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Speakers & Educational Series

Winona State has a long, rich history of thought leadership through campus speakers series and educational series.

These events offer our campus community unique insight, new perspectives, and industry expertise.

Upcoming Speakers & Series
Connecting the University Mission to Action

Each year WSU welcomes speakers and guests from around the world.

They share their unique outlook and engage us with their intriguing account of the world around us. Their diverse experiences are combined with the university theme to inspire student and community involvement.

Duran Family Speaker Series

The Duran Family Speaker Series is the premiere speaker series at Winona State. The series was founded to present events that provide unique cultural enrichment and educational opportunities for our campus communities.

Internationally renowned speakers present topics in the sciences, the arts, politics, literature, popular culture, and more. Some past speakers include Bill Nye the Science Guy and “Saturday Night Live” star Michael Che.

Events are made possible through a generous gift by 1970 Winona State graduate Denis Duran.

Fall 2024: Simu Liu
Our Fall 2024 speaker is actor and author Simu Liu, best known for his roles in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the “Barbie” movie.
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Actor Simu Liu
Equity & Inclusive Excellence
The Office of Equity and Inclusive Excellence promotes acceptance and respect at WSU. They offer an extensive variety of speakers and events to nurture a culture of support.

The office coordinates cultural, heritage, and social awareness programs to educate and inspire campus and community members. 

Equity & Inclusive Excellence Events
A female student gives a presentation during a campus event.
Common Book Project
The Common Book Project brings together WSU’s community of readers. 

Each academic year a new Common Book is selected and incorporated into the curriculum of numerous courses, including sections of English 111: College Reading and Writing, and may be adopted by any faculty interested in the issues it raises. 

Public readings, lectures, discussions and other related events are scheduled concurrently with each author’s visit to WSU.

Common Book Project
A male student walks into a local bookstore in Winona, MN.
Great River Reading Series
The John S. Lucas Great River Reading Series brings poets, fiction writers and non-fiction writers to WSU each year. 

The writers visit creative writing and literature classes, meet with students, and give a public reading.

Great River Reading Series
A student reads a book in a classroom.
CLASP Talks
CLASP is the Consortium of Liberal Arts and Science Promotion.

The CLASP lecture series was initiated in 2004 and is intended to promote interdisciplinary discussion and exchange. 

CLASP presentations are aimed at a general audience of students, faculty and the community.

People attend a lecture in a lecture hall on WSU campus.
Academic Lectures
There are several academic lectures that bring together professionals in the field while enriching the learning of our students. 
People attend a panel of guest speakers in a lecture hall on WSU campus.
Earth Talks Speaker Series

The Earth Talks Speaker Series is hosted each semester by the Geoscience Department.

The series serves as a forum through which experts from academia, government, and the private sector, as well as WSU students and faculty, share their experiences and research results with the WSU Geoscience community.

The Distinguished Lecture Series

The Distinguished Lecture Series is hosted each semester by the Mathematics Department.

The series serves as a forum for experts within the mathematics and statistics fields to share concepts and how they are applied in industry.

Miller Brothers Lecture Series

Miller Brothers Lecture Series is hosted by the Miller Brothers School of Engineering Department.

The series serves as a forum for alumni and professionals within the Composite Materials Engineering industry to share design, manufacturing, and testing of composite engineering materials.