SCTL Recognized for Innovation in Education by ITE
September 1, 2021 //
September 1, 2021 — Congratulations to the University of Washington Online Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics (SCTL) program for receiving the Institute of Transportation Engineers 2021 Innovation in Education Award. This award seeks to advance innovation in transportation education by recognizing an individual, college/university department, or organization/learning institution that has implemented an innovative technique or program to attract, develop, and/or retrain transportation professionals. Anne Goodchild, Director, SCTL Center, leads the University of Washington’s academic and research efforts in the area of supply chain, logistics, and freight transportation. She is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and serves as Founding Director of both the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics online Master’s degree program and the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center.
Since 2013, the SCTL has delivered a leading-edge online learning experience for over 250 students currently working in the supply chain and logistics industries. The two-year, part-time program employs an innovative delivery model that combines the high-touch experience of an in-person graduate program with the convenience of an online program designed for working professionals. It begins with an on-campus ResidencyWeek, where students meet other members of their cohort, the program’s Advisory Board, faculty, alumni, and current students. During the Residency Week students complete an introductory course, while also building the inter-personal relationships that will allow them succeed academically and professionally. The SCTL program fills a gap in supply chain education— providing focused training on transportation and logistics. It remains the only program with this emphasis. This program brings together students working in both the shipper and carrier side of transportation and educates students about their role in the larger transportation system.
Upon receiving the award Anne said: “We are thrilled to receive this recognition, and I’d like to thank ITE for their continued efforts to support Transportation Engineering. It is particularly gratifying to be recognized for this work, as it reflects about a decade of commitment on behalf of the entire team. Out of a desire to serve our students and deliver the best program possible, we’ve worked to understand the needs of industry by engaging with our Advisory Board, find the best and most committed instructors we could, and listen carefully to our students and alumni. We’ve taken an ambitious approach where we use technology to open doors and improve the experience, but never to replace the essential nature of personal relationships and never lose sight of the students we are serving.”
The program was specifically designed to combine the flexibility of online learning with the real-time interactions available in a physical classroom. Students watch asynchronous lectures delivered by professors and complete readings, assignments, and group projects prior to the program’s two-hour weekly live online class sessions. The live sessions provide a truly interactive environment where students ask questions, share their experiences, and work on solving real-world problems in breakout groups before returning to present to the class. Student teams work one-on-one with a professor to scope the project, devise a realistic solution, identify the resources required to address it, create an implementation plan, and develop a financial analysis to demonstrate the initiative’s value. Students present to panels comprised of members of the program’s Advisory Board—senior executives from Amazon, Boeing, Nordstrom, Microsoft, Costco, and well as CEOs of innovative early-stage supply chain technology companies.
The program’s faculty includes both UW faculty as well as highly experienced practitioners in their respective fields. The faculty consists of former CEOs, seasoned supply chain and logistics consultants, VPs of supply chain and logistics, mergers & acquisitions executives, and successful serial entrepreneurs. The SCTL faculty is committed to student success both inside and outside the classroom. Outside the formal structure of the program, instructors give advice to student job-seekers, review their resumes, and make networking introductions to help open professional doors for SCTL students. The SCTL program’s 22 Advisory Board members are particularly committed to the program’s success. They provide input to be sure the curriculum is tightly aligned with current industry needs, they act as mentors for the program’s 2nd year students, and they participate in various student and alumni events.
The SCTL Master’s program is housed at the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center, the go-to place to analyze and solve urban goods delivery, sustainability, logistic hubs and ports, and freight system performance management problems that overlay private and public spaces and control. The Center’s work integrates in-depth consultation with industry and the public sector, transformative research, and executive education, and serves the powerful nexus of industry, transportation infrastructure, and policymakers.
Professional Development & Student Success
As a two-year program, the SCTL program has two cohorts at any one time, with 30 students in each. To date the program has graduated almost 200 students.
The program surveys its graduates 3-5 years from when they graduate to obtain real-world metrics about student success. A few key metrics from 2015–2018 graduates include the following highlights:
- 86% assumed a more senior role
- 51% has a salary increase of >20%
- 80% earned more than $100,000 per year
- 20% earned more than $200,000 per year
Anne would like to recognize the following team members for the contributions to the ongoing success of the program: Bill Keough, Director of Program Operations, SCTL MS, Jennifer Ross, Program Advisor, SCTL MS, and Katie Ward, Public Information Specialist, SCTL MS.
About ITE: Founded in 1930, ITE is a community of transportation professionals including transportation engineers, transportation planners, consultants, educators, technologists, and researchers. Thr ough meetings, seminars, publications, and a network of more than 16,000 members working in 78 countries, ITE connects members to a world of ideas, people, and resources. The Institute of Transportation Engineers’ (ITE) international awards program honors outstanding achievement in transportation and distinguished service to ITE. The awards bestow international recognition upon the recipients and increase the public’s awareness of the role and responsibilities of the transportation professional. For more information, visit www.ite.org.
About the Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics degree program: A work-compatible hybrid online program, the Master of Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics (MSCTL) degree is designed to enable early- and mid-career professionals to advance in their careers. Our innovative curriculum provides students with a 360-degree view of all aspects of supply chain and logistics — facility design, inventory management, data analysis, risk, IT systems, business strategy, freight transport, and performance management — so students graduate ready to make evidence-based decisions and navigate complex real-world problems.