By Wes Crosby | News Editor
Duquesne’s supply chain management program was recently named one of the nation’s top 25 programs.
Camcode inventory tracking solutions compiled the list that included mostly public schools from across the United States. Duquesne was one of the few private institutions included and joined Penn State and Lehigh as two other notable programs in Pennsylvania.
John Mawhinney, program director and assistant professor in the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, said the ranking will result in more exposure for the program.
“It’s a tremendous advantage to be named to the list. Usually newspapers or magazines do these types of rankings, corporate businesses like Camcode usually don’t get involved,” Mawhinney said. “I don’t know how the industry will react to it, but I know it’s great for our visibility.”
The selection of the top programs was “based on the depth and breadth of the educational offerings, including access to multidisciplinary opportunities for students and ability to participate in research in the supply chain management field.”
Programs were also selected based upon the recommendation of the Institute for Supply Chain Management and other associations.
“It’s a tremendous advantage to be named to the list.”
John Mawhinney
program director
Mawhinney said he thinks Duquesne’s program was named because of the position it has put its students in.
“We’re doing a lot of things for our students and I think that shows,” Mawhinney said. “When they leave here they are well placed in jobs with high salaries and the corporations they work for are very pleased with the students.”
Duquesne houses the only supply chain management program in Pittsburgh and Mawhinney said that gives it an advantage.
“We’re glad to be on the list, but it’s a short list [in Pittsburgh],” Mahwinney said. “It’s rewarding we made it to the list and if a student wants to come to Pittsburgh for that program they will have to come here, so we will have a nice recruitment advantage.”
Mawhinney said the program has instituted a strategic plan that it hopes continues to advance its reach within the student community. It holds an event called the Supply Chain Connection, where 23 to 25 corporations and about 70 members of those organizations come to Duquesne’s campus to network with students.
It also routinely takes a group of students to a corporation for half of a day to witness how the business operates. Some students will visit Del Monte for a full day on Feb. 15, which will mark the 70th trip the program has taken since 1999.
“It’s a great opportunity for our students to meet professionals in the field,” Mawhinney said. “It’s another thing that helps our students and helps put us out in the public eye.”