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USF Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability June 2021
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S DESK

Chicken, beef and pork! What do they have in common besides the fact they all taste great off the grill?

They all are caught in a supply chain conundrum despite the lack of a real supply chain crisis. Procurement, transportation and general supply management costs have soared and consumers are paying the cost. In today’s newsletter, we feature Seckin Ozkul and Irem Yuksel to shed light on what is really at stake (steak?).

Read on ...

Other highlights in June:

  • All 10 of our supply chain undergraduates have landed fantastic jobs within only two months of graduation.
  • Despite COVID 19 restrictions, our students were able to engage with more than 45 different discrete companies in last 12 months, via virtual networking.
  • Our registered fall undergrad student population (studying supply chain management) has increased over 25 percent in just the second year since inception.

And, the Tampa Bay Lightning advances to semi-finals! Go Bolts!!!!!! 

Elaine Singleton
Executive Director
Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability
Muma College of Business
University of South Florida
Table of Contents

1. From the Executive Director’s Desk
2. Important Dates 
3. Supply Chain Innovation Lab; Intern Feature (Irem Yuksel) 
4. Faculty Spotlight (Seckin Ozkul)
 
June 23, 5-6 p.m., Coffee Meeting. For more information, contact cbenninghoff@usf.edu

Sept. 25, 4-6 p.m., Meet the Employer. For more information, contact elaines@usf.edu


Oct. 26, the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability will hold its grand opening, at the Muma College of Business. Watch for times and details. 

After working on this over the past semester, we finally have a Supply Chain Innovation Lab website located under the Monica Wooden Center website.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Irem Yuksel, who supported Seckin Ozkul, the director of the lab) in a research project that took place in the Supply Chain Innovation Lab. She is also a part of the first Masters of Science in Supply Chain Management cohort graduating next month.

Yuksel is working her first supply chain internship with Touchpoint Medical this summer. Here's our conversation:

Q. What were the challenges you faced in your quest for an internship?
A. I think one of the primary challenges was being an F-1 student because employers are in general encouraged to hire U.S. citizens. With the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, another challenge was that some companies stopped offering internship programs. Lastly, employers place importance on previous experience, so it was difficult to find an internship as someone who does not have many experiences in the field but eager to learn.
Q. How did supporting the Supply Chain Innovation Lab prepare you for your internship?
A. The Supply Chain Innovation Lab is a great place to grow research partnerships between the industry and academics. I had the opportunity to work in a project for Jabil’s Digital Supply Chain Transformation and this experience helped me to evaluate and understand the current capabilities and needs of the industry. While the research and studies we did in the classes were a little more abstract, I saw the real-life applications of the work we do in the SCI Lab. It was a fulfilling process and helped me to realize my potential. Overall, I have learned many important skills for my future career.
Q. How did the Supply Chain Management Graduate Program prepare you for your internship?
A. Enrolling in the master's degree program in supply chain management was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. The program aims to equip future supply chain leaders with up-to-date tools, leadership skill, and an expanded, network of business colleagues. For instance, I learned the basics of SAP, MercuryGate TMS, Datex WMS, Microsoft Visio, Tableau and many more. In addition, I have a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. All of these have strengthened my résumé, and made me a better and more qualified candidate in the eyes of employers.
Q. What do you want to achieve during your internship?
A. The most important thing I want to achieve with this internship is to gain hands-on experience. In addition, I would like to learn from experience which area I am most interested in with a comprehensive exposure to all facets of supply chain management.

Connect with Yuksel on LinkedIn.
 
The Ozkul Report

We have an Seckin Ozkul update: “As you are aware, we have been observing some additional product shortages lately ranging from lumber to gas to chicken to cat food … I recently was interviewed by ABC Action News on that topic." To view the interview, click here.

Our graduate assistant, Claire Benninghoff, wants to know what you think after reading and/or viewing the interview. Send answers to the following questions to cbenninghoff@usf.edu to be featured in our July newsletter:

  • What are the top three products consumers will pay for no matter the price increase?
  • What industry do you think suffers the most due to workforce shortages?
  • What do you think has more impact on price increases: inflation due to stimulus checks and pandemic bankruptcy loans or workforce shortages? 
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. 
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