CBA to Offer Global Supply Chain Management Program in Fall 2009

Rider University’s College of Business Administration will offer a Global Supply Chain Management program in the fall of 2009. The new interdisciplinary program is designed to give Rider students the knowledge, skills and practical experience necessary to enter the profession and ultimately become leaders in the field.

Supply chain management, one of the fastest growing fields today, includes the steps a company takes to transform raw materials and components into a delivered final product and service, including sourcing, and acquiring, conversion and logistics management. Supply chain management also involves collaboration among suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers and customers, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

All major corporations maintain large supply chain management programs and are increasingly recruiting students with a background in the field.

“Despite the tremendous need for young professionals, Rider has the only AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited undergraduate Supply Chain major in New Jersey,” said Larry Newman, dean of the College of Business Administration. Other national institutions offering the program include Arizona State University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University and Penn State University.

The new program at Rider, which merges coursework from Operations, Marketing, Information Systems and International Business, is the result of a culmination of input from College of Business Administration (CBA) faculty members and the help of a team of executives in the supply chain management field including representatives from Johnson & Johnson, Becton Dickinson, Barthco International, Medical Device Industry Supply Chain Council, and Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions.

Recently, the University hired executive-in-residence Tan Miller as director of the Global Supply Chain Management Program. Miller was awarded the Jesse H. Harper Endowed Professorship, which was established in memory of Harper, a member of Rider’s Class of 1949. The professorship is designed to enhance teaching in the CBA and improve the instructional program through the professional development of faculty.

Miller brings more than 20 years of experience in the supply chain and logistics field in the private industry. Most recently, he was responsible for the operations of J&J’s U.S. Consumer Distribution Organization. Prior to that, he headed the U.S. Consumer Healthcare Logistics Organization of Pfizer Inc., and he has also held production and distribution management positions with Mercer Management Consulting, Unisys, and American Olean Tile Company.

Miller said knowledge of logistics and supply chain management is vital to students looking to enter the corporate world, whether in marketing, finance or other major corporate functions because almost all areas of a corporation have regular interactions with the supply chain function.  

“From a hiring perspective, if you see a talented student, and further down on their résumé you see that they took a couple of classes in logistics and supply chain management, you know that the student is well along the learning curve in that critical area,” he said. Prospective jobs within supply chain management include transportation, logistics, supply chain management, purchasing and supply, materials management and distribution.

While the program will officially kick off in the fall of 2009, Rider is currently offering two sections of GSC 115: Introduction to Global Supply Chain Management this semester.