Distinguished Teaching Faculty Debra Pierce retires from the SJMC
Debra Pierce retires from UW–Madison’s SJMC after nearly two decades, leaving a legacy of innovation in digital media, AI, and strategic communication.
Highlights from the 2026 SJMC Spring Graduation Celebration
Read highlights from our 2026 spring graduation celebration, including keynote remarks from Zack Zaban, closing remarks from Director Katy Culver and photos from the event.
WSUM Named Best College Station in the Nation
WSUM was named Best College Station in the Nation by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS), the program's highest honor.
Students
Graduate Student Appreciation Week Q&A with SJMC Graduate Students
Meet some of the passionate graduate students who help make the SJMC a vibrant and collaborative community.
April 7, 2026
WSUM Named Best College Station in the Nation
WSUM was named Best College Station in the Nation by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS), the program's highest honor.
March 30, 2026
SJMC Students Take Home Multiple 2025 Collegiate Student Awards
The Wisconsin Newspaper Assocation Foundation awarded multiple SJMC students first place awards, along with Annika Bereny as Collegiate Journalist of the Year
March 10, 2026- See More
Faculty & Staff
Letters from the Directors: Spring 2026
Outgoing director Katy Culver and incoming director Mike Wagner reflect how far the SJMC has come over the past three years and their hopes for the future.
June 18, 2026
Distinguished Teaching Faculty Debra Pierce retires from the SJMC
Debra Pierce retires from UW–Madison’s SJMC after nearly two decades, leaving a legacy of innovation in digital media, AI, and strategic communication.
May 4, 2026
From Classroom to Collaboration: A Research Partnership Examining Digital Politics
Professor Young Mie Kim and former student Ross Dahlke explore how digital campaigns impact voter turnout and political behavior.
March 17, 2026- See More
Alumni
Celebrating the 2026 Alumni Award Winners
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication has announced its winners of the 2026 Alumni Awards. A ceremony will be held on Friday, April 24.
April 13, 2026
Q&A with 2026 Ralph O. Nafziger Award Winner Kynala Phillips
A Q&A With Kynala Phillips on her career journey as a Black journalist and work with community-based media.
April 13, 2026
Q&A with Distinguished Service Award Winner Janell Wise
A Q&A with Janell Wise on media law at CBS News, navigating defamation and newsgathering, and her journey from UW–Madison to top legal roles.
April 5, 2026- See More
Research and Insights
UW-Madison Survey Assesses Changing Public Attitudes Since Trump’s Election
A study from the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal examines changing public attitudes since the 2024 presidential election.
June 18, 2026From Classroom to Collaboration: A Research Partnership Examining Digital Politics
Professor Young Mie Kim and former student Ross Dahlke explore how digital campaigns impact voter turnout and political behavior.
March 17, 2026
Public Tech Media Lab partners with Factchequeado to train newsrooms across the country
PTML has partnered with Factchequeado to train newsrooms across the country on tools and techniques for conducting their own digital investigations with Open Source Intelligence.
March 17, 2026
Research shows social media advertising suppresses voting in targeted communities
A new study from SJMC professor Young Mie Kim is the first to quantify the effect of this kind of microtargeting on voter turnout.
February 24, 2026
Inside UW-Madison’s AI Terrarium: Recreating Human Belief in a Digital World
What happens when AI is built to think like people? Dive into the AI Terrarium, a bold experiment in modeling human belief and persuasion.
February 9, 2026Shaping the Future of Journalism: SJMC’s Tomás Dodds Founds the Public Tech Media Lab
Tomás Dodds, Director of the Public Tech Media Lab, discusses the importance of equipping journalists with the right artificial intelligence tools in an ever-evolving world.
October 1, 2025
CCCR Survey Assesses Public Views of Trump’s First 100 Days
Four months into the Trump presidency, a new UW-Madison survey report finds surprising insights on how Americans think about Trump’s first 100 days.
June 17, 2025
2024 Election Survey Profiles the American Voter
A new UW-Madison survey report on American voters found surprising insights on what drove votes in the closest national vote for president since 2000. The survey found big gaps in partisan attitudes toward equity and prejudice in American society, consistent with past research by the research team and other scholars.
January 23, 2025- See More
Events
Day of the Badger 2026: By the Numbers
Day of the Badger 2026 was a smashing success. See how the SJMC did by the numbers.
June 22, 2026
2025–2026 Academic Year in Photos
As we wrap up the 2025-2026 academic year, we're reflecting on the achievements of our students, faculty and staff, numerous events and other important moments that made this year so special.
June 10, 2026
Highlights from the 2026 SJMC Spring Graduation Celebration
Read highlights from our 2026 spring graduation celebration, including keynote remarks from Zack Zaban, closing remarks from Director Katy Culver and photos from the event.
May 12, 2026- See More
Vilas Insider
Vilas Insider, SJMC’s quarterly alumni newsletter, is shared digitally three times per year and in print in the spring.
Read our latest issue.
SJMC Insider: Fall 2025
This fall's edition of SJMC Insider welcomes new faculty and staff as well as a new Board of Visitors member to our community. In addition, read about one of our PhD students' new podcast and see the latest installment of our Three Questions series.
Weekly Department Updates and Announcements
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