Anyone who has worked with John Haas quickly learns that emails or texts from the recently retired School of Communication Studies associate professor and long-time school director almost always say the same thing: “Do you have time to talk?”
His penchant for a face-to-face conversation is motivated by more than an affinity for his field of study—it’s a reflection of what lies at the heart of communication: relationships. In a modern world where people have coworkers and friends they’ve never met in person, Haas eschews the digital for analog, with a preference for meeting others in person.
Far from being a luddite, colleagues said one of Haas’s priorities over the years was to acquire cutting-edge technology that improves teaching, student experience, and general access to information.
But for Haas, nothing beats an in-person conversation.
“It goes back to one of the core things that has made John so successful at all these things he does: his appreciation for the human being on the other end of the conversation. He believes strongly in the strength of the person, meeting that person, the interpersonal connection, the relationship building. That is what makes all these things special and all these things possible,” said Associate Professor Michael Kotowski.
Kotowski joined the School of Communication Studies relatively early during Haas’s 27-year tenure as its director, and in that time, he observed how selflessly Haas worked to build out the school’s faculty and student experience. After serving 37 years at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haas retired this summer, but not without making an impact that is likely to last longer than the time he invested into creating a great Volunteer experience for so many people.
Building a Winning Team
Haas has been a long-time favorite of students, in part because he makes a concerted effort to maintain meaningful connections long after they leave the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT). Whether it was by email, phone, or Facebook, or through the alumni council he established for the School of Communication Studies, Haas has made it known that former students are welcome to reach out to him.
But it’s not just students and alumni who favor him. He’s made a similar impression on the faculty members who have worked for and with him over the years—a feat his colleague and former doctoral program classmate, Professor Nancy Harrington, said is impressive. Harrington knows well the joys and challenges of academic administration, having served as department chair of the University of Kentucky’s Department of Communication and as associate dean for research at UK’s College of Communication and Information. Haas called on Harrington to help conduct a program review of the UT School of Communication Studies in 2012, where she saw first-hand how he transformed a near-extinct program into a vital part of the university.
“I had the chance to talk with graduate students and faculty and just every single one sings the praises of John, and that’s rare,” Harrington said, joking that Haas’s many years leading the School of Communication Studies is likely a record for longevity in the same academic administrative role.
Harrington met Haas in 1987 upon entering the doctoral program at the University of Kentucky, where he was also a PhD student studying communication. He was welcoming and supportive of her from the start and soon invited her to collaborate on authoring a paper. When that paper was accepted to a conference, Haas told her she should be the one to present it, deferring the spotlight despite the boost it would have been to his own career.
“I just think it’s in his DNA. He was like that way back then, and he is like that to this day,” Harrington said.
One event exemplifying Haas’s dedication to his work at UT is a story he’s kept quiet about for many years: when Harrington and others at the University of Kentucky came calling on him to serve as dean of their college, he turned the job down. Harrington said there aren’t many people who would decline such an offer from their alma mater, but in observing the fruits of his labor since, she admires and understands why he chose to stay at UT.
While Haas’s kindness as a colleague, administrator, and instructor have endeared him to many, it’s also helped him build meaningful relationships across the UT campus and beyond, creating a network of people who are happy to help him should he come knocking on their office door with an ask. His tendency to put people first proved to be an invaluable trait as he set out to strengthen and build up his academic department.
Resilience and tenacity also had starring roles in Haas’s endeavor to fulfill his vision of a world-class communication studies program, which started with an atypical promotion to chair of the Department of Speech Communication in the same month he earned his tenure and promotion to associate professor. Still early in his career, he was faced with reviving a floundering department.
“John turned around a department that was on the ropes. There was a university-wide departmental reorganization that was happening, and the department could have been cut,” said Kotowski, who was hired relatively soon after that reorganization. “We were in Arts and Sciences, and John shepherded the move to CCI. He took that risk. One that not all the faculty were on board with it at the time. Somehow, he managed to convince the dean, the provost, the chancellor, to give him the time and space to find and hire the right faculty, build a school identity, and create a student-centric academic culture; even though stakeholders often need fast results.”
