The University of Arkansas System is the official home for the administration of the Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lectures program. The program was established in 1972 and endowed by friends of Governor Winthrop Rockefeller to assist faculty at five universities in obtaining outstanding visiting lecturers to communicate ideas that stimulate public discussion, intellectual debate and cultural advancement. The participating universities include:
University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
University of Arkansas at Monticello
University of Arkansas Pine Bluff
The lectures are free and open to the public. Most speakers interact with students prior to their public lecture and mingle with the audience afterward. Some of the past participants in the series include:
- Dr. Donald Berwick, former administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Julian Castro, former San Antonio mayor and current U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Jon Meacham, best selling author and historian
- Robert Menchu, Nobel Peace Laureate
- Rebecca Skloot, author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
- Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History
- Dr. Cornel West, Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary
- View the full list of past lecturers.