Building Opportunity Through Curiosity and Student Success

When Julie Niederhoff was a child, she would follow her mother around the kitchen asking: “What’s in this?” After hearing the list of ingredients, she’d pick one at random. “Where does that come from?” 


“That’s supply chain, as it turns out,” says Niederhoff, associate professor of supply chain management (SCM) and chair of the marketing department. “I was doing this all the way back when I was about 7 years old.” 


That childhood curiosity has become the driving force behind Niederhoff’s approach to leadership in her new role, which she assumed in fall 2025. For nearly two decades at Syracuse University, she has built a career on asking “what if?” and “why?” — questions that have led to new opportunities for students, faculty and the department itself. 


One of Niederhoff’s first major initiatives as department chair was establishing advisory boards for marketing and retail, mirroring the successful model long used in supply chain management. Both boards launched in April with 23 marketing alumni and 19 retail alumni ranging from recent graduates to professionals from the 1980s. 


Insights from conversations with the board, students and faculty are already shaping curriculum. For fall 2026, the department is introducing a master’s level class and reviving an undergraduate class on how technology is affecting marketing and an undergraduate global marketing strategy course. “Marketing with a global perspective is so relevant, and it’s been missing from the catalog for a few years, so I’m glad we can bring it back with our experienced new professor, Rebecca Lau,” Niederhoff says. 


Niederhoff’s commitment to student opportunities extends beyond the classroom. In 2025, a Whitman supply chain team won the University of Minnesota’s National Undergraduate Supply Chain Case Competition—the first Syracuse victory in over 10 years of competing. This recognition paired with Niederhoff’s eagerness to get her students exceptional opportunities, led to four students appearing on the Supply Chain Now podcast. The crossover between these disciplines is significant, and especially with 65% of Whitman students pursuing a double major. For example, marketing, retail and supply chain students competed in a Dick’s Sporting Goods case competition and attended National Retail Federation events in New York City this year, allowing them opportunities to flex into their interests. 


As a first-generation college student, Niederhoff remembers turning down opportunities because of cost. “I don’t want any of our students to ever have to choose between putting gas in their car and being able to do something good for their career,” she says. Thanks to alumni support and internal Whitman resources, the department now helps fund student participation in conferences, competitions and certification programs. This summer, the department is launching a certification academy to help students prepare for supply chain exams. 


What makes these initiatives possible, Niederhoff believes, is Whitman’s entrepreneurial culture. “There’s this culture of: make the value proposition and we’ll make it happen,” she says. She sees her role as shepherding faculty ideas and removing obstacles. “My role as department chair is not to tell faculty what to do, it’s to shepherd it." 


When students ask which major to choose or internship to pursue, she asks: “What kinds of problems get you really excited to solve?” She encourages students to try new things. “It's a little uncomfortable, but it's the only way to grow.” 


When asked what excites her most about the future, Niederhoff doesn’t hesitate. “Truly my passion is the students. This plugging into students and getting them excited about what they’re doing, it’s what gets me here every day.” 

By Danielle Rosenburgh