One of 18 departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, the department had no room to grow either administratively or physically. Additionally, Haas said it just made sense for public speaking to be housed in CCI. But there were many other advantages to the move. His goal was to take a department focused solely on public speaking and turn it into a robust research and academic program centered on the study of communication and its two core processes of relating interpersonally and organizationally.
“It would be fair to say that the curriculum was probably a little antiquated at the time John first got to Knoxville. So one of the things that he did was to update the curriculum and make it more cutting-edge, like the rest of the field, and he did a really nice job,” said Jerry Hale, a friend and colleague of Haas’s who recently retired from his position as provost and executive vice president of the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga’s Academic Affairs.
Hale noted that one of the strategic advantages of the move was inclusion in CCI’s college-wide interdisciplinary doctoral program. At the time, the Department of Speech Communication had no such program and students interested in a PhD were often funneled to the University of Georgia, where Hale headed UGA’s Department of Communication Studies.
Haas knew moving to CCI would give the department access to its resources and its doctoral program, allowing them to take on PhD students for the first time. Without a doctoral program, he couldn’t attract the top-tier faculty he wanted to hire, making this piece of the puzzle essential. Once the move to CCI was made, he started hiring the faculty necessary to increase the department’s standing in the field.
Kotowski, who was one of those hires, compares Haas’s vision and patience to the likes of legendary coaches and managers who turned around underdog sports teams. They were patient and spent their time landing the right players, building the culture, and working hard for years before ultimately winning the big championship. Kotowski said the School of Communication Studies now has some of the highest publishing faculty in the field, with each new hire adding their unique strength to the team.
“John had a really good way, and still has a way, of getting people to want to buy in and not lose faith in the process,” he said, noting Haas’s vision convinced him to join the School of Communication Studies 20 years ago, despite offers from other universities.
Even when others questioned Kotowski’s decision, he stood by it because he knew he wanted to work at CCI and UT because of Haas. He had fully bought into the school director’s vision to build beyond the important skill of public speaking by adding a focus on basic human communication research, teaching, and service, which came to fruition since Kotowski accepted the job. Over the past two decades, Kotowski said he’s watched the best person in every faculty candidate pool get hired, pushing the School of Communication Studies closer to that vision Haas shared when Kotowski first met him.
In and Out of the Classroom
Haas’ vision always included student experience and outcomes, with quality curriculum and faculty comprising just one part of what he viewed as a successful program. Besides being a dedicated teacher who often took on lower-level courses with high headcounts, one of his main commitments to students was to give them as many opportunities as possible to successfully enter the workplace.
As current School of Communications Studies Director Jon Hess puts it, communication studies can be a bit of a mystery to students as it doesn’t have the well-defined career pathway that CCI’s other school’s do. Alumni who major in communication studies work in a variety of positions in different industries, including but definitely not limited to: nonprofit work, entrepreneurship, religious service, law school, and political affairs.
“Our alumni are like fireworks, they spread in every direction,” said Hess, who filled the school director’s role in 2019 after Haas stepped down.
Knowing that this flexibility and ambiguity can be intimidating or overwhelming for students weighing their futures, Haas sought out ways to help students discover careers they could enter with a communication studies major. He observed other universities organizing trips for students where they would meet industry professionals in various roles, tour businesses, and see first-hand what people were doing with their communication studies background.
Haas decided to build his own version of these trips, but he made sure to include one component that Hess said has made the School of Communication Studies networking trips stand out: Haas leaned into his network of alumni and communication professionals to ensure the experience was more than just tours and meet and greets.
“When we do the networking trips, there are times we meet with people we have connections with, and times we meet people we don’t have relationships with, and it’s a very different experience,” Hess said. “What he’s done with relationships is huge, program-wise. Our students will meet people and learn more because of those connections, and they’ll stay in touch with them because of the network.”
