Earl Arms B.S. '09
Earl Arms named UW-Whitewater 2021 Outstanding Recent Alumnus
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is proud to announce that Earl Arms, who earned a B.S. in broadcast journalism in 2009, has been selected as the university's Outstanding Recent Alumnus for 2021. Arms is the media relations manager for Milwaukee Public Schools, the largest school district in the state of Wisconsin, with approximately 77,746 students in 2018. He also serves as host of Black Nouveau, a popular series on Milwaukee Public Television.
The award recognizes his reputation as an accomplished journalist and communications professional.
Arms, who knew he wanted to study broadcast journalism from a young age, hit the ground running at UW-Whitewater.
“Year one I got introduced to the radio station, which got me introduced to the landscape of the campus. I got to go to football and basketball games. I saw broadcast crews calling the games, and I thought ‘I should get a chance to do that too.’ It gave me the motivation.”
He had many opportunities along the way to hone his craft.
“I had Jim Mead as a teacher in a couple of courses, and I worked at UWW-TV. He always said, ‘Remember that a good story today is better than a great story tomorrow.’ It taught me how to get the stories in. To tell a good story. I like to think it helps me to tell great stories today, in 1 minute and 30 seconds.”
While he wasn’t studying or working his broadcasting job, he was participating in much of what the campus had to offer him: from Gospel Choir and the Black Student Union, to working as an RA and for UWW-TV and being a newscaster for the Royal Purple.
The highlight might have been a two-and-a-half week travel-study trip to Ghana with 30 other students.
While they studied up about the country, Arms said, “No matter what you learn before you go, there’s nothing like getting off the plane. My family was super proud that I got to do this.”
“I credit Dr. Richard McGregory and Dr. Roger Pulliam for getting the message out there to travel, to go abroad, to see the world.”
After graduating in 2009 with a major in broadcast journalism and a minor in political science, he put his communications acumen to immediate use. He worked as a television broadcaster at WAPT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi, and as communications director for Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes at the Wisconsin State Capitol. He currently serves as the media relations manager for Milwaukee Public Schools.
Along the way, he did graduate work in educational leadership at UW-Whitewater. And recently, Milwaukee Public Television tapped him for a plum role: as host of Black Nouveau, a long-running series that focuses on the African American experience in Milwaukee and beyond.
He continues to come back to campus as a speaker, mentoring the next generation of Warhawks and showing them what sort of professional opportunities are available.
To have his professional achievements lauded by the university is a point of pride.
“I am grateful for recognition and to be honored like this,” said Arms. “There are so many who looked out for me and supported me during the time at Whitewater.”
“My mom, my grandmother, my sister, my dad, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins — all encouraging me and pushing me, even to this day. They have been the people who were by my side and embraced me. They knew I wanted to do television. They established the faith that’s gotten me through so much. They are the rock and the foundation to my success.”
“My friends to this day — most are from UW-Whitewater,” he added. “It was a formidable time for all of us, when we searched for what we wanted to do and how we’d have an impact on this world. I am forever grateful to them.”
