May 4, 2011
On May 2, Nelson Institute students, faculty, staff and staff emeriti gathered for a celebratory reception in honor of the new undergraduate major in environmental studies at UW-Madison. Special guests included Bucky Badger, members of the UW Marching Band, Provost Paul M. DeLuca, Jr., College of Letters & Science Dean Gary Sandefur, and Tia Nelson, executive secretary of the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. The environmental studies major will be jointly administered by the Nelson Institute and the College of Letters & Science and builds on the existing environmental studies certificate program administered through the Nelson Institute since 1979. The approval of the major in April followed an effort lasting more than 30 years. Below, view a slideshow of images from the reception. Additional photos can be found on the Nelson Institute Facebook page. View the full-size slideshow in a separate window.