Thomas and Ann Stallkamp’s support of the Farmer School of Business’s (FSB) supply chain and operations management (SCM) program is nothing new – they’ve been an essential part of the program’s growth for years. Their gifts, totaling more than a million dollars, provided the seed funding to create the Center for Supply Chain Excellence (CSCE) in early 2021, and they have continued to fund its growth and expansion.

Tom Stallkamp remarked, “It seems there isn't a day where supply chain topics are in the national news both in business and government policies.  When I started out as a Miami graduate, SCM was unknown, especially by senior management.  It has now evolved into one of the critical business elements and I am glad to see that Miami is taking a lead in responding to this trend. Having exposure to supply chain management was an important part of my career accomplishments.”

In the past three years, the CSCE has started a Corporate Partnership program and added eight Founding Corporate Partner companies. Center director, Monique Murfield explains, “The Partnership program has allowed us to put focused effort on engaging with alumni all across the country and get many re-engaged that had not yet been involved in our supply chain and operations management program.”

The CSCE provides a one-stop shop for companies to engage with faculty and students in the supply chain and operations management program. Hundreds of supply chain professionals have engaged and become involved in the program, through extensive programming to integrate real-world experience and current supply chain and operations challenges into curricular and co-curricular activities.

Over the past year, the CSCE has hosted the Supply Chain Executive Speaker series which included a supply chain panel with executives and alumni from General Motors, a supply chain career discussion with alum Dan Marous (MU 1990; Supply Chain Managing Partner—CXO Partners), and a mentorship panel with the supply chain Young Alumni Advisory Board.

The CSCE also hosted its third annual Supply Chain Roundtable this year, which was its biggest yet, and has become the “must see” event for supply chain students and for professionals interested in interacting with supply chain students. The 4^th annual Supply Chain Roundtable is set to be hosted on campus on Monday, September 16, 2024 and is expected to set a new record for attendance with panel discussions to educate both professionals and students, as well as plenty of open networking time.

Jenny Darroch, dean of the Farmer School of Business and the Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership commented, “The Stallkamp’s support, both financial and strategic, has been instrumental in the growth of the CSCE. Tom is a trusted advisor and part of the supply chain and operations management Advisory Board, and his expertise and experience in supply chain management has been invaluable in guiding the program and the CSCE to be relevant and rigorous for our students, as well as providing value to our corporate partners.”

The most recent gift by the Stallkamps supports a new program to provide the opportunity for more students to get relevant professional certifications in supply chain management. The Center for Supply Chain Excellence is launching the Stallkamp Supply Chain Certification Grant Program this summer, which will provide grants for students to work through a certification program through the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). The Dayton Chapter of ASCM is also helping to support this program to enable students to prepare to take the exam to become a professional Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM).

Supply chain professionals with at least one certification reported an 18% higher salary than those without certifications and many companies prefer candidates with certifications, so this will give FSB graduates a definite competitive edge in the market. Tom Stallkamp is excited to be able to help support this new program, commenting: “More universities are offering SCM in a variety of academic disciplines and that's why Miami offering a certification program with ASCM makes our graduates more competitive.”