The College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lectureship is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a faculty member by the College, and may be awarded only once to any particular person. Recipients are accorded this honor in recognition of the excellence of their professional attainments, exemplifying the values and mission of Illinois State University and the College of Arts and Sciences; in particular, they demonstrate the active pursuit of learning, creative activity, scholarship, and research, as well as their dissemination through publication and teaching. Each year, the College Council selects up to two faculty members as recipients of this award.
Distinguished Lecturers
Spring 2026
Matt Himley
Geography, Geology, and the Environment
Fall 2025
Bruce Burningham
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
First 20 Years
The first twenty years of lectures have been collected into a volume published in 1990: First 20 Years: Arts and Sciences Lectures 1968-1988, edited by Dr. Richard H. Dammers.
Distinguished Lecture Archive
We have chosen to list all of The Arts and Sciences Lectures of the past, both in chronological order and by department. We do this to honor those who have earned this distinction and because the topics of the lectures give a good overview of the many dimensions of the College of Arts and Sciences.
2025-2029
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Bruce Burningham
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Fall 2025 -
Andrew Hartman
History, Spring 2025
2020-2024
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Jeffrey Wagman
Psychology, Fall 2024 -
Touré Reed
History, Spring 2024 -
Christopher Breu
English, Fall 2023 -
Christopher Mulligan
Chemistry, Spring 2023 -
Cheri Simonds
Communication, Fall 2022 -
Amy Wood
History, Fall 2022 -
Maura Toro-Morn
Sociology and Anthropology, Spring 2022 -
Lisa Szczepura
Chemistry, Fall 2021
2015-2019
-
Rajeev Goel
Economics, Fall 2019 -
Alison Bailey
Women and Gender Studies, Spring 2019 -
Daniel Liechty
Social Work, Fall 2018 -
Laura Vogel
Biological Sciences, Spring 2018 -
Maria Smith
Sociology and Anthropology, Fall 2017 -
Alan Lessoff
History, Spring 2017 -
David Malone
Geography-Geology, Fall 2016 -
Dr. Tim Hunt
English, Spring 2016 -
Dr. Ken Clements
Mathematics, Fall 2015 -
Robert McLaughlin
English, Spring 2015 -
Roger Thomas
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Fall 2014
2010-2014
-
Louis Perez
History, Spring 2014 -
Timothy D. Lash
Chemistry, Fall 2013 -
Mark Swerdlik
Psychology, Spring 2013 -
Wib Leonard
Sociology and Anthropology, Fall 2012 -
C. Andrew Weeks
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Spring 2012 -
William Cupach
Communication, Fall 2011 -
Lane Crothers
Politics and Government, Spring 2011 -
Roberta Seelinger Trites
English, Fall 2010 -
Krzysztof Ostaszewski
Mathematics, Spring 2010
2005-2009
-
James Stanlaw
Anthropology, Fall 2009 -
Lynn Worsham
English, Spring 2009 -
David Williams
Biological Sciences, Fall 2008 -
Ron Fortune
English, Spring 2008 -
Paul Garris
Biological Sciences, Fall 2007 -
Radheshyam K. Jayaswal
Biological Sciences, Spring 2007 -
Curtis White
English, Fall 2006 -
Charles Su
Physics, Spring 2006 -
Charles Thompson
Biological Sciences, Fall 2005 -
Norma Presmeg
Mathematics, Spring 2005
2000-2004
- Manfred Steger, Politics and Government, Fall 2004
- John Shields, English, Spring 2004
- Susan Sprecher, Sociology, Fall 2003
- Rainer Grobe, Physics, Spring 2003
- Thomas Simon, Philosophy, Fall 2002
- Janice Neuleib, English, Spring 2002
- Paul Holsinger, History, Fall 2001
- A. Lee Beier, History, Spring 2001
- Steven Juliano, Biological Sciences, Fall 2000
- Douglas H. Lamb, Psychology, Spring 2000
1995-1999
- Robert Hunt, Politics and Government, Fall 1999
- Richard Martin, Physics, Spring 1999
- Charles Orser, Anthropology, Fall 1998
- Sandra Metts, Communication, Spring 1998
- Diane F. Urey, Foreign Languages, Fall 1997
- Raymond M. Bergner, Psychology, Spring 1997
- Willard Bohn, Foreign Languages, Fall 1996
- Brian J. Wilkinson, Biological Sciences, Spring 1996
- Jamal R. Nassar, Politics and Government, Fall 1995
- William Morgan, English, Spring 1995
1990-1994
- Laura E. Berk, Psychology, Fall 1994
- John Barron Pryor, Psychology, Spring 1994
- Mark Wyman, History, Fall 1993
- Richard J. Payne, Politics and Government, Spring 1993
- Lucia Cordell Getsi, English, Fall 1992
- Glenn D. Reeder, Psychology, Spring 1992
- L. Moody Simms, History, Fall 1991
- Elizabeth McMahan, English, Fall 1990
- Richard A. Stivers, Sociology, Spring 1990
- Carl J. Ekberg, History, Fall 1989
1985-1989
- Anthony E. Liberta, Biological Sciences, Spring 1989
- Earl Reitan,History, Fall 1988
- Carol Thomas Neely, English, Spring 1988
- Alan Monroe, Politics and Government, Fall 1987
- Gerlof D. Homan, History, Spring 1987
- Ray Lewis White, English, Fall 1986
- Rodger L. Tarr, English, Spring 1986
- John B. Freed, History, Fall 1985
- Roger C. Anderson, Biological Sciences, Spring 1985
- John A. Dossey, Mathematics, Fall 1984
1980-1984
- Joel G. Verner, Politics and Government, Spring 1984
- Cheryl R. Stevenson, Chemistry, Fall 1983
- John F. Cragan, Communication, Spring 1983
- Jonathan E. Reyman, Anthropology, Fall 1982
- William Linneman, English, Spring 1982
- John Guegen, Politics and Government, Fall 1981
- Arlan Richardson, Chemistry, Spring 1981
- F. James Davis, Sociology, Fall 1980
- Charles B. Harris, English, Spring 1980
1975-1979
- Harvey G. Zeidenstein, Politics and Government, Fall 1979
- Mark A. Plummer, History, Spring 1979
- Norton B. Crowell, English, Fall 1978
- Phares G. O'Daffer, Mathematics, Spring 1978
- Jack A. Ward, Biological Sciences, Fall 1977
- Bernard L. Ryder, Chemistry, Spring 1977
- Frederic N. Firestone, Economics, Fall 1976
- Roger J. Champagne, History, Spring 1976
- E. Joan Miller, Geography, Fall 1975
- Robert K. Ritt, Mathematics, Spring 1975
1970-1974
- Dale B. Vetter, English, Fall 1974
- Herman E. Brockman, Biological Sciences, Spring 1974
- Vernon C. Pohlmann, Sociology, Fall 1973
- Walter S. G. Kohn, Politics and Government, Spring 1973
- Edward L. Schapsmeier, History, Fall 1972
- Edward B. Jelks, Anthropology, Spring 1972
- Wesley C. Calef, Geography, Fall 1971
- Stanley E. Grupp, Sociology, Spring 1971
- Stanley S. Marzolf, Psychology, Fall 1970
- Alice L. Ebel, Politics and Government, Spring 1970
1965-1969
- Edward L. Mockford, Biological Sciences, Fall 1969
- Gary L. Cronkhite, Speech/Psychology, Spring 1969
- Helen M. Cavanagh, History, Fall 1968