MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Sept. 4, 2026) — For Milligan University junior Claire Garwood, working with Milligan’s student radio station, 90.5 WUMC, began as an exciting work-study opportunity during her freshman year. Two years later, she serves as the station’s student manager as WUMC prepares to celebrate 30 years on the air.
“WUMC has helped me become more confident talking to new people and being a leader, and it has provided me with a much-needed creative outlet,” recounts Garwood. “Most importantly, I have made friends with people I may never have met if radio hadn’t brought us together.”
Her experience mirrors those of many students who have worked with WUMC over its 30-year history.
Milligan’s award-winning student radio station will begin a yearlong celebration of its 30th anniversary this fall.
The celebration kicks off with a 24-hour marathon broadcast on Wednesday, Sept. 9. This day marks the first broadcast on 90.5 FM by Milligan students in 1996.
On Sept. 9, the broadcast will feature recordings of student shows made throughout the years, interviews with radio alumni and music previously played on the station throughout each decade. Current Milligan students prepared this celebration by researching WUMC’s history and connecting with alumni.
“I’m proud of our students’ hard work to celebrate this milestone anniversary,” said Art Brown, area chair of digital and studio arts. “WUMC has been a student-led station from the beginning and an important place for community and student expression—from day one to the local music and community service emphasis of today.”
Garwood, a double major in humanities and exercise science from Cumming, Georgia, will present a half-hour history show with the top moments on WUMC over the years. It will air at midnight, noon and 6 p.m. on Sept. 9. The broadcast will be available on 90.5 FM locally and worldwide via livestream at milliganradio.com.
“To prepare for our 30th-anniversary retrospective show, I reached out to alumni who worked at the station and interviewed them about their experiences,” said Garwood. “Getting to learn the stories behind some of 90.5’s pivotal moments and most popular shows has been an amazing experience. As I interviewed alumni, I saw how 90.5 is truly a community space that brings a variety of people from different backgrounds together, giving them a safe space to explore their interests.”
Radio station alumni are invited to a reunion on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. during Milligan’s Homecoming Weekend. The reunion will be at the WUMC studio in the Paxson Communications Center. Alumni will be able to host their old shows with friends or simply be a DJ again.
WUMC music director Vaughn De La Cruz, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Chuckey, Tennessee, worked over the summer to restore a MiniDisc player once used to play music on the station, allowing returning alumni to play the same music they played as students from the original discs.
For more information on WUMC’s 30th anniversary celebration visit www.milliganradio.com/30years.