UNK's Greg Benson and Ngan Chau, the Perfect Blend of Reality and Research, Are Making a Difference in the Field of Supply Chain Management

Imagine getting to experience your future profession before interviewing for your first job. Thanks to the creative minds of UNK’s dynamic duo, Dr. Greg Benson and Dr. Ngan Chau, students in the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Program will graduate with more than just a degree. With the combined knowledge these two professors share, students gain an understanding of the delicate balance between research and real-world experience and how to apply that balance to the reality of working in the supply chain management field.

Benson, who brought nearly thirty years of work experience in the private sector with him when he first became part of UNK’s faculty, and Chau, whose multiple degrees have given her extensive knowledge about marketing and supply chain management, have turned SCM classrooms into more than just a place to learn from lectures. These two professors truly complement each other with a relationship that has blossomed into an innovative collaboration for their students and the supply chain management industry. At their first meeting, Chau was amazed to discover that “talking to Greg completely opened (her) mind’ because he was able to share the human side of what she had studied as she earned her degrees. With Benson’s background working for a Fortune 100 company, he was able to explain to her how he had been frustrated by the lack of knowledge from new hires who had recently graduated from college. This knowledge has helped her convey to her students that all answers aren’t found in a textbook. Likewise, Chau’s ability to take concrete issues and turn them into measurable problems which can be answered was a real eye-opener for her colleague. It didn’t take long for the two of them to realize there was a lot they could learn from each other. In addition to conducting research and publishing academic articles together, they have created lessons and activities to encourage their students to successfully meet the needs of the evolving field of supply chain management.

UNK’s SCM program, one of the first in the nation, uniquely prepares students for the workplace. Whether students are on a bus traveling around Nebraska to tour companies or participating in required summer internships, Benson and Chau go the extra mile for them. As Benson admits, he “kind of (has) his dad hat on” while helping his students graduate with the skills he knows they will need. He makes sure these internship opportunities are with companies that will expose UNK’s students to at least two or three areas in the SCM field, ensuring they enter their fall semester prepared to finish their college career. Suddenly what is being taught in the classroom makes complete sense to them because, thanks to the ideas of their professors, they have had the chance to work side-by-side with their future colleagues.

The benefits for these students extend beyond the classroom and opportunities offered to them through field trips and internships. Through the creation of the SCM Business Center, a cutting-edge idea responsible for the Innovation in Business and Education Award Benson won in 2017 from MidAmerica Business Deans Association, students are paid to work in their future field before they earn a college degree. After completing a summer internship, students return to campus and continue working with their host company. The SCM Business Center, with four workstations equipped with computers, phones, and printers, gives students a location to complete this work. The university even pays their salary. These billable hours, 8,000 to date, are then paid back by the various companies these UNK students work for. This idea of virtual work, which was not commonplace in our pre-pandemic world when the SCM Business Center was first opened, was an innovative solution thought of by Benson after he was approached by companies requesting a way for students to continue working for them once their internship ended.

Case studies are another way Benson and Chau prepare their students for their future in the supply chain management field. This six-step academic endeavor begins with finding out the needs of companies who will be hiring future UNK graduates. Benson first develops cases for students to discuss before proposing and implementing solutions. Through the opportunity to extensively work with real-life scenarios and collaborate with judges in the industry field, these students put into practice what they are learning in the classroom.

In addition to exposure to a wide variety of companies who participate in UNK-sponsored career fairs, students have the opportunity to be part of the SCM Leadership Team. This is a place where they can discuss activities with one of the primary goals being students recruiting other students. Since female students are specifically in high demand from companies, Benson has worked for the past four years to create Women in SCM. This collaboration between a mentor who is a successful industry leader and a student who is willing to be mentored is a program designed to use meaningful discussions to encourage females to enter the supply chain management field.

Another program of importance is Champions of SCM Excellence. It provides opportunities for companies to offer support to students who will potentially one day become their employees. These companies, of which there were ten this past year, donate $4,000 each to the SCM program at UNK. Half of this money is set aside for scholarships while the rest is used for activities such as field trips or recruitment scholarships. This type of financial support is crucial to UNK’s SCM program which helps manage the talent pipeline in Central Nebraska.

When Benson tells incoming freshmen to expect multiple job offers upon graduation, he’s not joking. In fact, the placement rate has been 100% since the first graduate of UNK’s SCM program. Not only do these students have professors who coach and advise them, but they benefit from the collaboration with the industry they will one day be a part of it. The importance of this connection with industry cannot be understated. According to Benson, “If it wasn’t for the industry participation, I think we’d be just another program.” Students at UNK can rest assured they are receiving the absolute best education in the field of supply chain management. Chau, a recent MIT graduate, was thrilled to see first-hand that UNK’s undergraduate program was very similar to MIT’s graduate program. She states that she “was so very proud of our program” while completing her studies at MIT.

What Benson started back in 2014 when he took over the direction of the SCM program at UNK continues today with the collaboration he has fostered with Chau. Their work, whether it’s research, academic writing, or work with students, has had and will continue to have a positive impact on the workforce in Nebraska and beyond.