As
an entrepreneur in education, Dr. Scott
Koerwer has served as senior director at the
Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania, launched three companies, and
worked as a consultant for a variety of
companies and entrepreneurial ventures.
Koerwer, associate dean of professional
programs and services, joined the Smith
School in 2001 because of its dynamics and
the opportunity to build an executive
program. In his role, Koerwer oversees all
the programs and services that fall between
the undergraduate and PhD programs. Here at
Smith, this encompasses a number of programs
including the MBA & MS programs, the
part-time MBA program (delivered in three
locations), the executive MBA programs
(world-wide), and Smith Advisory &
Collaborative Services, which delivers
consultative educational solutions for
small- to medium-sized organizations.
Koerwer takes pleasure in working here at
Smith because he likes everything about the
school. He gets to work with a smart,
committed team, a world-class faculty and an
evolving student body, and for a school that
is continually advancing.
Two areas that Koerwer is working on improving here at Smith are the operations and the physical infrastructure of professional degree programming. He hopes to provide students with more opportunities to get the knowledge they seek – anywhere the Smith School operates. Koerwer is exploring both international opportunities and opportunities at other Smith campuses in the area, which will provide students with access to topics of interest.
When Koerwer is not at Smith, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Christine, and two daughters, Rachel and Julia. His interests outside of work stem from his daughters' interests and as a family they really enjoy sports, movies and travel. Koerwer is also a self-proclaimed tech-junkie, always buying the latest and greatest in technology.
Koerwer is an avid reader and is always
reading (or sometimes just skimming)
multiple books at a time. Three of the books
he is currently reading include Tough
Choices: A Memoir by Carly Fiorina (MBA
’80), State of Denial: Bush at War, Part
III by Bob Woodward, and Executive
Intelligence: What All Great Leaders Have
by Justin Menkes. One of his favorite books
is Candide by Voltaire. Koerwer
enjoys this book because he believes
optimism is essential in order to be a great
leader and person.
Humility, humor, humanity are three words of advice that Koerwer has for Smith students. He also wants to encourage students to, “Take on big issues, and take on things ridiculously bigger than you.” His hope is that all students, faculty and staff feel championed as members of the Smith community and have the foresight to wrestle with big issues such as energy, environment, and the ramifications of the global planet.
Dr. Koerwer has a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College, a master’s degree in government and political science from Lehigh University, and a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also an alumnus from the Kellogg School of Management’s Advanced Executive Program, and has earned a two-year certificate in organizational development and consulting from the National Training Labs.
Story by Lettie Goodridge, MBA Candidate 2008, Smith Media Group