Wilbur Lang Schramm (1907–1987) was a pioneering figure in the establishment of communication studies as an academic discipline in the United States. His tenure at the University of Iowa was instrumental in shaping the trajectory of journalism and mass communication education.

Academic and Professional Background

Schramm earned his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Iowa in 1932. His early academic work focused on English literature, but his interests expanded into social psychology and sociology during his time at Iowa. In 1935, he was appointed as an assistant professor in the English department, where he founded and edited American Prefaces, a literary magazine aimed at providing a platform for emerging American writers. In 1936, he established the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the first program in the country to grant an advanced creative degree in fiction and poetry.

During his tenure, Schramm laid the groundwork for the development of a mass communications doctoral program, which would go on to become one of the country’s leading graduate programs in the field. He also established a typographic laboratory that became central to the program’s focus on the intersection of communication theory and practical media production.

Leadership in Journalism Education

During World War II, Schramm served in the Office of War Information, where he studied propaganda and began employing behavioral research methods. This experience led him to shift his focus toward mass communication. In 1943, he returned to the University of Iowa as the director of the School of Journalism, a position he held until 1947. Under his leadership, the school began to incorporate social science methodologies into its curriculum, laying the groundwork for the development of communication studies as a distinct academic field.

Legacy and Influence

After leaving Iowa, Schramm continued to advance the field of communication studies. In 1947, he founded the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois, which became the first academic unit to offer a Ph.D. in mass communication. He later served as the founding director of the Institute for Communication Research at Stanford University and as Director of the East-West Center’s Communication Institute in Honolulu. Schramm’s work established the foundation for communication studies programs across U.S. universities.

Schramm’s contributions to journalism and mass communication education are preserved in the Wilbur Schramm Papers, held by the University of Iowa Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives. These materials provide valuable insights into his work and the evolution of journalism education.