying should email studentvenuelead.uh [at] pmihouston.org (studentvenuelead[dot]uh[at]pmihouston[dot]org) for more information.
"This organization is like our child," she said. "We want to pass it into good hands."