The Mudd Center

Erica Lord with group

The Roger Mudd Center for Ethics advances dialogue, teaching, and research about issues of public and professional ethics across all three of the University’s schools - the College, the Williams School, and the School of Law.

Yearly Ethics Theme

White lotus branch

Taking Place: Land Use and Environmental Impact

The Mudd Center’s 2025-26 multi-disciplinary program will investigate the complex interplay between land use and the environment, with a particular focus on issues related to green technologies, biodiversity, and health. Through a lecture series, symposium, photographic exhibition, documentary viewing and community engagements, the Mudd Center will analyze various meanings of “taking place” and the ethics of how we use and manage the natural environment and land resources. Central to our investigation are guiding questions that explore environmental ethics and their applications, such as: Can seemingly competing interests and values, such as economic gain and environmental justice, be reconciled? What responsibilities and ethical challenges emerge when humans intervene to restore ecosystems? And, perhaps most importantly, how might we bring conversations about environmental conservation and land use into a non-partisan arena even when there may be deep ideological divisions?

Upcoming Public Events

Oct 02 - 5:10 pm - 6:10 pm

Mudd Center Speaker: Olatunde Johnson

Olatunde Johnson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’59 Professor of Law, Columbia University Known for her distinguishe

Oct 28 - 5:10 pm - 6:10 pm

Mudd Center Speaker: Benji Backer

Is it possible to protect the environment in an age of deep political division in America? Drawing on his travels a

Mudd Center News


Olatunde Johnson is the Next Speaker in the Mudd Lecture Series

Johnson, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’29 Professor of Law at Columbia University, will give a lecture on Oct. 2 in Stackhouse Theater.

Continue Reading

W&L’s Mudd Center Presents Screening of ‘Anthropocene: The Human Epoch’

The Sept. 30 screening features the work of Edward Burtynsky, whose solo exhibition is on view at the Reeves Museum of Ceramics.

Continue Reading

A Natural Segue

“Ralph commented when he made his gift that he hopes it will inspire others to follow suit.”

Continue Reading