SALT LAKE CITY – Today, Westminster University announced the lineup for its first-ever Presidential Sesquicentennial Speaker Series, a curated slate of 4 thought-provoking lectures to be hosted on campus in 2025. Marking the university’s sesquicentennial year in 2025, the new series is designed to reflect the leadership style of President Beth Dobkin as she guides Westminster into its 150th year and beyond.
“As Westminster University heads into our sesquicentennial year in 2025, I couldn’t be more thrilled to host the first Presidential Sesquicentennial Speaker Series, inviting 4 visionary thinkers to campus,” said President Beth Dobkin. “This moment demands engagement, creativity, and courage, and we hope to engage our entire community in provocative conversations that will inspire future leaders and spark constructive change.”
The series of lectures, which are free and open to the public, will feature talks, Q&As, and receptions with a slate of four remarkable speakers bridging the arts, activism, environmentalism, and futurism. For the first time, the university’s Kim T. Adamson Lecture in International Studies joins the B.W. Bastian Foundation Diversity Lecture Series and the Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Poetry Series, along with a new event for Westminster’s Alumni Weekend, to be presented as an elevated panel of events.
The 4 lectures in the Presidential Sesquicentennial Speaker Series are:
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Kim T. Adamson Lecture in International Studies
Genesis Be, Global Ambassador, Moral Courage College
Thursday, February 13, 2025
B.W. Bastian Foundation Diversity Lecture Series
MLK Celebration Week Keynote: Environmentalist Dr. Carolyn Finney
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Anne Newman Sutton Weeks Poetry Series
Teacher, author, and LGBTQ+ activist Chasten Buttigieg
Friday, September 12, 2025
Westminster Alumni Weekend Keynote
Game Designer/Futurist Jane McGonigal
Learn more about the Presidential Sesquicentennial Speaker Series
