S4E2: The Future of UT SCM Education with Dr. Yemisi Bolumole

In this holiday-season episode, co-hosts Ted Stank and Tom Goldsby sit down with Dr. Yemisi Bolumole, the incoming head of the Department of Supply Chain Management, to explore how the University of Tennessee’s supply chain program balances academic rigor with real-world relevance.

Yem and the hosts discuss the program’s evolution from its transportation roots to a comprehensive end-to-end supply chain focus, the opportunities and responsibilities that come with rapid growth, and what success looks like for students, employers, and the broader Tennessee economy. With roughly 1,800 undergraduates, about 450 graduates each year, and several hundred master’s and PhD students, UT’s SCM talent engine serves a wide range of stakeholders and career paths in logistics, planning, procurement, and operations.

The conversation also highlights the Transportation and Logistics Collaborative (TLC) within the Global Supply Chain Institute—connecting industry, government, and academia to anticipate policy shifts, guide mobility initiatives, and translate research into practice. Yem shares examples of partnerships in warehousing automation, mobility policy, and cross-campus collaborations, and emphasizes that AI is best understood as an “accelerant”—a force that speeds up insight and execution while still relying on human judgment, ethics, and domain expertise.

Recorded with candor and clarity, this episode offers a grounded look at how universities can protect their heritage, expand their scope, and move faster from insight to impact.

Text the Tennessee on Supply Chain Management team!