Global Supply Chain Management Program Will Debut in Fall
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In the future, Billy Skurka wants to open his own skate shop. A junior Business Administration major, Skurka has the retail experience working as an assistant manager at Zumiez, which carries skateboarding and snowboarding clothing and accessories. He is interested in all business aspects and is looking to a new class to build upon his experience and knowledge.
This semester, Skurka is taking GSC 115: Introduction to Global Supply Chain Management because he wants to gain an understanding about the process of production and distribution of materials. The class is part of a new program at Rider that will allow students to gain knowledge, skills and practical experience necessary to enter the supply chain management profession and ultimately become leaders in the field. While the introduction course is being offered this semester, the College of Business Administration will officially debut the new Global Supply Chain Management program in the fall.
“It’s easy just to think about your own task at hand, and I thought that it would be important to understand the value of all the processes a product must go through to get to its final state,” Skurka explained.
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, 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, represents the 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.
Skurka, who said he will not switch his major to Global Supply Chain Management because of his upperclassman status, is nevertheless enthusiastic about the program’s attractiveness to future students.
“The major is a good option for incoming business students who do not have a clear vision about what aspect of business they want to pursue,” he said.
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, 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.
