John Wegner is a specialist in U.S. social and political history of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (c. 1877–1917). Other fields of specialization include state and local history, particularly within Michigan. He has taught primarily introductory courses in U.S. history at EMU, but has recently drawn on past teaching experience and graduate study to teach courses dealing in antiquity and the Middle Ages. Other courses taught include: Early Western Civilization, Early World Civilization, U.S. to 1877, U.S. from 1877 and Michigan History.
Dr. Wegner has degrees in four fields and worked as a journalist and television producer prior to becoming a professional historian. He began teaching as an adjunct instructor at EMU in 2001 and became a full-time lecturer in 2003. Dr. Wegner recently took a degree in Urban and Regional Planning, with special emphasis on Historic Preservation.
Nominated four times by students for the Outstanding Lecturer Award, Dr. Wegner has also contributed articles to scholarly journals in a variety of fields and delivered papers at conferences. He is a popular "after dinner" speaker at service organizations in the Toledo, Ohio area. He is a member of the Ohio Academy of History and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He also currently serves as a Trustee of the EMU chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).