Will Michaels

Will Michaels started his professional radio career at WUNC.

He was first an intern while studying at UNC-Chapel Hill. As a part of his internship, he worked for a semester on the daily national show, The Story with Dick Gordon. Will concentrated on radio while at college, studying under veteran NPR reporter Adam Hochberg. He began as a reporter for Carolina Connection, UNC's radio news magazine, and then became an anchor and managing editor for the program in 2009, when it was named the best college radio news program in the country by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Will came back to WUNC after graduation in 2010 as the producer for the local broadcast of Morning Edition, rising before the sun to help host Eric Hodge gather and present the news. In 2014, he produced WUNC's My Teacher series, part of the North Carolina Teacher Project. He joined the team for The State of Things later that year.

In 2016, Will became WUNC's first Daily News Producer, creating content for WUNC newscasts and periodically filling in as host for Morning Edition or All Things Considered.

Outside of radio, Will holds a seat on the board of the North Carolina Governor's School Alumni Association. He attended Governor's School in 2005 for drama, and still considers himself a theatre geek at heart.

Documents Leave Questions Unanswered About UNC's Deal With Sons Of Confederate Veterans

By Will Michaels • Dec 17, 2019

The University of North Carolina System agreed to give the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans $74,999 in exchange for the group keeping Confederate symbols off public university campuses.

UNC Board of Governors To Give Confederate Group $2.5M To Preserve Silent Sam

By Will Michaels • Dec 8, 2019

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Will Michaels reports on reaction to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors giving the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans $2.5 million to preserve the Silent Sam Confederate monument that once stood at UNC Chapel Hill.

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors is giving the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans $2.5 million to preserve a Confederate monument that once stood on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill.

UNC Board Of Governors Chair To Step Down

By Will Michaels • Sep 25, 2019

The chair of the UNC System's Board of Governors is resigning after a little more than a year at the position.

A spokesman for the system said today Harry Smith is stepping down from the chairman position on October 1st. He did not indicate a reason for the decision.

High Tide Flooding On The Rise In North Carolina

By Will Michaels • Jul 11, 2019

National forecasters say high tide flooding hit record levels in some parts of North Carolina and expect it to be more common over the next 30 years.

On Her Way Out, UNC Chancellor Orders Removal Of 'Silent Sam' Pedestal

By Will Michaels, Rusty Jacobs & Elizabeth Baier • Jan 15, 2019

Updated at 4:15 p.m. ET

North Carolina's flagship public university removed the pedestal where a now toppled Confederate statue, known as "Silent Sam," once stood on a main campus quad, early Tuesday morning.

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill announced at 1 a.m. that the removal had begun, and by 2:40 it was all over. A work crew with a large truck, a forklift and floodlights took the last piece of the base from the main quad, leading to cheers from a crowd that had gathered to watch.

UNC System Graduation Rates Vary By Institution And Racial Composition

By Will Michaels • Aug 3, 2018

Graduations rates are slowly rising in North Carolina's public universities, but disparities remain among each school and their racial demographics.

About 72 percent of freshmen who started at a UNC System school in 2011 got their degrees within six years, but graduation rates are still significantly lower at institutions with more low-income students and people of color.