Larry Meiller takes the Wisconsin Idea – “the boundaries of the campus are the boundaries of the state” – literally. Over the course of five decades, Meiller has shared his lunch hour with millions of people across the Badger State. Conversations with Larry Meiller, his mid-day radio call-in show, reaches some 400,000 listeners, and it”s the highest-rated of Wisconsin Public Radio”s locally produced shows.

Meiller has shared his expertise with thousands of students during his career at the College, with similar results. Students in his radio broadcasting class have consistently awarded him the highest evaluation scores in the department since he began teaching in 1970.

Meiller”s efforts on behalf of his students, and his success in promoting the College”s work across the state, have earned Meiller the College”s Distinguished Service Award for 2004.

“To those of us not on campus on a regular basis, Larry is truly the ”voice of CALS” with his daily program on Wisconsin Public Radio,” writes farm broadcaster (and former Meiller student) Bob Bosold. “His friendly, knowledgeable conversations with University researchers and specialists help make their research understandable and usable for the audience. Farmers, gardeners, environmentalists, and many other groups depend on him to put to use the valuable research information that continually flows from the laboratories and research plots at CALS.

“In this world of constant change, Larry has adapted his program to benefit a large and varied listening audience. Where he once dealt strictly with agricultural topics and market information, he now has expanded to include environmental, nutritional, technological and many other topics, all of which he is very conversant in.”
A genuine homegrown product, Meiller was born in Stoughton, grew up in Cottage Grove, graduated from Madison East High School, and earned bachelor”s, master”s and Ph.D. degrees from the UW-Madison. He began broadcasting in 1968, and after working as an Extension information specialist and research assistant, he joined the faculty of the agricultural journalism (now Life Sciences Communication) department in 1975.

Meiller teaches an introductory course in radio broadcasting each semester. Some students take his class to prepare for careers in broadcast journalism, but many others use their course experiences in other communication careers. His students learn first-hand the pressures and limitations that broadcasters face every day in deciding which stories to air. Drawing on their knowledge, these students help their employers – government agencies, agri-businesses or public relations agencies – earn air time for their stories.

Meiller carries the bulk of the department”s advising load, currently advising about 100 of the department”s 140 undergraduates. He has led the department”s internship placement efforts, and maintains a daily email message service alerting students of internship and employment activities he solicits from alumni and communications industry leaders. Meiller has won both the Excellence in Teaching and the Excellence in Advising awards, among many others.

While Meiller helps students who excel in their academic work, he also quietly helps a number of “project” students find ways to complete their degrees. Many have struggled with majors that didn”t match their skill levels, and others are returning to campus to try again after previous failures, according to former LSC chair Tom Schomisch. “A number of successful grads owe their success to Larry”s willingness to invest many counseling sessions to guide them to improved study habits, course selection, and a balance of social and academic activities,” he points out.

Meiller developed an instructional exchange program with the University of the West Indies in the 1980s. He annually recruits and trains students for this spring semester exchange program in Trinidad, and works with Trinidad educators to place students in Madison each fall semester. His success with this program led to his selection as CALS assistant dean for international affairs. Meiller has taught two courses at UWI and conducted communication training in eight Caribbean countries. Working with UWI faculty, he carried out a communication program that produced radio programs, slide shows, videos and several hundred fact sheets dealing with agricultural, health and nutrition issues in the Caribbean.

During his academic career Meiller chaired the agricultural journalism department and served on dozens of College and UW-Madison committees, chairing many of them. He was a member of the UW Athletic Board and served on the board of directors for the Badger Herald, Wisconsin Broadcast Advisory Council and UW-Madison Student Radio. Meiller has authored or co-authored more than 50 research articles and extension research publications in the areas of international communication, community development, and muskellunge regulations.
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