Three new additions to the Anderson Schools of Management faculty will bring new teaching styles and research interests to UNM.
Doug Thomas, Catherine Roster and Sally Fuller, all from three different states, will accompany this year's business instructors.
Doug Thomas taught courses in management at Texas A & M University. He is now teaching strategic management courses at UNM. Thomas, who is fluent in Spanish, said he looks forward to working with new people.
"I think that UNM has a very diverse group of students and so far they have really impressed me with their work and engagement in class," Thomas said.
Thomas said he hopes to continue his research, which focuses on Latin American businesses.
"My research involves looking at Latin American firms from a strategic management perspective and determining why some are more successful than others," Thomas said.
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His great love for teaching, Thomas said, helps him keep research and instruction separate.
Thomas said that he looks forward to discovering more about the Southwest and feels welcome at UNM.
"I think the UNM slogan really sums it up, `Great people doing great things,'" he said.
Along with Thomas, Roster has joined the Anderson Schools of Management faculty.
Roster earned her Master's in business administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia and will soon finish her doctorate there as well.
Roster also has worked as a manager for Wal-Mart and Sprint. The UNM courses she's teaching mainly involve marketing research.
"I was really attracted to the Anderson Schools because of their reputation as a good research school," Roster said. "I am also really interested in the climate and culture of the Southwest."
Along with her research interests, which involve life stages of consumers, Roster said she wants to contribute to the marketing research program at the Anderson Schools.
"I really want to make marketing research a capstone course for a marketing degree," Roster said. "I want students to get a feeling when they leave the class that they have learned an enormous amount of information about how to conduct marketing research."
Overall, Roster said she is satisfied with her move to New Mexico.
"My husband and I both love the Albuquerque area," Roster said. "I am also impressed by the dedication, ability, and strength of the Anderson Schools faculty. They really care about the program and the students."
Sally Fuller has joined the Anderson team this semester as well. Fuller moved from the University of Washington in Seattle. She is teaching organizational behavior and diversity courses at UNM and said she hopes students enjoy her open approach to teaching.
"I have them do a lot of team projects along with experiential learning and I encourage them to reflect on past experiences and learn to apply them to future endeavors," she said.
Fuller said along with having the opportunity to teach such a diverse group of students at UNM, she also has several research interests which involve group problem solving, organizational symbolism and employment discrimination.
Although Fuller said she dedicates most of her time to educating, she also enjoys being in New Mexico because she can fulfill one of her favorite hobbies.
"I am an avid nature photographer, and I am really excited about all the photo opportunities in New Mexico," Fuller said.
Fuller expressed that although her main priorities lie in the Anderson Schools, she had many reasons for coming to UNM and New Mexico.
"I came here because UNM and New Mexico just seem like better academic and personal fits for me," Fuller said. "This area is very close to nature along with spiritual and cultural issues, which are all very important to me. And most of all, I needed some sunshine."
