Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
Date June 3, 2025
All News

Commencement 2025: IBES launches the next cohort of climate leaders

Filled with warmth and purpose, this year’s celebration featured powerful programmatic additions and carried momentum through the passion of over 50 new graduates.

Commencement Weekend is always festive, but this year held special significance. From May 23 to 25, IBES honored the resilient and purpose-driven graduating Class of 2025, while also closing out the Institute’s 10th anniversary year.

The community’s energy was palpable throughout the weekend: graduates reunited with faculty mentors, alumni returned to the Urban Environmental Lab (UEL) for the annual ENVS Cocktail Party, and expert panelists offered visions for a more just and sustainable climate future. In every hug, laugh, and idea exchanged, the spirit of IBES—transdisciplinary, community-rooted, and optimistic—was alive and well.

A Toast to the Class of 2025: IBES Commencement Cocktail Party

On Friday evening, the UEL garden came alive with celebration as students, alumni, faculty, staff, and family members gathered for the Environmental Sciences and Studies Cocktail Party: a nostalgic and lively tradition that kicks off the Commencement Weekend each year.

This year’s gathering featured a touching tribute to the late Professor Emeritus Harold Ward, the architect of environmental studies at Brown. Guests paused for a moment of reflection as a slideshow of photos and anecdotes played in his memory, honoring his immeasurable impact on Brown’s academic program and the generations of students he inspired.

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Commencement Forum — The Climate Landscape in 2025: Legal and Policy Responses

On Saturday, the Brown community filled 85 Waterman Street’s Carmichael Auditorium for IBES and the Watson Institute’s Commencement Forum, which unpacked the evolving role of law and governance in shaping climate action, offering perspectives from environmental law, public policy, and political science. Speakers included:

“ Some of our polarization may get broken down because of environmental needs. Pay attention to the things that matter to people. … You might find allies where you would be quite surprised. ”

Wendy Schiller Alison S. Ressler Professor of Political Science
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Moderated by Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs Carrie Nordlund ’05 PhD, the discussion highlighted the power—and limitations—of legal frameworks in catalyzing meaningful climate progress, and emphasized the need for multi-level collaboration between governments, communities, and researchers.

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The event concluded with a spirited hour-long reception, where graduating seniors, their families, alumni, and faculty connected over refreshments and shared reflection.

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Degrees of Impact: Environmental Sciences & Studies (ENVS) Departmental Ceremony

On Sunday, May 25, the Class of 2025 crossed the stage to receive their diplomas in Environmental Sciences and Studies, wholeheartedly cheered on by faculty, friends, and family.

Following years on the Front Green, the ceremony was held in the Kasper Multipurpose Room—a larger venue selected to accommodate the program’s growing cohort, reflecting the increased student interest in environmental studies. This year also marked the debut of alivestreamed and recorded ceremony, allowing friends and family from around the world to take part in the celebration.

Watch the departmental ceremony

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Director of Undergraduate Studies Mindi Schneider and Cathy Halstead, Trustee Emerita of the Brown Corporation, presented the Class of 2025 with their diplomas.

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As the ceremony’s faculty speaker, Teaching Professor Kurt Teichert urged the Class of 2025 to lead with purpose, empathy, and joy in developing solutions to today’s environmental challenges.

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The 2025 ceremony introduced several new traditions as well. Associate Teaching Professor Mindi Schneider, newly appointed Director of Undergraduate Studies, served as master of ceremonies and led the event with warmth, humor, and insight. And for the first time, the department welcomed a senior orator, Ava Ward, who reflected on the meaning of community within the Urban Environmental Lab and the spirit of shared purpose that defines the IBES experience.

The UEL, simply by existing, makes us want to live in a more sustainable way: to take only what we need and to give as much as we can. ... Here’s to hoping that we’ll meet again in the UEL sometime soon.

Ava Ward Class of 2025
 
Ava Ward

The event reflected both pride in each graduate’s academic journey and a collective hope for what lies ahead. As always, the ceremony was a celebration of a community ready to meet environmental challenges with clarity, empathy, and intention.

My biggest wish for the ENVS class of 2025 is that you carry on … as students and learners of the wide world; that you ask the hard questions, even when your voice shakes; that you find meaning and purpose in your work and your life; … and that you build, cherish, and strengthen your communities through accountability for what matters and care for each other.

Mindi Schneider IBES Director of Undergraduate Studies
 
mindi schneider