The Executive Master's in International Logistics (EMIL) reached a milestone this spring when the members of its first class received their diplomas. After traveling the world together, the class of 2000 overwhelmingly gave the EMIL program an A+. The corporations they work for are equally pleased, so EMIL staff and constituents are moving forward with plans to enhance the program's curriculum.

EMIL was the brainchild of ISyE Professor John Vande Vate. Developed by staff and faculty of The Logistics Institute in the College of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, EMIL's mission is to help Fortune 500 companies face issues in global logistics. In the expanding economies of South America and Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe, the supply chain is often fragmented and challenged by an environment of outsourcing, lean inventories, and e-business. Eleven companies sponsored students in the first EMIL class, and these 24 individuals broadened their perspectives by visiting major corporate facilities on three continents.

Greg Easterlin, CIO and vice president of Supply Chain Management Worldwide for Millikin & Co., found the program stimulating and relevant. "I thought it offered a tremendous mixture of business logistics and supply chain management," he said. "The program was well rounded. It trained us to be business people as well as logisticians, so that we could communicate with the CEO and the CFO in financial terms to sell our projects."

Millikin was quick to implement newly learned techniques. "We made numerous changes in our organizational structure," said Easterlin. "Using the analytical tools we gained through EMIL, we found that the company had been predominantly an intuitive supply chain leader. We've now become more scientific and analytical. We would have never made these changes in the last 18 months had it not been for this program."

The Class of 2000 was impressive. Fifty percent of the students already had an MBA. Fifteen percent were vice presidents in their companies and 45 percent were directors. They averaged 16 years experience, much higher than the program required of participants, and their job responsibilities included operations, logistics, sales and marketing, material handling, supply chain strategy, distribution, IT, and project management. Most are being groomed for top management within their companies.

Feedback from students and faculty is motivating several changes in future classes. The Latin American residence, held in Atlanta, proved difficult to carry off effectively. In the future, that residence will consist of one week in Miami and one in Brazil, so that students can actually be immersed in the culture of Latin America.

To ensure that EMIL's curriculum remains vibrant and relevant, faculty and staff are planning to work closer with members of the program's Advisory Board, which includes representatives from the 33 of the world's largest corporations. The Advisory Board agreed to work with sponsoring companies to help them convert their employees' new knowledge in results. EMIL's successful start has staff and faculty looking forward to multiple new opportunities.