Dear alumni and friends,
Change is, as it always seems to be, in the air this fall on campus. The most obvious? You’re reading this column in a much different format than the last time you virtually flipped open an issue of The Commons. Our strategic communications team has been hard at work this summer to bring our alumni (and friends!) magazine into a new era.
Back in January, many of you completed our readership survey. Your feedback was honest, insightful, and — most importantly — useful. With that, and through conversations with a number of peer publications, we rethought, revamped, and relaunched The Commons into the fully digital, immersive publication you’re reading now. You’ll notice the stories feel more timely, more relevant, and more engaging.
You can expect new editions of The Commons to publish quarterly. This shift from monthly allows our editorial team to dive deeper into the research and topics you’ve asked about. And for alumni readers, watch your inboxes in between issues for an exclusive, alumni-only companion newsletter. (Make sure your contact information is up to date so you don’t miss it.) And, as always, we welcome and encourage your feedback.
It’s fitting to relaunch The Commons with a water-themed issue, as we’re currently celebrating the 60th anniversary of our water resources management program. When WRM was founded, it was way ahead of its time: problem-focused, rooted in community needs, and truly interdisciplinary. Programs all around the country and the world have since raced to keep up with our program, which remains ahead of the curve. But the world continues to evolve: climate change, new technology, novel modes of water governance. WRM needs to continue to advance. The key is to innovate the WRM program, and to keep pushing ahead, while maintaining everything that already makes it a magnet for the best students and a hugely popular program for communities that want to work with us. Are you a WRM graduate? Get nostalgic with these program memories shared by your fellow alumni.
Another big change here at Nelson is the addition of four new faculty members who joined our team through the RISE-EARTH hiring initiative. First, I’d like to give a warm, Wisconsin welcome to Assistant Professor Joel Ferguson, Associate Professor Julie Klinger, Assistant Professor Jonathan Sullivan, and Assistant Professor Beth Tellman. These individuals bring a huge amount of intellectual activity and firepower and really advance our robust community. More than this, of course, they reinforce what all our faculty and staff already do well: doing integrative research, drawing first-class students, attracting major research money, and proceeding from community/firm/partner-first research and teaching efforts.
And finally, regarding an update you may have seen in the news: Science Hall received state funding for a much-needed renovation. While we are still in the early days of a long process, I can tell you this: It will improve accessibility, support student learning, and enhance community with better lecture and community spaces, all while retaining the historic qualities that make this place so special.
While changes so often abound, one thing is constant: this community of alumni, faculty, students, and engaged environmentalists is truly one-of-a-kind. Thank you for being part of it.
On, Wisconsin!
Paul Robbins
Dean, Nelson Institute
