Michael W. Wagner became the 15th director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in July 2026. He is also the William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea and Director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal.
Wagner joined the SJMC faculty in 2012 after earning his PhD in 2006 and serving on the faculties of the Universities of Delaware and Nebraska. Since coming to UW–Madison, Wagner has been a champion of the Wisconsin Idea, consistently finding ways to share and apply his knowledge with the greater Wisconsin community. Over the years, he has moderated live televised and radio broadcast debates, given over 300 public talks about his scholarship around the state, nation and globe, taught summer courses to legislative staff at the Wisconsin State Capitol, and become an internationally recognized political communication expert.
Housed in the SJMC with appointments in the La Follette School of Public Affairs, the Department of Political Science and the UW Law School, Wagner’s research focuses on how individuals’ experiences in the information ecology are associated with what they believe to be true, what they want from their government, and how they participate civically and politically. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and has also co-authored several books, including Battleground: Asymmetric Communication Ecologies and the Erosion of Civil Society in Wisconsin (Cambridge University Press), Mediated Democracy: News and Citizenship in the 21st Century, and Political Behavior of the American Electorate (both CQ/Sage Press).
Much of Wagner’s work has been supported by more than $12 million in funding from private foundations such as the John L. and James S. Knight Foundation and the Tow Foundation, public entities such as the National Science Foundation, and generous support from UW-Madison. As Director of the CCCR, he has helped lead a team of more than two dozen faculty and students – a group that has published several dozen articles, a number of books, and hosted major several conferences on campus about mediated information and contentious politics in Wisconsin.
Wagner’s commitments to pushing his field of research forward and the Wisconsin Idea are reflected in his priorities as SJMC Director. He hopes to expand the School’s global research leadership and who contributes to it which will ultimately inform how the SJMC prepares students to lead and deepen relationships with alumni. The parent of a Badger undergraduate student, Wagner has won three UW teaching awards and an alumni outreach award.
When he isn’t working on his research or teaching young scholars, Wagner enjoys spending time with his family, singing and playing guitar with Run SJMC, cooking and rooting for the Minnesota Twins, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and, for some reason, the Minnesota Vikings.
“We have to train students not just for the jobs that exist today, but for the challenges the next generation is going to face — and that means research skills, writing, video, and above all, ethical judgment.” – Michael W. Wagner, SJMC Director
