Dr. Robert J Snyder

Primary Area: Media Studies - Video and Audio Production, Television News, Media Writing, Law, Social Media, Business Communication

PhD: Mass Communication, Minor: Education, Ohio University. Bachelor of Science: Radio-TV-Film, Minor: Journalism, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Think Freely.

Think Critically.

Think Outside-the-Box.

Think Humanely.

Dr. Robert J. Snyder has been connected to the University of Wisconsin System since 1964.  That's the year his father, Dr. Robert L. Snyder, was hired by UW Oshkosh to develop an academic program in Radio-TV-Film.  That program was recently named a UW System Regents Teaching Excellence Award, the highest honor in the UW System.  Snyder is a member of the UW Oshkosh Radio/TV/Film program Alumni Hall of Fame. Dr. Rob Snyder is a third-generation broadcaster as his grandfather, the late Reverend John Streng, started broadcasting the services of St. John Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Nebraska, on June 12, 1949.  Those services are still on-the-air today on KWBE Radio, Beatrice, NE.

Dr. Rob Snyder designed and received approval from the UW System Board of Regents for the first academic program in Social Media in the UW System. He is the architect of the first academic program in Social Media in the country to feature high impact learning practices, including establishing and supervising the first student-run social media production company in the country. The university has recognized Dr. Snyder for his teaching excellence on three different occasions; UW-Platteville Award for Teaching Excellence, 2016, recognition for distinguished contributions to the mission of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville; The National Society of Leadership and Success, UW-Platteville, “Excellence in Teaching Award,” 2015, recognition for being “a pioneer in education through the establishment of a minor in social media;” Thomas and Lee Ann Lindahl Award for Teaching Excellence, College of BILSA, 2014. Between 2003-2017, video production majors working under Dr. Snyder's supervision were recognized 38 times for achievement awards, representing eight different competition categories, in a variety of state, regional and national competitions.  No other student organization or groups of students at UW-Platteville has achieved this level and range of recognition for excellence.  

For the past few years, Dr. Snyder has received over $41,000 in grant money from the Menards Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation (MCSII) to provide the university and Platteville community with a range of programming centered on the theme of civil liberties.  According to the university's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Dr. Snyder's grant is the first gifted grant in the history of the university.  Among the topics presented have been "Martin Luther-Feminist," "Advocacy for Those Born Intersex," "Female Refugees from Syria," and "Native American Dance." A believer in The Wisconsin Idea, every comprehensive university in the University of Wisconsin System has benefited from Dr. Snyder's expertise through his service on the Board of Directors for the Menards Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation (MCSII), through his current role as a content expert/reviewer for the recently established Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue (WICCD) and through his on-going role as a member of the Education Committee of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. (WBA)  Beyond Wisconsin's border, among the many organizations that have directly benefited from Dr. Snyder's expertise are the Smithsonian Institution, C-SPAN, ACLU, and the Library of Congress (National Film Registry). 

Dr. Snyder is in demand as a workshop leader and for media interviews. Dr. Snyder has completed dozens of research publications and conference presentations. His current research project, funded in part by the university, is an exploration of attempts by the FBI to suppress the civil liberties of German-American Lutheran ministers at the onset of World War II. 

In 2022, Dr. Snyder was appointed as a Patient/Family advocate to the Research Initiatives committee of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. In 2024, he received an additional appointment as a Lay reviewer to the foundation's Litwin IBD Pioneers Committee.  The mission of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases.  The Initiatives program provides support for cutting-edge translational research studies, focused on the five priority areas to address unmet clinical needs in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).  In 2021, more than $32 million was directed to over 200 research projects. That brings the number of projects that the CCF has supported since its inception in 1967 to more than 2,500 research projects and the total investment in IBD research to over $500 million.