Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Supplier Diversity Programs

  • 09/01/13

Supplier diversity is a proactive business process that seeks to provide suppliers equal access to purchasing opportunities. It promotes supplier participation reflective of an institution’s diverse population and the diverse business community.

In 2005, Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, took steps to enhance their supplier diversity activities. Since then Purdue has become recognized as one of the premier supplier diversity programs in higher education in the country.

The focus of the program at Purdue has been outreach (www.purdue.edu/supplierdiversity).

On a national scale, the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC, www.nmsdc.org) works to advance business opportunities for certified Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American business enterprises and connects them to corporate members.

The NMSDC Network includes a national office in New York and 36 regional councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the network, including most of America’s largest publicly owned, privately owned and foreign-owned companies, as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions.

NMSDC corporate members have developed eight goals that corporations implement to create a world-class minority supplier development process.

  • GOAL 1: Establish corporate policy and top corporate management support
  • GOAL 2: Develop a corporate minority supplier development plan
  • GOAL 3: Establish comprehensive internal and external communications
  • GOAL 4: Identify opportunities for minority business enterprises in strategic sourcing and supply chain management
  • GOAL 5: Establish a comprehensive minority supplier development process
  • GOAL 6: Establish tracking, report and goal-setting mechanisms
  • GOAL 7: Establish a continuous improvement plan
  • GOAL 8: Establish a second-tier program

For more information on acting on these eight goals or on supplier diversity programs and development in general, visit the National Minority Supplier Development Council online at www.nmsdc.org.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management September 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Rowan University, HPE Partner on New Learning Initiative

    Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., recently announced that it has expanded its partnership with enterprise technology provider HPE to improve research capabilities and hands-on learning opportunities, according to a news release.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • Western Kentucky University, Gilbane Announce “Elevate WKU” Partnership

    Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., recently announced that it has reached the financial close on a on a public-private partnership (P3) with Gilbane Development, according to a news release.