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Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecturers

The history of the Ubben Lecture Series includes 37 years of speeches and class visits from some of the world's most recognized scholars, leaders and artists, with 120 programs presented since 1986.

Ubben Lecture Series Archives 1986-2023
Brad Stevens headshot
Brad Stevens

President of basketball operations, Boston Celtics
March 20, 2023

Maria Ressa headshot
Maria Ressa

Nobel Prize Recipient
November 2, 2022

Tamika Catchings headshot
Tamika Catchings

Olympian & Basketball Hall of Famer
November 22, 2021

Ken Jennings headshot
Ken Jennings

Jeopardy! Champion and Author
February 25, 2020

Condoleezza Rice headshot
Condoleezza Rice

Educator, Author, Former US Secretary of State
October 8, 2019

John Kasich Jr. headshot
John Kasich Jr.

Former Ohio Governor & Congressman, Author & Presidential Candidate
January 31, 2019

Juan Manuel Santos headshot
Juan Manuel Santos

Former Colombian President, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
October 22, 2018

Jenna Fischer headshot
Jenna Fischer

Award-Winning Actress (The Office) & Author
April 17, 2018

David Hanson & Sophia headshot
David Hanson & Sophia

CEO of Hanson Robotics & His Creation
February 28, 2018

Bill Rasmussen '54 headshot
Bill Rasmussen '54

Founder of ESPN, Entrepreneur
November 8, 2017

Malala Yousafzai headshot
Malala Yousafzai

Activist, Author & Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
September 4, 2017

David Cameron headshot
David Cameron

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
December 8, 2016

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. '57 headshot
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. '57

Civil Rights Legend & Presidential Adviser
October 29, 2016

Leslie Odom Jr. headshot
Leslie Odom Jr.

Tony Award-Winning Hamilton Actor
September 20, 2016

Arne Duncan headshot
Arne Duncan

Former US Secretary of Education
April 21, 2016

Douglas Hallward-Driemeier '89 headshot
Douglas Hallward-Driemeier '89

Attorney, Supreme Court Advocate
October 26, 2015

Yeonmi Park headshot
Yeonmi Park

North Korean Defector & Human Rights Activist
October 5, 2015

Andrew Luck headshot
Andrew Luck

National Football League Quarterback
April 24, 2015

Dan Quayle '69 headshot
Dan Quayle '69

The 44th Vice President of the United States, Chairman of Cerberus Global Investments
March 31, 2015

Piper Kerman headshot
Piper Kerman

Author, Orange Is the New Black
February 4, 2015

Jimmy Kimmel headshot
Jimmy Kimmel

Host and Executive Producer, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
November 8, 2014

David Brooks headshot
David Brooks

New York Times Columnist and Author
October 4, 2014

Michio Kaku headshot
Michio Kaku

Theoretical Physicist and Author
May 5, 2014

Martin Luther King III headshot
Martin Luther King III

Human Rights Advocate and Community Activist
November 21, 2013

Bret Baier '92 headshot
Bret Baier '92

Fox News Channel Anchor
October 12, 2013

Ron Paul headshot
Ron Paul

Three-Time Presidential Candidate and Former Congressman
September 10, 2013

Jane Goodall headshot
Jane Goodall

Primatologist, Ethologist, Anthropologist and UN Messenger of Peace
April 17, 2013

Carl Bernstein headshot
Carl Bernstein

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist and Author
February 13, 2013

Candy Crowley headshot
Candy Crowley

CNN Chief Political Correspondent
September 25, 2012

Leymah Gbowee headshot
Leymah Gbowee

Activist and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
February 15, 2012

Bill Clinton headshot
Bill Clinton

The 42nd President of the United States, Founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation
November 18, 2011

Jimmy Wales and Nicholas Carr headshot
Jimmy Wales and Nicholas Carr

Wikipedia Founder; Author of The Shallows
March 30, 2011

Lee Hamilton '52 headshot
Lee Hamilton '52

Former Congressman and Veteran Statesman
March 15, 2011

Oscar Arias headshot
Oscar Arias

Former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
December 8, 2010

Rebecca Skloot headshot
Rebecca Skloot

Author, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
September 9, 2010

F.W. de Klerk headshot
F.W. de Klerk

Former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
May 7, 2010

Jason Reitman headshot
Jason Reitman

Award-Winning Director and Screenwriter
March 15, 2010

Steven Levitt headshot
Steven Levitt

Economist and Co-Author of SuperFreakonomics
November 30, 2009

Howard Dean and Karl Rove headshot
Howard Dean and Karl Rove

Former Governor and DNC Chair; Former Senior Adviser to President George W. Bush
September 11, 2009

