Family and Friends of Dr. Robert Snyder

The Dr. Robert L. Snyder Scholarship was established in 2008 by family, friends, colleagues, and former students to honor his significant contributions to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and to the fields of radio, television, and film.

Dr. Robert L. “Doc” Snyder earned a bachelor’s degree from Wartburg College and a master’s and doctorate degree at the University of Iowa. Doc came to what was then Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh in 1964 to establish a curriculum in Radio-TV-Film. In 1966, with the help of students, he launched WRST-FM (Radio Station of the Titans). Doc played a significant role in the design of the program’s facilities in the Arts and Communications building, areas that remain an important component for broadcast and theatrical efforts of UW Oshkosh students today.

Doc’s students particularly valued his historical anecdotes that could relate coursework to real-world examples. His philosophy that “students must come first,” his conviction that students learn through hands-on experience and his excellent memory of names and faces, made him a powerful advocate for his students.

Doc’s voice belonged to the golden age of announcing. For more than 20 years, he read the names of each graduating student at commencement exercises and was the public address announcer at Titan football and basketball games. A devotee of and advocate for jazz, he also hosted the popular radio program Doc’s Jazz City broadcast on WRST from 1966-2008; students always served as his studio engineers.

Throughout his career, Doc was active in promoting media education and won numerous awards and accolades from his peers in education, media, and the jazz community. In 1986, he was awarded the Rosebush Award, the University’s highest honor. He was elected to the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2002. Doc passed away in 2008.