Richard Tarpey, Assistant Professor of Management at Middle Tennessee State University
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – As the world of transportation and logistics influences and guides economies on a global scale, Middle Tennessee State University has opened a new center to enhance its growing supply chain management degree programs and deepen partnerships with business and industry through research and collaboration.
Under the leadership of Assistant Professor Richard Tarpey, who will also serve as director, the new Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability at the Jones College of Business opened on August 1, with its own space in the Business and Aerospace Building.
“This center will serve as a hub for knowledge, collaboration and experiential learning, placing the Jones College of Business at the forefront of supply chain education, research and industry engagement,” said Tarpey, who will be joined by several supply chain management faculty members, including Senali Amarasuriya, Bukola Bakare, R. Bryan Kethley, Curtis Sawyer, Cliff Welborn and Jinfeng Yue.
Tarpey said the center’s mission is to promote excellence in supply chain management and support sustainability through education, research and collaboration, serving MTSU students, faculty and industry partners.
The vision is to become a nationally recognized hub for innovative supply chain and sustainability solutions, educate the supply chain leaders of tomorrow, and serve the industries of Middle Tennessee.
“The Jones College of Business is proud to be home to the newly created Supply Chain and Sustainability Center,” said Dean Joyce Heames. “The center is important because it will highlight the need for education/training, jobs and research while providing visibility to a growing and important economic sector.”
Growing interest from students and industry – MTSU’s Management Department introduced the Bachelor’s degree program in Supply Chain Management in 2021 after student interest in the program grew steadily over several years. So much so that two years ago, the department introduced a Master’s degree program to meet not only student demand but also industry demand.
The Supply Chain undergraduate and graduate programs have grown at an impressive rate since their launch. Fall 2023 undergraduate program enrollment increased 47% to 113 students compared to the 2022-23 academic year. The master’s program grew 64% to 40 students during the same period.
The supply chain industry in the Middle Tennessee region also continues to grow. O*Net Online estimates that over 14,000 supply chain manager positions and over 24,000 logistics analyst positions will open in the next eight years. Starting salaries range from $55,000 to $75,000.
This spring, the program hosted its third Midsouth Supply Chain Summit on campus, attracting a record number of students, alumni, faculty and industry partners who listened to guest industry speakers, attended supply chain sessions and panel discussions, and participated in networking events.
“We have over 75 industry partners that collaborate with our programs in some way, whether it’s guest speaking, attending our events, hosting brown bags and more,” Tarpey said. “So we have a lot of opportunities to engage students.”
