College of Business Responds to Supply Chain Crisis
In keeping with its mission to create value for students, business, and society through activities that lead to career success and the advancement of knowledge, the College of Business is offering an Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) major, beginning fall 2022. OSCM focuses on the movement of goods and services through the global supply chain network from point-of-origin to point-of-consumption. Graduates of this program will be able to help organizations more efficiently manage their operations by overseeing the sourcing of raw materials, the manufacture of goods, and the storage, transportation, and distributions of products to consumers.
OSCM has been offered as one of three academic tracks within K-State’s Management major for more than 10 years, with student demand increasing each year. The need for OSCM talent is at an all-time high as companies have recognized the importance of supply chain management for the success of their businesses.
“We are very excited to offer this major to our students,” said Bill Turnley, Management Department Head. “Our management faculty are experts in all areas of supply chain management and our advisory board was unanimous in voicing its support for the development of this major.”
The COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the supply chain crisis that created shortages of personal protective equipment and essential household items, along with skyrocketing costs of certain parts and materials. The OSCM major offers classes such as Strategic Management, Organizational Behavior, Supply Chain Planning and Control, and Managerial Decision Analytics that provide insight into how global supply chains operate and how to manage them efficiently, effectively, and ethically. The objective of the major is to prepare students for careers in procurement management, manufacturing operations, warehousing, logistics, and transportation management in organizations that produce, sell, and distribute goods and services to end customers.
“We know that there is growing demand for individuals with these skills in the workplace, and we have developed excellent relationships with our corporate partners in this area,” said Turnley. “The time is right for this launch, and we are confident that it will meet the needs of both our students and our corporate partners.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of supply chain professionals is projected to grow four percent from 2019 to 2029. Nationally, an entry-level salary for individuals entering the OSCM field is about $60,000.1
“OSCM is the fastest-growing business sector in the Heartland region,” noted M.K. Kim, Associate Professor, Department of Management. “In fact, Kansas City is now seen as a center of choice for warehousing, manufacturing, and distribution. Regional third-party logistics/trucking companies and some of the most prominent companies in the world like Amazon, DHL, Panasonic, and Walmart are establishing or expanding their facilities due to the region’s abundant, multi-modal transportation network.”
Even before becoming a major, the OSCM program at K-State gained national recognition. K-State has been selected as one of 20 supply chain management programs around the world to compete in the General Motors’ Global Supply Chain Case Competition for four years in a row. As a key partner of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professional (CSCMP) Kansas City Roundtable, one of the largest associations of supply chain professionals in the region, the K-State OSCM program has attracted major companies to campus for recruitment and received donations and scholarships targeting OSCM students from its corporate partners.
Samantha Brethour is a senior OSCM student and has served as the Global Supply Chain Club president. This experience has been an important part of her K-State experience. “Holding a leadership position in a student organization has been one of the best learning experiences I've had at Kansas State,” she commented. “Through this role I have been able to make connections with around 30 different companies who are interested in our supply chain students. We host supply chain speakers, have a supply chain specific Pre-Career Fair networking event each semester, participate in a Lean Six Sigma White Belt certification, and toured the Topeka Target Distribution Center. The skills of leadership, organization, and communication I have gained through this position, as well as the countless networking opportunities, has been a huge highlight during my time at K-State.”
Recent graduates of the OSCM track under the Management major have been recruited to work for companies in locations across the country such as Amazon, BNSF Railway, Cargill, Cerner, DHL, General Electric, John Deere, Koch Industries, Lockheed Martin, PepsiCo, Southwest Airlines, Target, Union Pacific, and UPS.
Click here to learn more about the OSCM major, or contact Bill Turnley at turnley@ksu.edu.
This story first appeared in K-State Today here.