Badger Love Stories

Many of our SJMC faculty members have had the pleasure of meeting and working alongside their significant others at UW–Madison. This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating the multitude of “Badger Love Stories” that have flourished across campus and within Vilas Hall.

Jing Wang and Sijia Yang

Jing Wang is an assistant professor and Sijia Yang is an associate professor both working at SJMC.

How did you meet?

We first met in Beijing where we studied in the same university.

What is your favorite part about working at the same university?

Carpooling!

What is your favorite date spot on campus?

The Daily Scoop.

Dhavan Shah and Christine Garlough

Dhavan Shah is the Jack M. McLeod Professor of Communication Research at SJMC and Christine Garlough is a professor and director of the Center for Research on Gender and Women in the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies.

How did you meet?

We first met in High School but started dating on the UW campus as undergraduates in 1986. We have been married for 33 years.

What is your favorite part about working at the same university?

Sharing our experiences, learning from one another, and laughing about campus life.

What is your favorite date spot on campus?

The benches near the Washburn Observatory, right across from the Observatory Drive Scenic Overlook, and, of course, the Memorial Union Terrace.

Mike Wagner and Rachelle Winkle-Wagner

Mike Wagner is the William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea at SJMC and Rachelle Winkle-Wagner is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.

How did you meet?

We knew of each other a little bit during college, but really met at a mutual friend’s wedding in 2001. My old roommate had gone through a breakup and asked me to go to the wedding with him so he wouldn’t have to go alone. Rachelle was one of the bridesmaids. We hit it off at the wedding and I asked her to dinner a day or so later.

What is your favorite part about working at the same university?

Getting to know each other’s colleagues and students – they do such interesting and important work! I probably would be much less aware of all of the incredible things happening in her department if I wasn’t married into it. It’s also nice to have the same breaks.

What is your favorite date spot on campus?

Either the area around the food trucks or the Terrace.

Sue Robinson and Robert Asen

Sue Robinson is a professor at the SJMC and Robert Asen is a professor in Communication Arts.

How did you meet?

We met on an online dating site even though his office is almost directly above mine in Vilas. He swears we met before that when Prof. Lew Friedland and I were walking across the Vilas-Humanities bridge (now defunct) and ran into him. But I do not remember that. Sorry, Rob!

What is your favorite part about working at the same university?

Is it too unromantic to say I like that he can grab stuff from my office that I have forgotten? Seriously though, I love that we both research, teach, and care deeply about communication’s role in democracy and can bond over geeky stuff like the Dewey-Lippmann debates (as we just did today, actually). It is lovely to share that commitment and value system with my partner in such an integrated way.

What is your favorite date spot on campus?

To be honest, since we live in the same house and work in the same building, we tend to spend our “together time” OFF campus at whatever new restaurant has opened. Or, you can find us walking our dog, Bini, in our neighborhood. (We both love coffee shops but he is strictly an EVP person and I, alas, am a Colectivo person.)

Stacy Forster and Colin Benedict (BA’99)

Stacy Forster is a teaching faculty at the SJMC and Colin Benedict graduated from the SJMC in 1999 and is now the VP of News at Morgan Murphy Media in Madison, WI.

How did you meet?

Reporting in the state Capitol.

What is your favorite part about working at the same university?

Colin doesn’t work at the university, but as an SJMC alum he did win the school’s Nafziger Award in 2011, and it makes me happy when I see his name pop up on our screens on the 5th floor.

Matt Hermann and Katerina Somers

Matt Hermann is a teaching faculty at the SJMC and Katerina Somers is an associate professor in the Department of German, Nordic and Slavic+.

How did you meet?

We met on a dating app when we were both in Germany. She moved to England shortly thereafter but we made it work!

What is your favorite part about working at the same university?

Each of us can grasp the intrinsic oddities of the other’s academic workplace, we can drive in together when the weather is too gross to bike, and our winter, spring and summer breaks always align.

What is your favorite date spot on campus?

We don’t meet for coffee much, but we have been known to get boba together on State Street (at Sencha or Kung Fu).

Karyn Riddle and Mike Riddle

Karyn Riddle is the Robert Taylor Professor of Strategic Communication at the SJMC and Mike Riddle is the Creative Associate Director at the School of Education.

How did you meet?

We met in college, at the University of Illinois, when we were both part of a group in which we had to write (Mike) and choreograph (Karyn) a 7-minute musical about Elvis.

What is your favorite part about working at the same university?

Sharing parking passes!

What is your favorite date spot on campus?

We don’t have any favorite spots yet (having both of us on campus is somewhat new!)