It's about 4 a.m., and Brenda Peyser is brewing a second pot of coffee. Her body feels every minute of yesterday's 10,000-mile flight. In a few hours, she will become the executive director of the first international university in South Australia. At the moment, she has more suitcases than the school has students. 

Building Heinz College Australia from the ground up is quite a challenge for the academic and former actress who, appropriately, has experience in human resources, too. In the months ahead in Adelaide, she welcomes the smallest signs of tangible progress, from seeing the new school's letterhead to the launching of the Web site.

Two years later, in 2007, with two master's programs in place and classes under way, Peyser triumphantly returns to the Pittsburgh campus and is succeeded in Adelaide by Tim Zak. His experience with three start-ups in the business and nonprofit sectors serves him well. He builds upon Peyser's initial foundation. During his three years of leadership, the college graduates 135 students and enrollment climbs up to 30 percent each year.

Zak recently returned to teach at the Pittsburgh campus, and Terry Buss is now in charge at Adelaide. Like his two predecessors, Buss has a noteworthy perspective, with experience in government and higher education. He has held advisory positions with the World Bank, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Information Agency. 

"We have accomplished much in Adelaide in the past five years," says Heinz College Dean Ramayya Krishnan, "and with Terry's help, we look forward to building on the college's momentum over the coming years."
-Greg Forbes Siegman 


Related Links:
Carnegie Mellon University Australia