Colleges and universities face an ongoing challenge: helping students connect what they learn in the classroom with career opportunities that they may not know exist. Public procurement may not be an obvious career choice for students studying business, supply chain management, or public administration, but introducing students to the profession can start long before graduation, including through their coursework, workforce experiences and procurement professionals they meet along the way.
NASPO is working with Arizona State University (ASU) to create more of those opportunities. A key part of the partnership is the naming of the NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management at ASU, the first academic department of its kind that explicitly includes public procurement in its curriculum. The department was recently ranked the #1 undergraduate supply chain management program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Supported by a landmark $35 million gift from NASPO, the department is creating a dedicated hub for education, research and innovation in public procurement. The work will support students preparing to enter the field while giving current public procurement professionals opportunities to strengthen their skills and contribute to initiatives that advance public procurement nationwide.
Creating direct connections to the campus community
A partnership with a university means understanding more than its academic programs. For NASPO, it means starting with understanding a student’s perspective and world. What are they learning? What questions are faculty discussing with their classes? Where could exploring public procurement careers add a new perspective to the conversation? To keep that engagement consistent, NASPO has created a liaison position at Arizona State University.
As Program Operations Coordinator, Mia Carlton works directly with the university community, giving NASPO a closer look at the ideas, interests and priorities taking shape on campus. This role helps NASPO find more natural ways to bring public procurement into students’ academic experiences through coursework, research projects and campus events, while connecting state members to speaking, mentoring and collaboration opportunities on campus and within their own states. This continued engagement has helped NASPO and ASU identify opportunities to learn from one another and strengthen the relationship over time.
“Most juniors and seniors only know what procurement is through the lens of private companies without giving thought toward public entities,” Carlton said. “In just two months of on-campus speaking engagements and career fairs, I have students reaching out regularly about learning more and getting involved in the public sector. They are deeply drawn to the impact one can make in their community.”
Extending career awareness beyond the classroom
Introducing students to public procurement begins with helping them understand what the profession looks like and where it can lead. NASPO Ignite is NASPO’s talent development initiative that supports creating opportunities to make those introductions, both inside and outside the classroom at every school level.
NASPO Ignite also reaches high school students through a partnership with DECA. The collaboration introduces younger students to the procurement profession through speaking opportunities, judging and the DECA NASPO Procurement Challenge, which allows students to step into the shoes of a procurement professional in their community.
Beyond coursework, college students can gain hands-on experience through NASPO’s Internship Connect Program, which connects state procurement offices with collegiate talent. Through the program, NASPO recruits students for participating state offices and provides grant funding to support their internships. During the summer program, students have the opportunity to work in selected participating state and territorial procurement offices, with the program open to all 50 states and U.S. territories. Through these experiences, students gain firsthand insight into public procurement and the role it plays in serving communities.
NASPO also offers an Academic Scholarship to support students who show an interest in public procurement or public service. The scholarship program helps reduce some of the financial barriers students may face while pursuing their education. By providing support as students study and complete their degrees, the program gives recipients more opportunity to focus on their coursework and explore their professional interests, while encouraging them to continue developing that interest throughout their academic journey.
Preparing for the future of the profession
The NASPO-ASU partnership demonstrates how public procurement can be integrated into the higher education experience through relationships with faculty, research opportunities and direct engagement with the profession.
“Having NASPO connected directly to campus allows us to bring public procurement into the conversations already happening in classrooms and across the university,” said Adegoke Oke, Professor of Supply Chain Management and NASPO Endowed Department Chair, NASPO Department of Supply Chain Management, W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. “We can connect what students are learning with the challenges procurement professionals are navigating every day, while creating opportunities for faculty, students and state procurement offices to learn from one another. That exchange of knowledge and experience is what makes this partnership so valuable.”
Building on this approach, NASPO’s newly expanded Academic Talent Expansion Program will empower more state procurement offices to partner with colleges and universities in their communities. Through internships, scholarships, career fairs, guest speakers, research collaborations and other opportunities, states can introduce students to public procurement while building relationships with institutions that can help develop the future workforce.
Together with NASPO Ignite and its other talent development initiatives, these efforts reflect NASPO’s continued commitment to helping students discover public procurement and giving state procurement offices more ways to connect with emerging talent.
For more information about NASPO Ignite and its initiatives, email [email protected] or visit our website at naspoignite.org
