Supply chain students, professionals, alumni and faculty, here is what's going on in the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability

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USF Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability May 2021

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S DESK

To our wonderful supply chain management business partners – Happy May!

This newsletter goes out to our May 2021 supply chain management class as they graduate with bachelor's degrees this weekend!

But …

Before we announce our graduating class, I would like to share an important USF supply chain faculty update currently unfolding, which also coincides perfectly with “National Teacher Appreciation Week.”

There are few times in our lives when we come across a visionary leader who embraces discovery and who is on that rich collaborative journey toward transformational talent development; a person who uniquely and intensely inspires us.

While traveling abroad in May 2019, I dialed into a scheduled introductory call with Donna Davis, a Muma College of Business marketing professor and co-director of the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability.

What began as an initial meet and greet turned into a trip to Tampa three weeks later to meet with Donna and the supply chain faculty.

As a 40-year industry executive, I was blown away by Donna’s masterful insights into industry/university collaboration, curriculum development, student internship/job placement and the cognizance of student transition success indicators in the workplace.

Donna’s ability to lead the creation of a “real world” curriculum with industry partners over the past eight years at USF is nothing short of remarkable. This resulted in the launch of the Muma College of Business’ master's degree and bachelor's degree programs in supply chain management currently enrolling more than 75 students since inception two years ago. And our students, the recipients of a turnkey education that prepares them for the vibrant and evolving world of global supply chain ecosystems, know this.

Referring to Donna’s fervent commitment to program excellence, student success and her ability to convey this transformational path, countless industry partners acknowledge that the program curriculum is truly a game changer in the supply chain industry.

In a recent strategy session with senior industry partners, many expressed public and private acknowledgements about the education revolution in supply chain and what this means for talent development and acquisition. Simple feedback such as, “Donna Davis gets it!” sends volumes of confidence that we are on the right path.

This week, May 7, 2021, Donna will retire after 18 years in teaching and researching in higher education, the last eight of which have been within the USF community.

On behalf of our students, business partners, fellow USF faculty and administrators: Dr. Donna Davis, you are an amazing and inspirational leader and it’s your time to celebrate your exemplary years of service. Best wishes to a dear friend, a mentor and a leader. You are always in our hearts. Thank you for all your support. And please stay safe and healthy.

Elaine Singleton

Executive Director

Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability

PHILANTHROPIC DONATIONS FUEL SUPPLY CHAIN EDUCATION

The Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability provides student scholarships -- more than $5,000 this year alone (covering tuition and textbooks) -- that went to our diverse student enrollment. We hope to increase this to $50,000 over the next three-to-five years. We provide innovative learning, teaching and technology tools for the interactive classroom, preparing students for immediate immersion into jobs upon graduation.

Our students graduate with demonstratable skills in ERP (SAP), WMS (Datex), TMS (MercuryGate), Supply/Business Analytics (Tableau), AI (Packback), and Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt/MS Supply Chain program) to name a few.

This does not happen in a vacuum. We must have the support of our faithful business and industry partners to ensure success for our students. This past year, our program supported five students with scholarships though the generosity of our business partners and the amazing gift from Monica Wooden.

The cost of high-tech innovative education is exorbitant and this may stand in the way of some financially challenged students who find it difficult to meet tuition expectations. Our students are diverse, and this is important to our business partners, many of whom offer internships or work experiential opportunities for students through the year. This contributes to the 92 percent who graduate within four years, with an average GPA of 3.4.

Philanthropic donations shoulder the burden of the good work we do here. All the money received from donations goes directly to student scholarships, student/faculty research, industry-partner engagement and innovative education. Please help us help our students. To donate, click here.

Table of Contents

1. From the Executive Director’s Desk

2. Philanthropic Donations

3. Important Dates

4. May 2021 Monica Wooden Supply Chain Graduates

5. Virtual Coffee Meeting

6. CSCMP—2021-22 Executive Board

7. CSCMP—Membership Information

May 17, 2021, 5 p.m., Virtual Coffee Meeting. To RSVP, contact cbenninghoff@usf.edu

Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability Grand Opening, Located in Muma College of Business. Watch for times and details.

May 2021 Monica Wooden Supply Chain Grads

Congratulations to our bachelor's degree recipients in Supply Chain Management!

Gabriela Mejia

Michael Denny

Nia Parker

Laila Al-Hasan

Dina Kakezai

Corbett Raker

Benjamin Ehrlich

Esmeralda Garcia Hernandez

Hankassi Nicholson

Emma Colangelo

We had the opportunity to interview one of our graduates, Corbett Raker:

In three words to describe how you feel about graduating with a degree in supply chain management:

“Excited, Opportunistic, Motivated.”

One piece of advice for incoming supply chain management students:

“Be open to unexpected opportunities as they might be your most promising leads for your career.”

Where do you see yourself in five years?

“I see myself working up the ranks within the Logistics Department at Ferrellgas in five years!”

Thank you, Corbett, and good luck to all our departing supply chain Bulls in their future endeavors!

Virtual Coffee Meeting

Save the Date: May 17, 2021, 5-6 p.m.

Learn why you should partner with USF Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability for a bachelor's degree in supply chain management.

Chat with our supply chain professors or just listen to the Q&A session regarding the program, industry and careers.

Virtual Coffee Meeting, offered through Microsoft Teams, is open to students from all USF campuses.

Contact cbenninghoff@usf.edu for meeting info.