Organization and Committees

The Nelson Institute encourages broad, interdisciplinary collaboration across the UW-Madison campus. This creates a synergy that benefits the individual participants and strengthens the ties between their colleges, schools, and departments.

The institute is a freestanding campuswide unit led by a dean who is appointed by the chancellor of the university and reports to the provost.

The institute administers three graduate degree programs, two graduate certificate programs, two professional graduate programs, an undergraduate major and two undergraduate certificate programs. All are interdisciplinary. Each has its own elected faculty chair and committee. An instructional committee chaired by the dean oversees these academic programs as a whole, while the institute’s associate dean manages their day-to-day operations.

The institute also is home to four interdisciplinary research centers. Each is administered by a director who is elected in accordance with the bylaws of the center and serves subject to approval by the dean.

The governance committee includes the Nelson Institute dean, faculty, undergraduate program chair, graduate program chairs, certificate program chairs, research center directors, research and teaching professors, and any other faculty or academic staff member approved by the executive committee.

The executive committee comprises the Nelson Institute dean and faculty, undergraduate program chair, graduate program chairs, and research center directors who are tenured.

These and a variety of other committees of faculty and staff members and students deal with matters ranging from curriculum review to long-range planning.

An appointed Board of Visitors advises and assists the director in the areas of program direction and fundraising. The board comprises representatives of government, business, the nonprofit sector, and academia with a strong interest in the Nelson Institute’s mission.

More information is available in the Nelson Institute policies and procedures.