By Maurissa Munoz
Photo by Joshua Lucero
Janet Buzzard, the new dean of the College of Business, has a variety of experiences under her belt to share with Eastern New Mexico University.
Buzzard is an international traveler, mother, wife, teacher, and administrator. When talking about the rental houses her family owns, she explained how she enjoys working on the rentals herself, especially do-it-yourself projects.
Buzzard is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, with a degree in Information Systems.
Buzzard has been teaching in higher education for 28 years. She is not entirely new to ENMU; she previously worked as an ENMU business professor for 10 years from 1996-2006.
During her time away from ENMU, Buzzard had the opportunity to live with her husband and children in Belgium. Buzzard’s family is all internationally focused. Her husband currently works for an American company in a Middle Eastern country, and both her children have studied abroad and taught English in China.
In Belgium, Buzzard worked as an adjunct university professor on the military base where her husband was stationed. In addition, she worked for North Atlantic Treaty Organization doing IT work, providing desktop support for multiple central European countries. Working at NATO, she was given high access and received a top-secret security clearance.
Buzzard’s experiences in Belgium influenced her desire to internationalize ENMU’s College of Business. She said she has experienced international life, and she feels it is her mission to promote it.
Buzzard envisions the world of business, in five years, being internationalized in a continued globalization.
She said returning to ENMU after being gone for eight years helped her see all the progress ENMU has made.
“It’s good to be dean in 2013,” said Buzzard.
Buzzard said she has three main goals for the College of Business. First, she wants to promote quality in everything that is done. Second, she hopes to internationalize the department because of the thriving world work force. Third, she wants to use technology to its fullest.
Business Professor John Luhman said, “I’m happy that she joined us, and I look forward to many productive years.” He said Buzzard’s visions of internationalization are very exciting and will be useful for the students.
To reach her goals, Buzzard wants to increase the opportunity for students to study abroad, which will broaden students’ perspective of the world and enhance networking worldwide for ENMU and the College of Business. Buzzard not only wants to see ENMU students traveling abroad, she also hopes for an increase in foreign exchange students. Buzzard is in contact with administrators from universities across the world promoting ENMU’s College of Business as an affordable, credible place for international students to study abroad.
One of the ways Buzzard wants to expose students to international opportunities is a series of international speakers. The speakers will Skype from all over the world to speak about their own international lives.
Buzzard wants the entire college to become better users of the technology now acquired and to use it fully. All business degrees are wholly available online, allowing students from around the world to attend ENMU.
The College of Business also has hired eight new faculty members—each with diverse backgrounds. Buzzard says they will add to the strong faculty that already in the College of Business.