Chancellor and Board of Regents approve reorganization of Institute for Environmental Studies (IES) into comprehensive, independent academic unit
Reid Bryson appointed founding director – 1970-1985
Cal DeWitt is first faculty member – 1970
First Earth Day observed – April 22, 1970
NSF awards first major institutional grant to IES $1.5 million – 1971
Three new centers (Geographic Analysis, Biotic Systems, and Human Systems) and two new groups (Environmental Monitoring and Data Acquisition, Quantitative Ecosystems Modeling) created to accommodate IES research – 1972
Earthwatch Radio debuts on 12 Wisconsin radio stations – 1972
Water Resources Management Graduate Program affiliates with IES – 1973
Land Resources Graduate Program established – 1976
Environmental Monitoring Graduate Program established – 1977
Environmental Studies Certificate Program for undergraduate students established – 1979
1980
Energy Analysis and Policy Certificate Program established
Environmental Monitoring and Data Acquisition Group renamed Environmental Remote Sensing Center
National Park Service establishes Cooperative Park Studies Unit at UW-Madison, with IES as administrative home. (Unit later becomes part of National Biological Service, then part of U.S. Geological Survey) – 1989
Arthur Sacks, director – 1985-1990
Reid Bryson Interdisciplinary Climate, People, and Environment Program established – 1987
1990
Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development Graduate Program established – 1990
Daniel Bromley, interim director – 1990-1992
Johnathan Foley named the first Climate, People, and Environment Program Professor - 1993
Tom Yuill, director – 1993-2003
Air Resources Management curriculum introduced – 1993
The IES Board of Visitors is created – 1995
IES launches its first international exchange program for UW-Madison graduate students, with five partner universities in Mexico, Canada, and the United States – 1997
Environmental Monitoring Graduate Program for returning professionals established – 1999
2000
Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) established – 2001
The Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison is renamed for the late Wisconsin governor and U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson – 2002
Transportation Management and Policy Program Certificate established– 2002
Erhard Joeres, interim director – 2003-2004
Frances Westley, first woman to lead the Institute, director – 2005-2007
Nelson Institute hosts first annual Earth Day Conference – 2006
Lewis Gilbert, interim director – 2007-2008
Center for Culture, History, and Environment (CHE) – 2007
Certificate in Culture, History, and Environment established – 2008
Gregg Mitman, interim director – 2008-2012
2010
Community and Environmental Scholars Program (CESP) established – 2010
Environmental Studies major – 2011
Center for Climatic Research (CCR) celebrates 50th anniversary – 2012
Undergraduate Sustainability Certificate established – 2014
Environmental Conservation (Professional MS) established – 2014
Water Resources Management (MS) celebrates 50th anniversary – 2015
Environmental Observation and Informatics (Professional MS) established – 2018
Paul Robbins, dean – 2012- present
2020
50th anniversary of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
50th anniversary of Earth Day
Governor’s Proclamation in recognition of 50th anniversary of Nelson Institute – February 6, 2020
Gaylord Nelson
The Nelson Legacy
Fifty years later the impact of Gaylord Nelson, the Institute’s namesake, a Wisconsin native who went on to serve as both governor and U.S. Senator and helped make environmental protection a top national priority in the latter half of the twentieth century, remains more current than ever in providing the framework and inspiration for generations to come.
Around the Nelson Institute The work of the Nelson Institute transcends disciplinary boundaries; through hands-on educational initiatives that bridge classrooms and communities;...
Milestones abound 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Nelson Institute and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day — both testaments to Wisconsin’s environmental...
Lectures and films abound As we celebrate the Year of the Environment encompassing our 50th anniversaries, the Institute’s lectures, films, performances, and special...
Saving species in the Year of the Environment It is a big year for the Nelson Institute, one we’re calling "The Year of the Environment.” The 50th anniversaries of Earth Day and of the...
50th: Our Stories The Nelson Institute’s rich history of excellence in education, research, and community engagement has been created and shaped by a number of...