National recognition goes to WMU business program

For the first time, Western Michigan University’s Integrated Supply Chain Management Program has been named among the nation’s best undergraduate programs in the country.

WMU’s program ranked 12th along with the University of Maryland and Stanford University.

Supply chain management deals with the design, planning,  execution, control and monitoring of supply chain activities to help companies become more competitive and synchronize supply with demand.

The ranking by the definitive professional organization dealing with the supply chain industry,  Gartner, was announced at Gartner’s June annual conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. Gartner’s ranking relied on evaluation of numerous factors, including industry partnerships, additional training required of graduates, curriculum and integration of information technology into the curriculum.

The WMU program requires project courses where students apply process improvement tools to real company problems. It also joins course work in business and engineering.

Although, this is the first time the 19-year-old WMU program has made the top-25 list, it previously made the “honorable mention” category in 2009.

The ranking is an important step in the development of the program, says Dr. Bret Wagner, its director. Over the years it has been important for the program and its curriculum to change so that it remains relevant, Wagner says. “This continuous improvement philosophy will be the key for the ISM program to move up the ranking.”

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Cheryl Roland, Western Michigan University