Jane Pauley headshot
Jane Pauley

Award-Winning Journalist
April 17, 2009

Todd Rundgren headshot
Todd Rundgren

Musician, Producer and Technology Pioneer
April 8, 2009

David Plouffe headshot
David Plouffe

Obama 2008 Campaign Manager
February 2, 2009

Greg Mortenson headshot
Greg Mortenson

Author of Three Cups of Tea
November 13, 2008

Tony Blair headshot
Tony Blair

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
March 3, 2008

Frank Warren headshot
Frank Warren

PostSecret Founder
November 26, 2007

Ralph Nader headshot
Ralph Nader

Consumer Advocate & Presidential Candidate
September 27, 2007

Jim Alling '83 headshot
Jim Alling '83

President, Starbucks USA
March 13, 2007

Mitch Albom headshot
Mitch Albom

Bestselling Author and Sportswriter
November 13, 2006

E.O. Wilson headshot
E.O. Wilson

Biologist and Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author
November 8, 2006

Charles Fishman headshot
Charles Fishman

Author, The Wal-Mart Effect
April 18, 2006

Mikhail Gorbachev headshot
Mikhail Gorbachev

Former Soviet Leader and Nobel Laureate
October 27, 2005

Naomi Wolf headshot
Naomi Wolf

Author and Feminist
September 21, 2005

Paul Rusesabagina headshot
Paul Rusesabagina

Real-Life Hero of Hotel Rwanda
April 25, 2005

Liz Murray headshot
Liz Murray

"Homeless to Harvard"
April 6, 2005

Peyton Manning headshot
Peyton Manning

2003 National Football League Co-MVP
October 26, 2004

Sen. Richard G. Lugar headshot
Sen. Richard G. Lugar

Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
October 25, 2004

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III headshot
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III

Former Presidential Envoy to Iraq
September 16, 2004

William S. Cohen headshot
William S. Cohen

Former Defense Secretary, Senator & Congressman
April 22, 2004

Eric Schlosser headshot
Eric Schlosser

Author and Investigative Journalist
November 11, 2003

Paul A. Volcker headshot
Paul A. Volcker

Former Federal Reserve Chairman
October 8, 2003

Gen. Wesley K. Clark (Ret.) headshot
Gen. Wesley K. Clark (Ret.)

Presidential Candidate and Military Analyst
September 23, 2003

Spike Lee headshot
Spike Lee

Director, Producer and Writer
April 3, 2003

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield headshot
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Founders of "Ben & Jerry's" Ice Cream
November 18, 2002

Mike Krzyzewski headshot
Mike Krzyzewski

Head Basketball Coach, Duke University
September 12, 2002

Harry Belafonte headshot
Harry Belafonte

Entertainer and Human Rights Activist
September 7, 2002

David McCullough headshot
David McCullough

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author, Historian and Television Host
March 18, 2002

Robert Gates headshot
Robert Gates

Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
December 3, 2001

Robert H. Waterston, M.D., Ph.D. headshot
Robert H. Waterston, M.D., Ph.D.

Director of the Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University
November 15, 2001

John Major headshot
John Major

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
October 29, 2001

Burton L. Gerber headshot
Burton L. Gerber

Retired CIA Officer
March 22, 2001

Norman J. Ornstein headshot
Norman J. Ornstein

Author, Columnist and CBS Election Analyst
November 16, 2000

Samuel E. Mann headshot
Samuel E. Mann

Methodist Minister, Human Rights Spokesman
November 13, 2000

William J. Bennett headshot
William J. Bennett

Former US Secretary of Education
March 2, 2000

Andrew Young headshot
Andrew Young

Former UN Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor
March 2, 2000

Julian Bond headshot
Julian Bond

NAACP Chairman, Civil Rights and Peace Activist
February 29, 2000

Oliver Sacks headshot
Oliver Sacks

Neurologist and Author, Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
October 28, 1999

Ferid Murad '58 headshot
Ferid Murad '58

1998 Nobel Laureate in Medicine
April 23, 1999

George Gilder headshot
George Gilder

Economist, Technology Consultant and Commentator
April 16, 1999

Doris Kearns Goodwin headshot
Doris Kearns Goodwin

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian and Bestselling Author and Commentator
February 12, 1999

