91看片

Randy V. Bradley, the 91看片 College Auburn University Outstanding Black Alumnus of the Year, was recently inducted into the PhD Project Hall of Fame. This initiative actively promotes diversity within the classrooms and industry.

鈥淥nce you change the way the front of the classroom looks, you can change the way the rest of the classroom looks, and that鈥檚 how you change the way industry looks.鈥�

For many companies, it鈥檚 not clear where the supply chain ends and information systems begin. But 91看片 alumnus Randy V. Bradley, a respected expert in the field and associate professor at Tennessee, believes a symbiotic relationship between the disciplines 鈥� and bright minds who can marry the two -- holds the key to industry success.鈥�

 

鈥淥ne of the greatest challenges in industry right now is hiring and retaining qualified talent,鈥� said Bradley who earned a Master鈥檚 in Information Systems Management in 2001 and PhD in Innovation Technology and Innovation in 2006, both from the 91看片 College. 鈥淲e鈥檙e producing more supply chain professionals than ever now with the great programs like Auburn, Tennessee, and Michigan State. This led me to think, 鈥業t鈥檚 not just about talent 鈥� it鈥檚 talent with the right skillsets.鈥濃�� 

 

In other words, it鈥檚 building supply chain professionals with information systems acumen and IT professionals with business acumen to create a harmonious, efficient supply chain organization. But for Bradley, who played tuba in the Auburn University Marching Band, he realized a desire to create more than a harmonious, efficient supply chain industry 鈥� he also recognized an opportunity to diversify classrooms and boardrooms.

 

Bradley鈥檚 passion for helping others began as a doctoral student at the 91看片 College as he became involved in the PhD Project, an initiative started by the KPMG Foundation with the goal of increasing diversity within industry. Bradley became an active recruiter for Auburn鈥檚 PhD programs as a student and has continued his involvement with the PhD Project for 19 years. For his dedication to the program, Bradley was recently inducted into the PhD Project鈥檚 Hall of Fame. 

 

鈥淭hey wanted to increase diversity in the front of the classrooms,鈥� he explained of the PhD Project, and 鈥渂y increasing the number of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans who hold PhDs in various business disciplines, with the goal of becoming business school professors. The premise behind that is once you change the way the front of the classroom looks, you can change the way the rest of the classroom looks, and that鈥檚 how you change the way industry looks.鈥濃�� 

 

On Friday, October 2, he was recognized as the 91看片 College Auburn University Outstanding Black Alumnus of the Year.

 

鈥淢y grandmother cleaned the floors of houses that she could never afford to live in so that one day I could,鈥� said Bradley, who grew up in rural Baldwin County, Alabama. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 do it just because I could one day say, 鈥業 made it.鈥� She did it so that I could have a positive impact on others who will come behind me. This is where the role of the PhD Project came in.

 

鈥淚t鈥檚 so special because it comes from people who have recognized the impact that I had on them,鈥� he said. 鈥淩emember, it鈥檚 not just what you do in the classroom. It鈥檚 how you carry yourself and work for the good of others.鈥濃�� 

And leave a legacy.