Pam Cha: part-time professor, full-time communicator

This archived article was written by: Kelli Burke-Gabossi

Pam Cha has been a communications professor at CEU since 2003 but is not like any other professor.
Cha lived in Price up to elementary school. She then moved to Salt Lake City where she graduated from Brighton High School. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and communications at the University of Northern Colorado. She then carried on her education and earned a Master of Arts degree in communications.
Returning to Utah, she taught English and was the assistant debate coach at Brighton High School until 1980. She also taught at the University of Northern Colorado and Brush Junior High School until 1982.
When Cha was 25, she stopped teaching, determined to never pursue that career again. She then became the business CFO of a mining company. She visited family in Price every weekend, met her husband, and decided to settle down in 1986. Cha was the CFO until 2004.
In 2003, Troy Hunt offered her an adjunct position to teach group communications that she couldn’t refuse. Ever since then, she has taught group communications, public communications, intercultural communications, interpersonal communication and intermediate writing which was added to her schedule this year.
When Cha was told she would be instructing intermediate writing, she hesitated. But after the fall semester began, she found she enjoys the subject. She hopes to teach the class in future semesters.
Cha enjoys being involved with the students in her classes. She likes to keep in touch with students who have graduated. In her free time, she cooks, visits family, reads and travels.
So far, she has travelled to Greece, Italy, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and many states of the U.S. including Alaska and Hawaii.
The greatest piece of advice she has ever received was from her high school principal, James Shurtleff, who told her, “Whatever you choose to do with your life, you have to do what you want to do, not what everyone else wants you to do.”
Cha followed the advice and would not have been happier any other way. She would pass on this advice to any students in need of guidance. She also likes to live by the motto, “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser,” stated by John Gardner.
Cha believes her greatest accomplishment is her family. She was named the Who’s Who of America in 2010; she was the Utah Business and Professional Woman of Achievement in 1993; but awards will never measure up to the importance of building a family.
She regrets pausing her career in teaching but appreciates the opportunity offered to her to educate students at USU-CEU.
Cha expects her students to work hard, be honest and succeed. By becoming involved with students, she knows what each student is capable of accomplishing and will accept nothing less than their best.
Her office is in the BDAC room 130. Her office hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or by appointment. She can be contacted at 613-5888.