Pamela Hayward, acting chair and associate professor in the Department of Communications and Professional Writing, has always had an appreciation of the arts.
In high school, she worked backstage on theatre productions and did a little acting. However, she now prefers to be in the audience. “I enjoy going to the theatre and the symphony. In the past I have held season tickets to Le Chat Noir and the Augusta Symphony,” says Dr. Hayward.
Her experiences would prove useful, though, since theatre is a track in the communications department—one of six tracks that also include journalism, public relations, TV/cinema, professional writing, and communication studies. Her particular research interest is the role that communication plays in students’ perceptions of instructors. This was the topic of her dissertation.
“My dissertation was on the impressions that students form of instructors on the first day of class. I surveyed 800 students, and each student returned a completed survey,” she says. Dr. Hayward’s findings proved that students’ impressions were based on the communication skills of the instructors.
Dr. Hayward has made presentations at many workshops and programs to international, national, and local organizations as well as published numerous articles on communication topics. She received the Top Instructional and Development Division Paper Award from the International Communication Association. She also was the recipient of the Top Three Communication Education/Instructional Communication Paper Award and the Top Communication Theory Paper Award, both from the Central States Communication Association.
Dr. Hayward is a member of several university and professional committees including the ASU Arts and Sciences Council, the ASU Writers Group, the ASU Faculty Club, the Review Board of Communication Teachers, and the Georgia Communication Association (GCA). She has also served as president of the GCA.
Before joining the faculty at ASU in 2001, the Chicago native taught communications at Lake Superior State University. Dr. Hayward earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University and both her master and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois.
Name: Pamela Hayward
Position: Acting Chair/Associate Professor in the Department of Communications and Professional Writing
How long at ASU: 9 years
Little known fact: As a child, she played the French horn.
Jun 30, 2010
Profiles