UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Supply Chain Management Program has partnered with Penn State Smeal College of Business Supply Chain and Information Systems to grant an MIT Supply Chain Excellence Award to the most outstanding graduating senior in the supply chain program.

The award, which grants a tuition scholarship for the student’s use toward the MIT Supply Chain Management Master’s Degree Program, has been granted to three Penn State students this year: Courtney Quisenberry, Lindsey Joyce and Samantha Jarmul.

“We sent MIT three applicants this year, and MIT was so impressed that all three students were offered scholarships,” said Bob Novack, associate professor of supply chain and information systems. “That speaks volumes about the quality of our students here at Penn State.”

According to Novack, this is the only partnership of this kind in MIT’s Supply Chain Management Program. MIT does not have an undergraduate program in supply chain, but their Supply Chain Management Program is the top-rated supply chain graduate program in the country.

“MIT understands how incredibly qualified our supply chain students are, and they want to create a feeder system into their graduate-level program from Penn State,” said Novack.

Next year’s applications will open to supply chain seniors in January. Scholarship recipients are expected to spend two to five years in the workforce before joining the MIT graduate program.

The MIT Supply Chain Management Program is a 10-month study program designed for early career supply chain professionals that includes coursework, a company-sponsored project and international travel.