Dr. Heather Ashley Hayes has been named associate dean for graduate studies at the College of Communication & Information Sciences (C&IS), bringing her experience as an interdisciplinary scholar, educator and mentor to the College’s graduate programs.
In her new role, Hayes will work across C&IS to strengthen the graduate student experience and help shape the future of the College’s programs, collaborating with students, faculty and academic leaders.
“Home to more than a thousand graduate students across seven degrees, C&IS is one of the largest and most dynamic graduate communities on campus. I’m most excited to tell that story and to build what comes next,” Hayes said. “We have extraordinary faculty and a nationally recognized doctoral program, and our students are purpose-driven. They are turning discovery into innovation that speaks to pressing societal challenges across Alabama and beyond.”
Hayes is an interdisciplinary and rhetorical scholar whose work sits at the intersection of communication, social change, accessibility and neuroscience. Her research explores the role communication plays in building resilience and shaping more inclusive communities, with a particular focus on public discourse and learning models.
That interdisciplinary perspective also informs Hayes’s approach to teaching and mentorship. She received the National Communication Association’s Donald H. Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education for 2023–2024, recognizing her commitment to transformative, student-centered education.
The new role gives Hayes an opportunity to build on the College’s existing strengths while helping shape the next chapter of graduate education.
“My goal is for C&IS to set the standard for what graduate education at a flagship can be, with programs built for what comes next, that open doors for leaders from everywhere and send every graduate into a world defined by communication and information ready to change it,” Hayes said.