“If you look at any type of logistics business, there’s an agricultural component,” says Strong. “The leather for shoes, the cotton for the garment district, produce for markets – it goes on and on. That’s why we wanted to develop this program because no other university in Southern California meets this need with a concentration in the business major.”

Strong refers to the fact that few, if any, universities in Southern California offers a bachelor’s program focused on this discipline. That is, until the CBAPP program gets underway. Debuting this year as a concentration within the Management and Marketing Department, the plan is for the undergraduate program to be divided into four separate tracks. Students will select a track based on their interests in systems, analysis, management, or international business. A new course, “Transportation in a Global Environment,” will be developed during the fall to be offered in the spring. The courses, “Logistics Management” and “Supply Chain Management” will be updated to reflect the dynamic changes in the industry. There will be a significant agribusiness component folded into the concentration.

To support the course backbone, students will complete a paid internship – through grant funds – within the field and will be eligible for two, $25,000 fellowships that will be given to deserving students who plan to pursue graduate degrees in a related field. In addition, the grant will fund 10, $3,000 scholarships for students entering the program from Phineas Banning High School’s International Trade Academy and six regional feeder community colleges. Students will also get the opportunity to attend and present papers at industry conferences, and the grant also provides money to hire adjunct faculty to teach the new courses in the program and help coordinate it alongside Strong and Leslie Patterson, director of development. Patterson worked on the grant proposal with Ray Riznyk, director of research and funded projects, who first discovered the grant opportunity and brought it to CBAPP’s attention. Hamid Pourmohamaddi just joined the College from the University of Southern California to develop the courses.

As a Hispanic Serving Institution, CBAPP will recruit Hispanic students, who are underrepresented as college students, into the program. The relationship with the Banning International Trade Academy and the community colleges gives CBAPP a leg up in attracting deserving students. Patterson and Strong sought out the partnership with Banning after attending an “Internship Graduation” last September where Academy students gave testimonials of what the Academy program and summer internship had meant to them.

“One girl got up and said, ‘Before this, I never thought I was smart,’ and she started crying because the program had empowered her so much,” says Patterson. “That’s the kind of empowerment we want to be a part of and this logistics program can continue that by giving those same students an education that they can take back into their communities as professionals. It’s the perfect circle.”

To help complete that circle, Carolyn Harris, internship program director, will help students find internships at regional businesses to give them the tools and a foot in the door into the industry. Already, CBAPP’s close relationship with the regional business community has led to pledges of participation from Noble Distribution, The Carson Companies, Guy Fox & Associates, and the Port of Los Angeles.

While the grant is only funded for two years, Strong is clear that the program will not disappear after two years. “This provided the seed money we needed to get a program like this running. The grant may end, but the program will continue. It’s here to stay,” he says.