Prof. Hazen began working for the University as a researcher in electronic engineering immediately following his graduation in 1953; he continued work he had first done as a student. According to Prof. Hazen, his career happened "accidentally." After the Navy first trained him to do electronic work on shipboard, he naturally drifted to study in the field. Before long, Prof. Hazen found himself, chair of the Electrical Technology Department.

Prof. Hazen, who became the department's first full-time faculty member in 1955 and was then chairman for almost 30 years, naturally had quite a bit of influence in its design. He and his associates had little upon which to model a department. They learned what they could from the very few established departments, especially the one at Purdue, and went from there to build a program almost from scratch.

Dividing his time among some research work, teaching, and his duties as Chairman, he kept himself fairly busy; for a time there was not a course in the department that Prof. Hazen did not occasionally teach. In addition to all of this work, he also became quite involved in the national Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (formerly ECPD). Involvement in the Accreditation Board required that he make voluntary inspection trips to various schools seeking accreditation. For a while Prof. Hazen made as many as 13 trips in one year. Each trip required his being away from the University for about two days, which made staying on top of teaching and chairman’s responsibilities more difficult. He became more and more involved with the Accreditation Board over the years, eventually serving as national chairman of the group in 1975-76. Because he was so involved in accreditation, he saw programs in engineering technology across the country; this helped him gain many insights that benefited the department and also gave the University of Dayton national recognition in the field. Prof. Hazen really believed that his electronic engineering technology department was the best in the country and if he ever felt that this wasn't true he was going to make it so. He attributed much of the quality and success of the department to his faculty and students. Prof. Hazen always stayed on top of things. He worked hard to keep the program state-of-the-art. In 1970, for example, he developed one of the first courses in the country on noise pollution. Although Prof. Hazen spent much time and energy developing a competitive program, he still enjoyed teaching, especially courses like the one in noise pollution that he considered exciting.

Although teaching was not his original goal, he found it fulfilling. He especially liked to see how much students could develop in some of the introductory courses, and he enjoyed watching graduates achieve success. His commitment to the students was impressive! He knew all his students personally and was a good friend to many. This commitment to students extended to a dedication to the University in general.

For his outstanding contributions to the University, Prof. Hazen was awarded the honor of the title professor emeritus. Even though retired, he is still (and will always be) an active member of the EET department. He makes it a point to attend all social gatherings and is always available for his expert advise.