Prof. Christiana Hammond appointed first female Rector of UniMAC -IJ

Prof. Christiana Hammond has made history as the first female to hold this prestigious position at the university. Currently serving as an Associate Professor in Intercultural Communication and Pragmatics, her appointment was officially announced in a statement on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.

Prof. Hammond has an extensive publication record in various fields, including identity studies, pragmatics, intercultural communication, metadiscourse, genre analysis, online dating, onomastics, cyber trolling, hate speech, and the processes of cultural shock and navigation. Her scholarly work includes book chapters and contributions to well-regarded academic platforms such as ORCID, ResearchGate, SAGE, and Academia.com.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Prof. Hammond is a passionate gender advocate and public speaker. She has contributed significantly to several national projects, including a situational analysis and curriculum mapping initiative aimed at assessing the integration of ESD indicators and the 2030 SDG Learning Objectives within Ghana’s educational policies and curricula. This project is supported by the Global School Programme, Millennium Promise Alliance (UNESCO), and Ghana’s Ministry of Education.

Biography

Christiana Hammond is an Associate Professor specializing in Intercultural Communication and Pragmatics. Her research encompasses a wide array of topics, including identity studies, politeness, metadiscourse, genre analysis, online dating, onomastics, cyber trolling, hate speech, and cultural shock. She has presented her findings at various local and international conferences and has published extensively, with her work accessible through platforms like ORCID, ResearchGate, SAGE, and Academia.com. Additionally, she is known for her advocacy in gender issues.

Her doctoral research focused on how speakers of selected Ghanaian languages construct their identities within a multicultural higher education environment. This study identified two primary identity types: public and private, shaped through processes such as proximity to specific cultures, local presence, hegemonic influences, de-ethnicization, identity negotiation, and self-branding in digital spaces.

Prof. Hammond has participated in numerous projects for her country, including serving on a team for a situational analysis and curriculum mapping of educational materials in basic schools, assessing the prevalence of ESD indicators and the 2030 SDG Learning Objectives in Ghana’s educational framework. Funded by various international organizations, she is also involved in the C40 Cities Finance Facility project addressing solid waste source separation and composting for behavioral change in Accra, implemented by GIZ and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, with support from the UK Government, BMZ, AFD, and USAID.

Positions Held

January 2019 – August 30, 2020: Dean, Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and Communication, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
– September 2020 – August 2021: Dean, Faculty of Foreign Languages Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
– October 2021 – July 2022: Dean, School of Communication and Media Studies, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
– July 2018 – July 2020: Vice Dean, Office of Dean of Student Affairs, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
– September 2022 – Present: Head, Department of Communication Instruction, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.