Dispatch From the Director: The Importance of a Name
Starting this month, The Institute formally called The Transportation Institute will be changed to: “The Transportation & Supply Chain Institute at The University of Denver.”
For over 20 years, this institute has provided thought leadership and superlative academic excellence in the building of tomorrow’s leaders in our field. In 2001, it began as the “Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver.” Over time, as our curriculum changed in terms of breadth and depth, the name was not entirely reflective of what we were teaching in terms of subject matter and industry focus. So, we confronted that reality, and in 2016 our Board of Directors recommended a name change to The Transportation Institute. It was felt that this name had better precision and better reflected what we did as an academic organization.
Since then, we have continued to evolve our curriculum toward additional content in global economics, legal concerns, the essentials of sales, inventory and operations planning, and a host of other content all fitting within the realm of global transportation and supply chain management.
Such changes are an important piece of the institute’s living history. Board of Directors Chair Steve Rhode commented on this idea, saying, “This institute has a proud history of evolving in ways that effectively capture the ever-changing nature of the transportation and supply chain industries and translate those changes into meaningful, relevant education.”
It might not seem too significant to add a couple of words. Consider though that in the last several years, the whole of society has been exposed to the true value proposition of transportation and supply chain in the tactical and strategic support of the world in which we live. The logistically connected nature of the world can be thought of as the circulatory system that keeps our economy thriving and growing.
For this reason, we are excited to announce the formal change of our name to:
“The Transportation and Supply Chain Institute at the University of Denver”
My colleague, University College Dean Michael McGuire said of the change, “At DU and the Transportation Institute, we are committed to education based on current industry needs and practice. It is important the name of the institute reflect that commitment, and so this new name is a welcome change.”
We remain dedicated to the focus on transportation operations and advanced supply chain theory and practice. It is essential that we move students through our program with a complete and current curriculum that produces the kind of expertise needed to keep this world moving forward.
The name change became effective on September 9, 2021. Watch for the new logo on our website!