K-State Olathe
Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain

K-State Olathe will lead the institution in academic innovation by disrupting the traditional academic mold.

Overview

K-State Olathe was built to respond to industry needs and build programs to support the economic prosperity. The campus’ first key initiative is to build a strong education and research program to meet the needs of the Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain industries in the Greater Kansas City region, Kansas and the nation.

With the national initiative to onshore manufacturing, the growth of manufacturing in Kansas and the metropolitan area is exponential. K-State Olathe is working to meet the workforce and research needs of all companies impacting the supply chain. The new manufacturing companies moving to the region along with the robust existing manufacturing industry have a base value of $45 billion in GDP. More so, the region is a leader of the revival in American manufacturing with the Kansas City Area Development Council expecting continued growth in the sector by more than 7 percent by 2024.

This offers a new area of focus for K-State Olathe to expand, centered around the lifecycle of the advanced manufacturing system beginning with raw input handling, through the manufacturing process, and the subsequent transportation and logistics of outputs.

Next steps

K-State Olathe will work with the advanced manufacturing industry to be a leader in academic innovation by disrupting the traditional academic mold.

  • Develop educational programs and pathways in technology and trade management in collaboration with K-State Salina Campus and our community college and high school partners to accelerate educational pathways.
  • Provide flexible learning environments by operating as a 12-month campus, offering 8-week schedules and rolling admissions. Courses requiring hands-on learning will be offered in a flexible delivery format to accommodate students work schedules and family life.
  • Ensure graduates will have strong critical thinking and professional skills as well as opportunities to work and learn – working while getting their degree. The goal is to ensure students have the technical and professional skills to be successful on Day 1.
  • Become the solution for training and upskilling the industry workforce by offering innovative, industry-driven continuing education programs.

For more information about this initiative, including how to partner, interest in educational programs or research, please contact Debbie Kirchhoff, executive director of strategic initiatives at debbierk@ksu.edu.