A new $35 million NASPO partnership will reshape supply chain education at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business. Photo courtesy W.P. Carey School of Business
Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business has received a transformative $35 million gift from the National Association of State Procurement Officials, the school announced today (November 13). It is one of the largest gifts ever made to a business-school supply chain program.
The investment will fund new faculty positions, student scholarships, research initiatives, and facilities — further solidifying highly ranked ASU’s reputation as a global leader in procurement, logistics, operations, and supply chain education.
“This is a very significant, in many ways historic, gift,” says Ohad Kadan, Charles J. Robel Dean and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair in Business. “We’re very proud and excited – and it’s going to be big.”
A LANDMARK INVESTMENT
ASU Carey Dean Ohad Kadan: “This is the second eight-figure gift we’ve received during my three-plus years as dean. We rely on such partnerships with institutions that share our values and our spirit of innovation.” Photo: Autumn issue of W. P. Carey Magazine.
Kadan says the gift underscores the strategic importance of supply chain management at a time of rapid economic and technological change.
“Our supply chain department is really highly regarded and highly ranked,” he tells Poets&Quants. “Our programs in supply chain – if you look at U.S. News – are consistently top three, both undergrad and grad. It’s been a very strong department for many years and definitely one of the strong departments within the school.”
He notes that Phoenix itself has become a center for innovation and infrastructure investment, from semiconductor manufacturing to AI-driven technology supply chains.
“Phoenix is now the fifth largest city in the United States,” Kadan says. “It’s becoming a crossroads of innovation with semiconductor investment and manufacturing moving here. Innovation, supply chains, logistics, and procurement are all critical for the future of our nation and for the future of technology. We believe the W. P. Carey School – and particularly the supply chain department – has a major role to play.”
THE CORE OF THE GIFT
The NASPO gift creates and supports several major initiatives, including the Supply Chain Innovation, Technology & Infrastructure Initiative, a new hub for research and industry partnerships, and the Center for Responsible Supply Chain Management, dedicated to ethical and sustainable supply chains. It also funds three endowed chairs, four faculty fellowships, the NASPO Scholars Program for students, and a new Procurement and Behavioral Lab.
Professor Adegoke Oke, chair of ASU Carey’s Department of Supply Chain Management, says the impact of the gift extends from faculty to students to industry.
“Supply chain is at the core of everything we do – the movement of goods, services, and technologies,” Oke says. “It’s a global chain; hardly would you find a supply chain starting and ending in one country. This gift helps us build future leaders and advance education in tune with changing technologies. AI is very important now, and these new programs help our students compete in the age of AI.”
He adds that the philanthropic support also reinforces ASU’s long-standing mission of access. “This gift goes a long way. We align very closely with the donor in this area. It allows us to provide access to qualified students who would like to study supply chain.”
BUILDING RESPONSIBLE & TRANSPARENT SUPPLY CHAINS
ASU’s Adegoke Oke: “What does this mean for students? Imagine students who are well prepared – in addition to their internships – to work on real projects supervised by faculty.” Photo: W. P. Carey Magazine Spring 2021 issue
Oke says the Center for Responsible Supply Chain Management is first created two to three years ago and is now poised to expand significantly. “The idea is that supply chains should be managed in a responsible and ethical manner that supports the preservation of our environment and sustainability,” he says. “It’s about environmental and ethical sourcing – and about who produces the materials. Are they doing this in a socially responsible way?”
Consumers, he adds, are increasingly demanding transparency. He points to a past collaboration between Walmart and ASU on a sustainability index that lets shoppers scan a product to see its entire supply chain. “These are the types of projects we want to advance,” Oke says. “Consumers want to know that products are sustainably produced.”
The new Procurement and Behavioral Lab blends procurement innovation with psychology and digital technologies. “This lab focuses on innovation in procurement, as well as the intersection of such innovations with psychology,” Oke says. “Our donor has projects they would like us to work on in the procurement space – looking at different innovations. We take those projects and work on them in the lab. When we say ‘we,’ we actually mean our students. By working on those projects, they learn and become more in tune with what’s actually going on in practice.”
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE JOB MARKET
“What does this mean for students? Imagine students who are well prepared – in addition to their internships – to work on real projects supervised by faculty,” Oke says. “Organizations come with their problems, and teams of students actually work on them. They will be more than ready for the job market.”
Kadan adds that as the largest business school in the U.S., with more than 25,000 students, W. P. Carey is committed to balancing scale with academic quality. “If you look at the rankings, we are among public schools ranked very high,” he says. “We are able to be accessible and deliver rigorous programs at the same time. To do both, we need resources – scholarships for students, the best faculty, research support, and amazing staff.”
Kadan notes that ASU is recently ranked No. 17 in the world for research impact by The Financial Times. “Such philanthropic gifts are crucial to our ability to deliver on our mission,” he says. “This is the second eight-figure gift we’ve received during my three-plus years as dean. We rely on such partnerships with institutions that share our values and our spirit of innovation.”
He adds: “This gift emphasizes the role of technology and innovation and infrastructure and responsibility in supply chains. We are trying to tie all these things together through education, research, scholarships, and innovation. It’s a partnership between a leading public business school and a leading national nonprofit that is all about public procurement.”
The NASPO gift, says ASU President Michael M. Crow, marks a turning point for supply chain education and for ASU’s role in it.
“This gift represents a visionary contribution in one of ASU’s most globally recognized programs,” he says. “It deepens our shared commitment to innovation, access, and impact – ensuring that supply chain management education continues to evolve in step with the challenges and opportunities of the modern world.”
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