The La Follette School of Public Affairs announced Professors Greg Nemet and Christine Durrance as the inaugural recipients of two new faculty awards during its winter celebration last week.
Nemet was awarded the school’s first Jack Salzwedel Distinguished Faculty Chair in Business and Regulation for his outstanding contributions to teaching, research, and service. Nemet’s work around technological change in the energy sector has significant policy implications related to business and government.
Nemet has established himself as one of the world’s leading scholars interrogating the process of technological change in energy and its interactions with public policy. He is currently working on an updated version to his 2019 book, How Solar Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation.
Thanks to the $3 million gift from American Family Insurance — the second largest in the La Follette School’s 40-year history – Nemet will be able to expand the reach of his groundbreaking research and inform critical public policy and governance debates. It will also provide critical resources to enhance the education the school provides to its students.
“A distinguished faculty chair is the most prestigious honor that a faculty member can receive, so it’s fitting that Greg is receiving this award,” says Susan Webb Yackee, director of the La Follette School. “Endowed chairs like this create additional opportunities for students to learn from world-class scholars. Greg has been an incredible mentor to so many students working on innovative climate technology research over the years, so it’s exciting to be able to extend that aspect of his work here at La Follette.”
The endowed chair is named in honor of the remarkable leadership and career of former American Family Insurance Chair and CEO, and current member of the La Follette School’s Board of Visitors, Jack Salzwedel.
Durrance received the new Curt and Sue Culver Professorship in Public Policy Education, which recognizes a faculty member who encourages civil policy discussions, exemplifies the Wisconsin Idea, and teaches from all ideological perspectives. Durrance will hold the position for five years.
In the classroom, Durrance fosters dialogue across diverse perspectives and integrates balanced ideological viewpoints into her teaching, and the impact of her research spanning health economics and policy extends far beyond the boundaries of campus.
“I am so pleased that Christine is the inaugural Curt and Sue Culver Professor. She is an accomplished scholar with an impressive breadth of work,” Yackee says. “She also personifies the award through her compassion in the classroom and a deep desire to help students develop the curiosity and open-mindedness that will serve them well in their careers.”
The professorship was made possible by a generous $250,000 gift from Curt and Sue Culver, which builds on their ongoing work to support students as they learn nonpartisan, evidence-based approaches to solving policy issues. In 2016, the two launched the Curt & Sue Culver Graduate Fellowship Fund in Public Service to provide financial assistance to some of the La Follette School’s top policy students. Curt Culver has been a member of the La Follette School’s Board of Visitors since 2015.