Rendezvous on the Terrace, the annual gathering for alumni of the Nelson Institute, looks a lot different today than when it started. “It used to just be me and Marty [Kanarek] holding a few tables at the Terrace,” joked Dean Paul Robbins. As the institute has grown, so has its alumni community, which is now nearing 14,000 graduates. It’s fitting, then, that the annual gathering has grown from a few folks on the Terrace to an at-capacity Tripp Commons in Memorial Union.
This year, alumni from around the country gathered to celebrate the institute and champion its future. With ties to the Nelson Institute that span decades, alumni and friends swapped stories, shared memories, and made new connections. Here are four can’t-miss moments from Rendezvous 2024.
- Rousing Remarks from Robbins
The party kicked off with Dean Paul Robbins, who shared his perspective on the state of the institute. “All of this growth wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the tireless efforts of staff, faculty, and all of you that support the institute in so many ways.” - A Surprise Retirement Party
Longtime Nelson Institute faculty member Paul Zedler, who announced his retirement earlier this fall, was honored for his decades of campus service. Zedler joined the faculty in 1998 as a professor of environmental studies. He also chaired the environment and resources graduate program from 2008 to 2010 and was a previous associate director/dean of the Nelson Institute. - Celebrating Alumni Excellence …
A Rendezvous tradition is the celebration of the current cohort of alumni award winners. This year, seven alumni were recognized: Arlyne Johnson, Curt Meine, and Jeff Rudd received Distinguished Alumni Awards; and Gloria Castillo Posada, Naomi Louchouarn, Laura Miller, and Anna Weinberg received Rising Star Alumni Awards. - … Part Two
New this year, the Center for Culture, History, and Environment — one of the Nelson Institute’s four research centers — honored some of its alumni with the first annual CHE Alumni Award. Heather Swan, UW–Madison senior lecturer, and Nathan Jandl, associate director of sustainability at the UW–Madison Office of Sustainability, were both honored by center director Will Brockliss.