Date: Dec. 4, 2000
Rik Somerville of Superior and Filip Capka of Prague, Czech Republic, will be the first students to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Superior's program in Transportation and Logistics Management.
The December 2000 graduates have completed a wide range of business coursework, with emphasis on a new slate of courses focusing on topics such as air, land and marine transportation, logistics and supply chain management, and port and terminal management.
"Rik and Filip made the best use of the wonderful transportation and logistics resources in our region and helped blaze the trail for those students who are following," said Dr. Richard Stewart, associate professor of transportation and director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center at UW-Superior. "These exceptional graduates are the first examples of how an academic and community partnership can create quality higher education."
In addition to their coursework, both students have gained real-life experience through internships.
Somerville held a 13-week internship with Dart Transit Co. in Eagan, Minn., "My basic responsibilities included managing my assigned accounts through direct contact with Dart Transit drivers, outside trucking companies, railroad companies, and my respective customers to coordinate the actions necessary to assure that the customers' expectations were satisfied," he said.
Capka spent his last semester working for Ford Motor Co.'s Visteon Automotive Systems in Plymouth, Mich. "I am doing inbound logistics," he said midway through his internship. "In the beginning of my Internship I was responsible only for a few things, but now I'm responsible for all the raw materials and aluminum operations purchase parts being shipped to this plant. It's a big plant producing automotive parts, so the responsibility I am facing is very extensive."
UW-Superior launched the Transportation and Logistics Management program in 1998 in response to growing industry need for people trained in managing the movement of goods and providing transportation services. Along with offering an undergraduate degree, the program also provides courses and seminars for people currently employed in transportation or logistics.
Stewart, who joined UW-Superior in 1999 to teach transportation courses, has worked hard to make the program visible among students and employers. He has gained widespread support from industry, including a panel of local and regional transportation executives that provides advice and guidance for the program.
The program has 21 majors this semester, putting it well ahead of its projected rate of growth. Students enrolling in the program are finding numerous offers of internships and jobs.
Somerville and Capka said they are looking forward to putting their degrees to work. "The market is hungry for logistics professionals," Capka said. "No problem getting a great job."