Farmer School's supply chain management education ranked

A combination of academic rigor and real-life challenge helps make the supply chain management curriculum at Miami's Farmer School of Business a valuable preparation for success in the field, according to a recent study.

In the September 2009 issue of Supply Chain Management Review (SCMR), a ranking of academic programs places the Miami program at number 17 nationally. The results come from a survey of 102 academics in the field. Respondents were asked to rate, on a five-point scale, dimensions of program quality and reputation. Contributing factors included faculty, research contribution, source of future employees, department reputation, graduate and undergraduate curriculum, alumni visibility, overall university reputation, and continuing education presence.

"We work closely with our students to ensure that theory and practice are well integrated,' said William (Rocky) Newman, professor and coordinator for Supply Chain and Operations Management at the Farmer School. "Our students also benefit from mentor relationships with supply chain professionals, giving them a more comprehensive view of the field and improving their access to meaningful jobs when they graduate."

"All of our major classes are taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty members who are very current and active in the field and committed to the program," explained Lisa M. Ellram, James Evans Rees Distinguished Professor of Distribution. "The coursework includes quality, supply management, logistics and core operations topics so that the students are very well grounded when they graduate."

Ellram added that all supply chain majors work in an applied project, helping companies solve a real supply chain program. "In larger programs, this experience is reserved for MBA students," she said.

"Our supply chain management faculty is not only superb, but very student-focused," said Roger L. Jenkins, dean of the Farmer School. "Their culture of continuous improvement translates into a curriculum that reflects changing realities in the profession, and their connections with companies all over the country keep them abreast of best practices."