Gary R. Edgerton

Gary R. Edgerton is a distinguished media historian, critic, and academic. Over 45 years as a university professor, he spent 32 years in leadership roles, including as a dean and department chair. Recognized for his excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service, Edgerton has received two dozen professional honors and awards. He has authored or edited thirteen books and published more than 100 book chapters, journal articles, and encyclopedia entries.

Dr. Edgerton became the first permanent dean of Butler’s College of Communication in July 2012. While at Old Dominion, he was appointed eminent scholar by the institution's Board of Visitors in June 2010; and received the university's 27th Annual Research Award in Recognition of a Distinguished Scholarly Career in 2011.

In addition, Professor Edgerton was the Co-Executive Editor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television from 1998 to 2024 and an editorial board member of seven other scholarly journals. He has also delivered more than 12 Keynote addresses and 100 scholarly presentations at various international, national, and regional conferences. In 2004 he received the American Culture Association Governing Board Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Cultural Studies.

Over the years, Dr. Edgerton has been recognized with three teaching awards. He also averages two-dozen commentaries per year since 1990 across a wide variety of media subjects in magazines such as Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, and Variety; international magazines and newspapers such as El País (Madrid), The Guardian (Manchester, U.K.), Télérama (Paris), national newspapers such as the Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, and U.S.A. Today; regional newspapers such as the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, and Los Angeles Times; and numerous interviews on national and local TV and radio programs, including Marketplace (American Public Media), BBC Radio 5, CBC Radio Network, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, and Morning Edition (NPR), among other media outlets.