MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics turns 50!

Throughout 2023, we will celebrate and commemorate 50 years of supply chain innovation at MIT CTL—as well as the crucial role of the dedicated workers in the supply chain management and logistics field, supplying and delivering materials and goods around the world to the people who need them.

Visit this page for news, events, and updates related to MIT CTL @ 50.

History

The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics was founded in 1973 as the Center for Transportation Studies. Over the past 50 years, MIT CTL has been dedicated to studying, innovating, and elevating the supply chain management and logistics field. In fact, CTL predates the term "supply chain", which was popularized by logistician Keith Oliver in 1982. In that time, the CTL's novel interdisciplinary approach to studying transportation was among the first of its kind.

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the MIT Supply Chain Management Master's Program, begun in 1998. The SCM master's was the first postgraduate education program specifically designed for supply chain and logistics professionals.

CTL's aim is to support MIT's mission to advance knowledge and educate students in scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century. This page is our launch point for everything related to the 50th anniversary.

This page will be continually updated as more information is added. For now, enjoy a few artifacts from our history.

From the Archives

An early logo from when we were known as the Center for Transportation Studies and located in Building 1. “The reason for establishing the Center for Transportation Studies was to promote cooperation in interdisciplinary and inter-modal matters in transportation, to facilitate innovative research in transportation, and to provide a focal point for educational programs within the Institute.” –Prof. Paul O. Roberts, from foundational documents in the 1972–73 Annual Report to the MIT President.

CTL newsletter from the 25th anniversary in 1998. It was around this time that the MIT SCM Master's Program was created. The program, originally known as MLog (for Master of Logistics) was the first program of its kind. It combined expertise from the MIT Department of Engineering and MIT Sloan School of Management to meet the changing needs of the field of supply chain management.

The MIT CTL website from September 2009. Our three main areas of work—research, education, and innovation—have endured over the years. This virtuous cycle creates a body of actionable research, educates learners at all levels, and continues to engage industry in setting trends.

To kick off the Center's 50th anniversary celebrations, CTL Director Yossi Sheffi welcomed FedEx Founder and Executive Chairman, Fred Smith for a fireside chat. The discussion covered how the industry has changed over the past five decades (FedEx was also founded in 1973), along with lessons learned and where it's headed. View the discussion (and Q&A) in its entirety here.

Upcoming Events

Crossroads 2023: A View of the Future from Leadership

March 28

Symposium

This year, as we mark the 50th anniversary of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, the milestone has given us much to ponder over the evolution of the supply chain and logistics field—the term “supply chain” itself is only...

Executive Education – Supply Chains: Driving Strategic Advantage

June 6

Executive Education

To harness the power of the supply chain as a strategic resource, executive leadership needs to cultivate teams that exhibit a unique combination of both analytical and interpersonal capabilities. Our faculty and instructors include some of the world’s most prominent...