Dr. Judith Schrempf
Dr. Judith Schrempf, assistant professor of management, arrived at University of Richmond in the summer of 2011 with a worldly perspective on both business and education. Born in Germany and educated in international business at University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, Schrempf later enrolled at University of Lausanne in Switzerland, where she completed a Ph.D. in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
While in Switzerland, she was employed by Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) Office of Global Social Innovations.
“The main motivation for joining HP was its reputation as an industry leader in corporate social responsibility,” she says. “Its supply chain management program is one of the most sophisticated in the world. I was responsible for internal and external communication related to the firm’s CSR practices.”
After completing her Ph.D. at Lausanne, Schrempf spent a semester as a visiting faculty member in Paris, where she taught several courses, including one on sustainability and another on business ethics and marketing, at ESG Management School. Around the time she began her teaching in Paris, Schrempf interviewed at Richmond and was offered a position with the management faculty.
“I was highly motivated to apply for faculty positions in the United States,” she said. “I had previously lived and worked in various European countries and was ready for something new.”
She was especially attracted to the rigor of teaching in the U.S. “The teaching and research environment is quite different and more demanding than in Europe, and I was eager to experience that myself.”
Schrempf said that she thrives in the Robins School’s atmosphere because of its foundation of continuous improvement.
This spring, Schrempf is teaching MBA 508 (Social, Ethical and Legal Issues in Business) at the University. Her initial impressions of Richmond students have been quite positive. “The students are hard-working, motivated and eager to learn,” she said.
As the semester unfolds, Schrempf anticipates the real-world experience MBA students bring to the classroom will help shape and elevate the level of discussions in her course.
“I am looking forward to connecting the concepts and cases of my course to the professional experiences of the MBA students, and to hear their examples of dilemmas in business ethics,” Schrempf said.
Her current students are drawn from a diverse set of firms, including Capital One, The Martin Agency, Genworth and Altria.
“The key difference between undergraduate students and MBA students is that MBAs already have several years’ work experience,” she explained. “Because of that experience, they can share stories from their professional life.”
Having lived and learned in several countries, one of Schrempf’s favorite places is actually just a few steps from her office. “The classroom is a great place for inspiration. It is great to see how enthusiastic students get when you start talking about business ethics.”