Alan Simpson headshot
Alan Simpson

Retired US Senator, Attorney and Author
November 6, 1998

David R. Gergen headshot
David R. Gergen

Presidential Advisor, Journalist and Political Commentator
October 14, 1998

Sam Donaldson headshot
Sam Donaldson

Correspondent, ABC News
May 8, 1998

Seymour Hersh headshot
Seymour Hersh

Pulitzer Prize-Winner and Author, The Dark Side of Camelot
December 9, 1997

Jonathan Kozol headshot
Jonathan Kozol

Educator, Writer and Activist
November 12, 1997

Gloria Borger headshot
Gloria Borger

Columnist, US News and World Report, and CBS News Analyst
November 5, 1997

Christopher Edley, Jr. headshot
Christopher Edley, Jr.

Senior Adviser to President Clinton and Author
November 5, 1997

Gwen Ifill headshot
Gwen Ifill

Correspondent, NBC News
October 28, 1997

Roger Wilkins headshot
Roger Wilkins

Educator, Writer, NPR Commentator and Activist
October 14, 1997

Bill Bradley headshot
Bill Bradley

Former US Senator and Basketball Hall of Famer
September 10, 1997

Benazir Bhutto headshot
Benazir Bhutto

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
May 7, 1997

Sister Helen Prejean headshot
Sister Helen Prejean

Prison Activist and Author of Dead Man Walking
April 30, 1997

Dr. David Ho headshot
Dr. David Ho

TIME's 1996 Person of the Year, AIDS Researcher
April 16, 1997

Shimon Peres headshot
Shimon Peres

Former Prime Minister of Israel and 1994 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
November 11, 1996

H. Ross Perot headshot
H. Ross Perot

Business Executive and Presidential Candidate
April 29, 1996

Barbara Bush headshot
Barbara Bush

Former First Lady
March 20, 1996

James Lovell headshot
James Lovell

Former Astronaut and Apollo 13 Commander
December 1, 1995

Bob Woodward headshot
Bob Woodward

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist, Assistant Managing Editor, The Washington Post
December 2, 1994

General Colin Powell (Ret.) headshot
General Colin Powell (Ret.)

Former Chairman, US Joint Chiefs of Staff
November 2, 1994

Lynne Cheney headshot
Lynne Cheney

Former Chair, National Endowment for the Humanities
October 7, 1994

Ken Burns headshot
Ken Burns

Emmy Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker
April 8, 1994

George Will headshot
George Will

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Columnist, Newsweek & The Washington Post
March 4, 1994

Allen Neuharth headshot
Allen Neuharth

Founder, USA Today
December 3, 1993

Brian Mulroney headshot
Brian Mulroney

Former Prime Minister of Canada
November 18, 1993

David S. Broder headshot
David S. Broder

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Political Commentator
November 12, 1993

Paul Tsongas headshot
Paul Tsongas

Former US Senator and Presidential Candidate
April 30, 1993

Carl Rowan headshot
Carl Rowan

Journalist and Author
April 6, 1993

Leon Lederman headshot
Leon Lederman

Physicist and Nobel Laureate
April 2, 1993

Tom Wicker headshot
Tom Wicker

Author, Commentator and Former New York Times Columnist
March 12, 1993

Jesse Jackson headshot
Jesse Jackson

Civil Rights Leader and Two-Time Presidential Candidate
December 3, 1992

William J. Bennett headshot
William J. Bennett

Former US Secretary of Education
September 30, 1992

Margaret Thatcher headshot
Margaret Thatcher

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
April 7, 1992

David R. Brower headshot
David R. Brower

Environmentalist
January 25, 1991

Willy Brandt headshot
Willy Brandt

Former Chancellor of West Germany and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
November 2, 1990

Lester C. Thurow headshot
Lester C. Thurow

Economist and Author
March 9, 1990

Elie Wiesel headshot
Elie Wiesel

Author and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
September 21, 1989

William J. Bennett headshot
William J. Bennett

Former US Secretary of Education
October 6, 1988

Zbigniew Brzezinski headshot
Zbigniew Brzezinski

Former National Security Adviser
March 4, 1988

Mary Frances Berry headshot
Mary Frances Berry

Historian and Member of the US Commission on Civil Rights
November 6, 1987

Allan Bloom headshot
Allan Bloom

Philosopher and Author, Closing of the American Mind
September 11, 1987

Gov. Richard Lamm headshot
Gov. Richard Lamm

(D) Colorado
November 5, 1986