Proposed Center for Supply Chain Management and Logistics

We are one year into our journey to establish a center for supply chain management and logistics here at SIU! What an exciting year it has been…

We’ve all seen the importance of supply chain management in myriad ways, including railroad strikes, air traffic disruptions, river traffic curtailment, congestion at major seaports, and, most recently, the bankruptcy of Yellow Freight. These events have touched us all, sometimes in obvious ways, at other times in a more subtle fashion. Our goal is to be a part of the solution to these critical challenges.

We have mapped out an approach that will engage students, faculty, and our regional business/government entities. This year will be a time of growth and experimentation for our proposed center. We are planning exciting partnerships with supply chain management practitioners to bring more learning and networking opportunities to Southern Illinois for both students and regional businesses. We will work to build and support experiential learning opportunities that will pair student teams with local firms to address real-world problems. The proposed center will offer support to faculty who are engaged in supply chain management research and teaching.

Most importantly, we will continue our outreach efforts. We must make the opportunities offered by a supply chain management career clear to prospective students, our regional businesses need our students, and we need to find those students and get them into the SIU program. Our business community needs to have opportunities to share, learn, and work together. All of us need to be more aware of the importance of supply chain management in our personal and professional lives.

Stay tuned for events, developments, and news. Please contact Dr. DeYong if you want to be part of the supply chain management solution here at SIU.