Professor of the Year: Learning through service
“I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Such was James Hayton’s reaction, delivered in his British accent, when he was told he had been chosen as the 2004 Statesman Professor of the Year.
Hayton, a professor in the department of management and human resources, is perhaps best known on campus through his students’ work. As part of their work for MHR 3110, Hayton’s students organize community improvement projects to get practical experience managing people and organizations. Projects this semester included Homeless for a Night and research on student voting and the Utah Festival Opera Company.
Hayton said he was proud of his students’ accomplishments.
“Most of them are smiling and proud of what they’re doing,” Hayton said.
“That really mimics life. The reward for work comes from doing something meaningful, not for money or for an A.”
Glenn McEvoy, associate dean of Business Graduate Studies, calls Hayton “an extraordinarily talented guy.”
“Students can really learn how to think through difficult managerial situations if they listen carefully to what he says and how he approaches problems,” McEvoy said. “He has an enormous breadth of understanding of the literature in the fields of management, human resources and entrepreneurship.”
Hayton’s students not only consider him a good teacher, but also a friendly person. Joe Petersen, a senior in majoring in horticulture, said he thought Hayton is an excellent choice for Professor of the Year.
“Professor Hayton is the best teacher at making you feel comfortable,” Petersen said. “He’s very laid back, he speaks to you as if you’re his best friend, he’ll joke around with you.”
McEvoy, who used to serve as department head of MHR, agreed.
“As a peer, not as a department head or associate dean, it’s just a pleasure to have him as a colleague,” McEvoy said. “He brings a diversity in terms of world perspective to our department that I think is extremely valuable.”
Hayton said there are limitations to teaching a large class like MHR 3110, where there isn’t time to go through an entire thick textbook.
“You can’t just learn management by reading a book,” Hayton said. “You do need theory, but you won’t integrate knowledge until you apply it.”
After this semester, Hayton said he will focus on teaching graduate courses.
Hayton hails from England and moved to the United States 10 years ago. He attended and then taught at Georgia State University. Next he taught at Georgia Tech and San Jose State. He has taught at Utah State University for two years, and said he found the rural, college-town atmosphere of Logan quite a change. Hayton said he has taken to competitive bike riding and triathlons to replace city-style entertainment like restaurants, art galleries and bars.
“I’m a lot healthier as a result,” Hayton said.
When Hayton began teaching MHR 3110, he decided to continue the tradition of the previous professor who also paired service with learning.
Petersen said the service learning project of MHR 3110 helped heighten his management skills and taught him the importance of having people backing him up in an endeavor. His group collaborated to raise money to build a playground for an elementary school, and Petersen said the project also served as a potential recruiting tool.
“That school’s always going to remember it was USU that helped them out,” he said.
-heidithue@cc.usu.eduBy Heidi Burton
News Editor
“I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Such was James Hayton’s reaction, delivered in his British accent, when he was told he had been chosen as the 2004 Utah Statesman Professor of the Year.
Hayton, a professor in the department of management and human resources, is perhaps best known on campus through his students’ work. As part of their work for MHR 3110, Hayton’s students organize community improvement projects to get practical experience managing people and organizations. Projects this semester included Homeless for a Night and research on student voting and the Utah Festival Opera Company.
Hayton said he was proud of his students’ accomplishments.
“Most of them are smiling and proud of what they’re doing,” Hayton said.
“That really mimics life. The reward for work comes from doing something meaningful, not for money or for an A.”
Glenn McEvoy, associate dean of Business Graduate Studies, calls Hayton “an extraordinarily talented guy.”
“Students can really learn how to think through difficult managerial situations if they listen carefully to what he says and how he approaches problems,” McEvoy said. “He has an enormous breadth of understanding of the literature in the fields of management, human resources and entrepreneurship.”
Hayton’s students not only consider him a good teacher, but also a friendly person. Joe Petersen, a senior in majoring in horticulture, said he thought Hayton is an excellent choice for Professor of the Year.
“Professor Hayton is the best teacher at making you feel comfortable,” Petersen said. “He’s very laid back, he speaks to you as if you’re his best friend, he’ll joke around with you.”
McEvoy, who used to serve as department head of MHR, agreed.
“As a peer, not as a department head or associate dean, it’s just a pleasure to have him as a colleague,” McEvoy said. “He brings a diversity in terms of world perspective to our department that I think is extremely valuable.”
Hayton said there are limitations to teaching a large class like MHR 3110, where there isn’t time to go through an entire thick textbook.
“You can’t just learn management by reading a book,” Hayton said. “You do need theory, but you won’t integrate knowledge until you apply it.”
After this semester, Hayton said he will focus on teaching graduate courses.
Hayton hails from England and moved to the United States 10 years ago. He attended and then taught at Georgia State University. Next he taught at Georgia Tech and San Jose State. He has taught at Utah State University for two years, and said he found the rural, college-town atmosphere of Logan quite a change. Hayton said he has taken to competitive bike riding and triathlons to replace city-style entertainment like restaurants, art galleries and bars.
“I’m a lot healthier as a result,” Hayton said.
When Hayton began teaching MHR 3110, he decided to continue the tradition of the previous professor who also paired service with learning.
Petersen said the service learning project of MHR 3110 helped heighten his management skills and taught him the importance of having people backing him up in an endeavor. His group collaborated to raise money to build a playground for an elementary school, and Petersen said the project also served as a potential recruiting tool.
“That school’s always going to remember it was USU that helped them out,” he said.
-heidithue@cc.usu.edu