Distinguished Emeritus Teaching Faculty Pat Hastings Wins NATAS Silver Circle Award

This past November, the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced that distinguished emeritus teaching faculty member Pat Hastings had won the 2025 Silver Circle Award for her outstanding contributions to the television industry.

Created in 1992, the Silver Circle honors exceptional individuals who have devoted 25 years or more to the television industry, performed distinguished service and made an enduring contribution to the industry. Hastings is one of nine outstanding broadcasters being celebrated in 2025 and she joins 226 other broadcasters who have been honored since the Silver Circle’s founding.

“It’s an honor I never expected. I can’t even put it into words” Hastings said. “Personally, it’s a jaw dropper. Professionally, I appreciate all that everybody did for me throughout my career in television and radio and, of course, my students in the J-School which was my favorite job.”

Prior to joining the SJMC faculty in 2000, Hastings spent 10 years working as a commercial television reporter, producer and photographer in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Green Bay. She eventually made the transition to education, teaching at UW–Milwaukee for several years, and started her own media consulting business.

“We are so proud of Pat in earning this well-deserved honor,” said Kathleen Bartzen Culver, SJMC director and James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics. “Pat’s is unmatched in her dedication to her students and their learning both time-testing and cutting-edge storytelling approaches. Talk to any of Pat’s students and you will hear endless stories of support, creativity and good humor. Her impact is timeless.”

Students attending the WBA Student Seminar on March 5, 2022 with Distinguished Teaching Faculty Pat Hastings.

While Hastings enjoyed a very successful broadcasting career, her true passion was in the classroom. While at SJMC, she recognized a need for classes that better prepared students to be journalists in a digital age and created classes to teach the skills necessary to succeed. With her wide range of experience and knowledge, Hastings taught courses in video production and podcasting.

“The most rewarding aspects are seeing them grow into working professionals and listening to their ideas because they are smart people. This is a smart school,” Hastings said. “It’s very apparent in my classes that these [students] are thinkers and researchers.”

One of Hastings’ biggest contributions to the SJMC was the creation of The Badger Report, a student-led livestreamed newscast that gave students the opportunity to gain real world broadcasting experience. With Hastings’ guidance and mentorship, her students won multiple awards for their broadcasts including Milwaukee Press Club, Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and Society of Professional Journalists awards.

Distinguished Faculty Associate Pat Hastings working with students on the Badger Report in 2019.

“Students got to work in all elements of a newscast and so many of those students got jobs and internships because of [Badger Report],” Hastings said. “I still get calls from students asking ‘How do I do this?’ ‘What do you think?’ ‘Can you look at my resume or this contract?’ And I’m happy to do it because I still feel a strong relationship with the J-School.”

Students in Hasting’s courses have gone on to successful careers in reporting and strategic communication. Her mentorship was one of the hallmarks of her time at SJMC.

“I was lucky enough to work alongside Pat for almost 20 years before she retired from UW, and had the opportunity to see first-hand the impact she had on our students,” said Debra Pierce, SJMC Distinguished Teaching Faculty member. “Students would line up outside her door, eager to chat about the best way to shoot the next assignment or get career advice. Newsrooms from around the country continue to reach out to Pat to reach into her TV and video Badger alumni network – that’s because these newsrooms know, if they were trained under Pat, our Badgers excel in the industry – just as Pat did herself.”

Hastings’ relationship to the SJMC is one that she continues to strengthen. Despite retiring in 2022, Hastings has returned to teach J335: Principles and Practices of Reporting and will be teaching the class this coming spring. She looks forward to inspiring the next generation of tenacious communicators.

“I hope I provided some guidance to get people where they want to be and that my actions have a positive impact on other people,” Hastings said. “Don’t be afraid to try things and keep doing the things that make you happy. Don’t think that because you’re a certain age, you have to be something. Go out and rip it up.”

Hastings will be honored at the 2025 Wisconsin Silver Circle Honors Presentation on Sunday, February 2, 2025 at Marquette University. See the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences’ website for more information.