University Park, Pa. -- Penn State Executive Programs, part of the Smeal College of Business, has partnered with the Defense Department's U.S. Army Logistics Management College (ALMC) to offer military personnel the opportunity to earn a Certificate in Supply Chain Management.
Under this new agreement, members of the U.S. armed forces will earn a supply chain certificate after completing the "Fundamentals of Defense Supply Chain Management" course offered by ALMC and two more courses at Penn State. The ALMC course fulfills the requirements of a third course offered by Penn State Executive Programs that is regularly needed to earn the certificate.
"The course at ALMC has already received rave reviews from participating Department of Defense (DoD) students," said Col. Shelley A. Richardson, commandant of ALMC. "The prospect of continuing their education in supply chain management at Penn State and earning a certificate will make the course even more significant and appealing to senior supply chain managers and logisticians throughout DoD.
"We look forward to a long-term partnership with Penn State in educating our nation's military logisticians and applying best practices in supply chain management currently utilized by private industry to enhance support to the war fighters in the field," she said.
Pat Cataldo, Smeal's associate dean for executive education, visited the Army's School of Logistics Science in October to determine if its course met the requirements for the supply chain certificate.
"The ALMC course is a good fit for our certificate program," Cataldo said. "We're honored to partner with ALMC and offer this additional opportunity to the men and women serving our country."
A Certificate in Supply Chain Management and a Certificate in Supply Chain Leadership are offered by Penn State's Center for Supply Chain Research in conjunction with Penn State Executive Programs. The center was founded in 1989 and has since become one of the nation's leading institutes dedicated to supply chain management research and education.
"Earning a supply chain certificate from Penn State is an excellent way for individuals to show commitment to lifelong learning," says William "Skip" Grenoble, executive director of the Center for Supply Chain Research.
Penn State Executive Programs has been serving the development needs of the world's business leaders since 1954, providing both open-enrollment and custom programs. Nearly 36,000 executives from 43 different nations have participated in programs on topics ranging from strategic leadership to supply chain management.
ALMC was established in 1954 with the mission to conduct a 12-week Army supply management course. As one of three U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command colleges, it develops and presents education programs in logistics science, management science, and acquisition management to personnel of the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, and foreign governments. The college graduates nearly 30,000 students annually.
More information on the supply chain certificate program is available at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/sccert.html