POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — Erin Hayes, alumna of the College, received The Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Excellence Award at the 116th commencement at the College of the Ozarks.

The Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Excellence Award honors those professors who have demonstrated outstanding teaching ability and who have had a major impact on the lives and careers of their students. Honorees have shown exceptional interest in their students, have set an example compatible with the goals of the College of the Ozarks, and have attempted continually to improve their teaching.

“Mrs. Hayes has enjoyed a successful career as an ABC News correspondent, receiving many prestigious awards,” said Dr. Eric Bolger. “Her student evaluation scores are consistently high. Students call her a wonderful teacher who is knowledgeable and passionate about what she does, which inspires students to learn,” said Dr. Eric Bolger, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “Hayes also oversees “The Point” newsroom workstation, which operates as a laboratory for her academic classes. Students in her workstation have won over 60 state, regional, and national college journalism awards since 2016. Hayes shows a genuine interest in students’ lives, both inside and outside the classroom.”

“I am so proud of our students. They are people of integrity who can help steer the media back to a place of trust and a reverence for truth. Their love for God and His infinite goodness gives me hope for the world,” Hayes said.

In September 2017, Hayes was inducted into The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle. Already a four-time Emmy Award winner, the honor was a great blessing and affirmation of her 30-year career. Hayes is a four-time recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award and a winner of the national Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting. She received the National Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, three Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia awards, and was recognized for her work during ABC News’ coverage of 9/11.