Dear Trojan Family and Friends,
I am delighted to share with you the significant accomplishments the Center has achieved over the past 12 months. In each of the key dimension of our initiatives; Network, Education, and Advance Research we have made noteworthy progress. Unquestionably, these accomplishments were made possible through your continued support.
I also want to thank my colleague and outgoing academic director Raj Rajagopalan of the Masters of Science in Global Supply Chain Management program for his contributions and to welcome Murat Bayiz as our new academic director.
Our current MS.GSCM Class of 2016 brought in an average of 10 years of work experience from prominent companies such Boeing, Alibaba, Deloitte, and Tesla. We are continuing to create new value propositions for our on-campus and executive programs. One of the many benefits of the Masters students’ diverse experiences is the innovative thinking they bring to the program. This year our Masters students formed the only US team to qualify for the final round of the Global Student Challenge in Amsterdam. In addition, a second MS.GSCM team advanced to compete in a Deloitte-sponsored competition in Atlanta.
In August 2015, we developed our proprietary web-based job board to help facilitate connections between our students, alumni, and recruiters at supply chain companies. We hosted a spring industry networking night to introduce our students to recruiters and employers from industry.
Our Center has also engaged in two major research projects. Last summer we completed a U.S. Customs and Border Protection project to determine operational efficiencies. Currently, we are entering the second year of a five-year project to increase systemic efficiency at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The Center continues to extend our global thought leadership by holding roundtable seminars in major commercial centers. During the next few months, we have several exciting events planned. In mid-September we will host our 4th Annual Global Supply Chain Excellence Summit at USC, for which preparations are now in full swing.
This year was a huge step toward innovating and enhancing our program and the lives of our Masters students. The support and partnership from our alumni and friends continues to be invaluable to the success of the Center. I invite you to help us reach our goal of making the Center and Master’s program best in class in global supply chain management.