An alumni couple has donated $25,000 to the College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University to assist with operating costs of the school’s new Supply Chain Management program, which will be open to students in the fall of 2014.
James R. Lynch, a 1984 business administration graduate, and his wife, Lisa, a 1983 graduate of the then-College of Human Resources and Education, have established the Lynch Supply Chain Enrichment Fund, which will provide support for the new Supply Chain Management program in the WVU College of Business and Economics. The gift will cover costs such as travel to national and international conferences, provide dedicated summer research support and the purchase of databases.
Lynch has served 30 years in supply chain for PepsiCo and is chairman of the B&E Supply Chain Advisory Board. He is currently the senior vice president of supply chain PepsiCo Americas Beverages, where he is responsible for all manufacturing, logistics, engineering, planning and commercialization for PepsiCo Americas Beverages.
“Supply chain knowledge and expertise is becoming a tremendous value creator for businesses globally,” said Lynch. “As you start up a new program, it’s critical that the proper funding is in place. A discipline like supply chain is so critical for the school moving forward. Having spent 30 years in supply chain, I felt that it would be good for the school and the students to have this discipline. I consider this gift a wise investment.”
Jose “Zito” Sartarelli, B&E Milan Puskar Dean, said the curriculum supports the world business environment, where companies make their products and move them to where customers are.
“The supply chain management program is an important component to the future growth of the College of Business and Economics,” said Sartarelli. “We now live in a world where the production and movement of goods to customers is expected in a shorter, more efficient time frame than ever before. To have the infrastructure in place to teach that and to create high level supply chain managers at B&E is critical, as there is an incredible demand for people with these skills.”
This contribution will compliment previous gifts to support the supply chain program by the Wherle family (professorship) and the Graney family (scholarship).
The contribution was made through the Foundation’s A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia University, the largest private fund-raising campaign in WVU’s history.
For further information on the WVU College of Business and Economics, please visit be.wvu.edu.
-WVU-
rn/06/19/14
CONTACT: Patrick Gregg, WVU College of Business and Economics
304.293.5131, Patrick.Gregg@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.