The FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics) recently announced their 2015 fellowship recipients and Darden’s Jacob Shmukler (MBA ’15) was among those selected. FASPE’s purpose is to “inform the personal and professional lives of future civic leaders through a structured program of student that uses the role of their chosen professions in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust as a backdrop for consideration of contemporary ethical issues” according to their website. Shmukler was one of twelve students selected in the business field to participate in the program.
The 2015 FASPE business co-hort will participate in an all-expenses paid two week program in Germany and Poland which will examine moral responsibilities and professional actions in the business environment. Workshops will be led by business school faculty and guest lecturers who will help the fellows examine the corporations and individual business leaders and the roles they played during the Holocaust, and contemporary ethical challenges that business leaders face in light of history. At the conclusion of the program, each fellow writes a paper on a contemporary ethical issue of their choice.
Shmukler shared some of his thoughts about the upcoming opportunity:
“When I learned about the FASPE fellowship, I couldn’t believe such an incredible opportunity was even available!
I think the emphasis that Darden places on ethics in business and leadership has provided a fantastic foundation and inspiration with which to join this fellowship. I don’t think many other schools in the country offer a required Ethics course in the first year, let alone a catalogue of ethics-based courses like Fairchild‘s Professional Ethics Through Literature, Warnock‘s Markets & Society, and Dean Robert Bruner’s Leadership through US Presidents (and those are just the ones I was lucky enough to take!). I’m confident that Darden’s commitment to the consideration of professional ethics both in and out of the classroom (and the boardroom) will give me a deeper appreciation of the topics we will cover this summer with FASPE.
I also think the new Dialogues on Discrimination that are happening right now at Darden are a perfect example of the kind of challenging, student-led conversations that FASPE hopes to produce during the program. Attending these discussions at Darden will only enrich my experience at the fellowship as we tackle other difficult issues.
Bottom line, I’m so grateful to Darden, the professors, and especially my classmates for preparing me so well for what will surely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Congratulations, Jacob!
