Operations and Supply Chain Management
NSU OPERATIONS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE TO ADDRESS OKLAHOMA EMPLOYMENT NEEDS
(Tahlequah, Oklahoma) — Northeastern State University is expanding its educational offerings in Operations and Supply Chain Management to better prepare individuals in meeting the ever-growing demand for well-trained and knowledgeable workers in the industry in this area of expertise.
“Supply chain management refers to the management of activities, processes and operations that facilitate the flow of goods, services, money and information that facilitates all commerce,” NSU Supply Chain Management (SCM) Program Coordinator Dr. Nayyer (Nick) Naseem said.
He added that the importance and utility of this recession proof and expanding field cannot be underscored more in the context of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic to get the stores and people the supplies they needed.
Naseem said with the Tulsa Metro area becoming a hub of distribution, there is a huge demand for people trained in Operations and SCM area and institutional support in offering short-term programs to help meet this demand. In addition, “many people who are already working in the field require an institutional qualification to grow in their careers,” Naseem said.
NSU’s new Operations and Supply Chain Management certificate is an excellent option for people to take advantage of these growing opportunities and will help meet workforce demands in this discipline within the State of Oklahoma, quickly.
The certificate can be completed in about six months and there is no pre-requisite requirement to enroll, except to have a high school diploma.
The university’s commitment in providing experiential learning opportunities to its students will also be a part of this program.
Naseem said classroom conceptual learning will be supplemented by engaging with industry professionals, discussing business cases and taking field trips to local distribution facilities.
This certificate is being offered as an “embedded” program for NSU’s undergraduate degree in supply chain management, for those who might decide to pursue the same moving forward. In addition, the university also offers a graduate certificate in operations leadership.
A Leading Voice
In partnership with Premier Logistics, NSU’s Supply Chain Management and Environmental, Health and Safety programs received a $100,000 state grant to promote careers in these fields.
“The money is planned to be spent on providing additional learning resources to the students such as creating a professional certifications (APICS) resource center, promoting professional memberships (ASCM/CSCMP), OSHA training, organizing facility visits and advanced training/certification of the program faculty,” Naseem said.
Initiated by the Dean of the College of Business & Technology, Dr. Janet Buzzard, NSU also plans to host a national level Supply Chain Management conference at their Broken Arrow campus next summer in 2022, which will bring together people from the industry, government, professional organizations, state chambers, institutions and local students. This conference was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Naseem said.
To learn more about NSU’s degree and certificate offerings in operations and supply chain management contact Dr. Nayyer (Nick) Naseem at naseemn@nsuok.edu or Dr. Arun Madapusi at madapusi@nsuok.edu.