“The new center will support the school’s strategic initiatives and will provide a forum for exchanging cutting-edge ideas between Pitt faculty and industry professionals," said interim director Prakash Mirchandani, a Katz professor of business administration in the business analytics and operations faculty area. "Students will benefit from an expanded set of programs and greater opportunities for developing networks with the industry. I am excited by the launch of the new center at Pitt and for the potential it holds.”

The new center will be dedicated to the study of critical issues relating to global supply chain management. The cross-disciplinary center will draw on complementary topics from across the school and the university. It will provide student and faculty interactions with industry representatives, oversee student experience-based learning activities in supply chain management courses, and generate intellectual leadership in this area at Katz. Designed as an interdisciplinary unit, the center will bring together faculty in fields such as operations, information technology, strategy, accounting, and engineering. The interdisciplinary nature of the center is designed to leverage the synergistic role that these fields play in modern supply chains.