Those connections often lead to mentor relationships and, in some cases, result in students getting internships or jobs. It also allows alumni to give back to their alma mater in a way that doesn’t require financial donations, which can be particularly valuable for recent graduates still working their way up the ladder. It has become a positive, self-perpetuating cycle, with students who attended a networking trip graduating and becoming one of the professionals connecting with the next generation of students.
Another important component of these trips is how Haas worked to make it financially accessible for all students. One way Haas has managed to fund more than one initiative at the school is through, once again, those personal connections and relationships he cultivated. One of the more prominent relationships Haas has maintained is with alumnus, sports media figure, and former football star Peyton Manning. Manning established the John Haas Student Experiential Learning Endowment, which gave many students access to networking trips to major US cities such as Washington, DC, and Nashville.
This past year, Manning established the John Haas Director’s Chair, an endowment that generates annual funding for the holder of the chair, which is currently Hess, to use for the school.
“The reason John and Peyton have had a strong relationship was the impact John had on Peyton. And obviously Peyton is the kind of person who gives back. While there’s some flexibility in what we do with the funds from Peyton, he prefers it goes back to students,” Hess said, noting he is happy to invest that money in experiential learning opportunities for students.
The success of Haas’s networking trip model was such that the College of Communication and Information took note and recently expanded the program to all CCI students. Hess and Haas both noted that CCI Dean Joe Mazer understands the value of these experiences, and sponsoring students to take these trips allows all CCI students long-term advantages they would otherwise not have. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Success Courtney Childers said Haas he has laid the foundation for many student initiatives her office is building upon today.
“He was always very forward-thinking in that regard, and to me it just goes back to the fact that he never lost the student perspective, the focus on what is truly best for preparing our students for the future,” she said.
While domestic networking trips are important and impactful, Haas wanted a diversity of opportunities for students to expand their worldview and career options. When he first started at UT, many of his students had never traveled outside the country, much less the state of Tennessee—and he knew that taking young adults to a foreign country could be life-changing for many of them. He began working with Professor Laura Miller in 2016 to create a study abroad course in Dublin, Ireland, where they would teach intercultural communication and competency via classroom instruction and immersion. The trip was established in 2018, with Haas leading the program alongside Miller.
Miller said the first thing Haas said when the John Haas Student Experiential Learning Endowment was created, was that he wanted to use it to give students scholarships to study abroad.
“That was his choice as director to do that, and he did it right away and that made it so much more accessible to people. We want everyone to have a study abroad experience, no matter their financial status,” said Miller, who now leads the Bohan Center for Global Engagement, overseeing CCI’s global programs.
A Passion for Public Speaking
Haas’s plans for a strong communication studies program included yet another initiative, the Public Speaking Center. When public speaking became part of UT’s general education requirements, known as VolCore, Haas saw a need for a place where students, faculty, and staff could get support and guidance in delivering speeches or presentations.
“It was really pretty clear we were going to have this major role, so the thinking was to not simply offer the courses, but let’s do the speech equivalent of the writing center,” Haas said.
It is hard to grow such a service without funding or a space, which is when Haas’s tenacity and resourcefulness kicked into high gear. He’d long had his eye on a space near the School of Communication Studies’ offices, which at the time was being used as a print center.
“I was lusting after that space because it was adjacent to our offices, so I started requesting that all the freaking time,” he said. “And one year, to my delight, a note appeared on the copy center that said, ‘Due to decreased demand, we will have reduced hours.’ So, I took a picture of that and sent it to the Space Committee.”
It wasn’t the first time he had put this request about the copy center to the Space Committee, which determines how space on campus should be used. But that note was his “in”—as were the people serving on the committee with whom he’d developed relationships—and he finally got it turned over to the school for the Public Speaking Center in 2012. After that, Haas acquired a second, satellite location at Hodges Library on campus that gave the center more visibility. These types of successes, achieved by relationship building and persistence, are some of the most satisfying wins he’s had over the years, he said.
