The History of the Carsey-Wolf Center

The Carsey-Wolf Center was established in 2000 as the Center for Film, Television and New Media. A pioneering joint venture between the Division of Social Sciences and the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts, the new Center was committed to the multidisciplinary study of media. It was renamed the Carsey-Wolf Center in 2004 to recognize the visionary leadership and support of television pioneers Marcy Carsey and Dick Wolf, and launched its first two major initiatives: the Media Ownership Project (eventually renamed the Media Industries Project) and the Environmental Media Initiative.  The Center next founded its environmental media teaching initiatives: Blue Horizons (2006) and GreenScreen (2008).

The Center moved to its current location in the Social Sciences and Media Studies building in 2009, and the Pollock Theater opened in 2010. In 2017, the Center launched its publishing initiative, Media Matters, under the auspices of Rutgers University Press, and has expanded its research rubrics to five categories: Environmental Media, Global Media, Information Media, Media and Democracy, and Media Industries.