Mission & Values

For over three decades, the Penn State Smeal Center for Supply Chain Research (CSCR) has built a community of researchers and leading organizations in both the private and public sectors. We are excited to build upon the current mission of serving as a leader in supply chain education and research, making meaningful impacts by:

  • Providing an unmatched, distinguished center of excellence.
  • Bridging higher education learning with industry.
  • Building the pillars of supply chain research, innovation, and world-class knowledge.
  • Fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between students, alumni, patrons, and faculty.

"Smeal has a long, storied history of conducting leading-edge research in logistics and supply chain. Our best-in-class Center for Supply Chain Research has set the standard for fostering impactful collaboration between industry and academia. Under Donna Palumbo’s visionary leadership, CSCR is charting a bold path for the future of supply chain by leveraging our corporate relationships to identify, research and offer solutions to the challenges in this critical, evolving field."

Corey Phelps
John and Karen Arnold Dean, Smeal College of Business
Penn State University

CSCR is committed to upholding the Penn State Values and the Smeal Honor Code. In addition, we strive to uphold to our own set of values which include:

  • Humility: We believe self-awareness and self-improvement are crucial catalysts for both career and individual growth.
  • Lifetime Partnership: We aim to serve not only as a resource for you in the present, but also as a lifetime partner for future collaborations.
  • Thought Leadership: We support our students, alumni, industry partners, and faculty as they lead, to inspire, and serve as an invaluable resource for the supply chain industry.
  • Lifelong Learning: We embrace a lifelong learning mindset and provide engaging learning opportunities for our community.
  • Inclusive Diversity: We commit to being as inclusive as possible and open to diverse opinions in order for better research, more informed leadership, and the betterment of our center.
  • Evolving Expertise: We know that adaptability is vital to our executive learning programs and courses.
  • Receptive Listening: We respect the needs and goals of our students, alumni, supporters, and faculty.