In true form, he didn’t stop there. In the internet, Haas saw yet another space that could be filled. He acquired a grant to build the Tennessee Online Public Speaking (TOPS) website, which takes public speaking education and support well beyond the state by serving anyone with an internet connection. While the site is currently undergoing a redesign, Haas’s goal is for TOPS to be the go-to source for public speaking, similar to what the Purdue Owl website is for those seeking help with writing.
While he transformed the school from a teaching-focused public speaking department into a school touting top-tier researchers and teachers, public speaking remained a passion. He never forgot the feeling of empowerment public speaking gave him when he first discovered it, and that’s a feeling he wants to share with others.
In addition to the online and on-campus speaking centers, Haas also transformed and expanded the McClung Speech Contest, which is now the largest competition of its kind in the southeast. Students from across campus compete and observe the competition, which awards scholarships and accolades to the top five finalists as they deliver speeches on intercultural topics. Many of the winners aren’t communication studies majors, or even CCI majors—but over the years, more than a few have switched majors after experiencing the same feeling of empowerment that drove Haas into a career devoted to public speaking.
Leading leaders
It’s not difficult to see how Haas’s impact has reached far beyond the School of Communication Studies, an observation CCI Dean Joe Mazer made when he gave Haas the CCI Career Achievement Award in May 2026.
“For decades, John has shaped not only a school, but generations of students. His influence can be seen in the experiences he created, the opportunities he dreamed into reality, and the confidence he instilled in those he taught and mentored,” Mazer said. “What sets John apart is not just what he achieved, but how deeply he invested in people. His connection to students is extraordinary. For so many, he has been the defining figure of their experience.”
That impact extends beyond students and alumni, as Haas’s investment in people is evidenced today in the faculty members who thrived under his leadership and now hold administrative positions at CCI. Miller and Childers were both junior faculty under Haas’s leadership, and both said his mentorship and leadership inspire them.
“He’s basically been an administrative leader role model for me. I always thought it was so cool that, even as a school director managing so many people and students, he chose to stay in the classroom. And he chose to stay in the intro class for many years where he had so many students. He never wanted to lose that touch,” Childers said.
Childers was early in her career at what is now the Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations when her director passed away, leaving the school’s faculty grieving and in flux. It had only been a few years since Haas had moved to CCI when the college’s dean, Michael Wirth, called upon him to step in as the school’s interim director. Childers said the appointment initially shocked the school’s faculty, but in hindsight, Haas was exactly the right person for the job.
“He was a great person to step in and do that, because he always, always leads with a people-first mentality,” she recounted. “He never ever once lost his focus that it was truly the people he was there to serve and support.”
When Childers was asked to step in as interim director of the School of Journalism and Media, Haas was one of the first people she turned to for support. As she navigated leading an unfamiliar school, he motivated her on the hard days. Since then, she’s continued her upward trajectory, becoming director of the Tombras School before taking on her current position.
As for Miller, she echoed Kotowski’s reason for accepting a position at the School of Communication Studies: she really wanted to work with such an intelligent, kind, and innovative school director.
“I have always felt like he took a chance on hiring me, so I have always felt like I owe him everything. I remember when I was looking for positions, I thought, ‘Wow, how lucky would I be to work for someone like him?’,” she said.
Since then, she’s seen him go out of his way to help students and faculty, herself included. Sometimes it’s just a small gesture, such as asking her how she is doing and making it clear that he means, how is she really doing.
“That’s how he is with students, with everyone. First thing he asks: ‘How are you doing?’” she said.
These many achievements and relationships filled Haas’s 37 years on Rocky Top, which didn’t afford him the time to build a research portfolio to achieve full professorship. It’s a sacrifice few scholars are willing to make, said Kotowski, who called Haas a brilliant leader and scholar.
“If you want to talk about someone who has given their all to Tennessee, that guy has given his career, his life to Tennessee,” he said.
Though he is officially retired, Haas is not quite ready to stop giving back, ever embodying the Volunteer spirit. He is now an associate professor emeritus, and expects to stay involved and help CCI by doing what he does best: connecting with people and building relationships.
