An investiture ceremony is among the oldest traditions in academia. It’s also one of the most prestigious and inspiring campus events, bringing together faculty honorees and the donors who are investing in their work in celebration of new possibilities for the future.
In November 2024, at the School of Human Ecology, such a gathering conferred endowed titles to three of the school’s faculty members:
- Melissa Bublitz, a professor in the Civil Society & Community Studies and Consumer Science departments, was named the Liz Kramer Professor of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Carolee Dodge Francis, a professor in and chair of the Civil Society & Community Studies department, was named the Leola R. Culver Professor in Nonprofits and Philanthropy
- Cliff Robb, a professor in and chair of the Consumer Science department, was named the Lorna Jorgenson Wendt Professor in Money, Relationships & Equality (MORE)
Representing transformational generosity, Liz (Kramer) Lefkofsky and Eric Lefkofsky, Leola Culver, and Rachel Nash and Sarah Wendt, daughters of the late Lorna Jorgenson Wendt, were in attendance, seated on stage alongside the faculty honorees. Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Charles Lee Isbell Jr. and Soyeon Shim, the Elizabeth Holloway Schar Dean of the School of Human Ecology, delivered remarks and officiated the awarding of medallions.
“What does naming an endowed faculty position signify? For one thing, it signifies the transformation of your vision into a reality, and it makes a public statement of your confidence in a cause that matters to all of us, and to this state, and to this country,” Shim said.
“It brings the ideals of what you stood for to the attention of current and future leaders, and it presents a challenge that encourages others to follow your suit. Most importantly, it celebrates the life and contributions of all of you and your families,” she continued.
Bublitz, who joined Human Ecology in fall 2023, said she came to the school with the goal of integrating and advancing her research on food access, sustainability and social innovation and change. But she found so much more.
“I found a vibrant and collaborative collection of scholars genuinely interested in conducting research designed to positively impact the well-being of people and the communities where we live and work,” Bublitz said. “I found a scholarly community that is actively engaged in critical discourse to examine our world and our role in it. I found a campus where interdisciplinary collaboration is not only encouraged, but importantly supported with the resources needed to make these collaborations fruitful.”
Dodge Francis is the first Native woman to hold a department chair position at UW–Madison, and is now the first Native woman to hold an endowed professorship on campus.
“This incredible recognition, along with the associated discretionary funds, will allow me to continue fostering strong partnerships that create innovative ideas and sustainable healthy pathways for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities as it relates to food justice and food security,” Dodge Francis said.
“My recent work with UW–Madison researchers and Wisconsin Tribal partners launched a new project this year to support Native American food traditions and food sovereignty for Great Lakes Tribal Nations,” she continued. “This statewide project supports the training, engagement and support of UW–Madison Native students, faculty and Wisconsin tribes.”
In his remarks, Robb said Lorna Jorgenson Wendt’s gift embodied one of his favorite quotes attributed to the Stoics of ancient Greece: “A society grows great when old (people) plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
“Consumer Science is an interdisciplinary department with an eye towards consumer well-being, and it is impossible to tell the story of household and consumer well-being without understanding the role of financial resources and relationships that people have with those resources and each other,” Robb said. “We are home to experts in economics, sociology, psychology, marketing and public policy — just to name a few. Regardless of training or academic background, consumer well-being remains at the heart of all that we do.”
Mnookin emphasized how critically important endowed positions are, as they give faculty “the time and space to think about, and plan for, the next problem they want to tackle and how to approach it.”
“It’s hard to think of a place on this campus that’s more steeped in (the Wisconsin Idea) from one end to the other than the School of Human Ecology,” she said, “where every single field of study seeks to answer the question: ‘How can we make people’s lives better?’”
More about the investiture ceremony tradition
An investiture ceremony is among the oldest traditions in academia. Originating in English universities and modeled after highly dignified knighthood ceremonies, “investiture” comes from the Latin phrase for “dress in robe.” In academic circles, the term has come to mean one who will don the university’s insignia and regalia. The installation of a deanship, professorship or an endowed chair is a ceremony of dignity, honoring academic traditions and protocols.