Each year, Trinity University enriches the local and campus community through a variety of lectures, events, and series.
The University is excited to bring world renowned speakers to San Antonio, and invites you to join Trinity as we welcome these individuals.
DeCoursey Lecture Series
The DeCoursey Lecture Series is made possible by a gift from the late General Elbert DeCoursey and Mrs. Esther DeCoursey of San Antonio. The series features internationally celebrated scientists and humanists. The lecture has hosted Edward O. Wilson, Derek Parfit, Jane Goodall, Paul Berg, Richard Smalley, Shirin Ebadi, and Steven Chu. For more information, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 210-999-8201.
DeCoursey Nobel Economist Lecture
This series is sponsored by Trinity’s Department of Economics and is made possible through the generosity of the late Gen. Elbert DeCoursey and Mrs. DeCoursey of San Antonio. The series brings a former Nobel economist recipient to Trinity. Generally, the lecture takes place during the spring semester. Former speakers include Thomas Sargent, Roger Myerson, Peter Diamond, Paul Krugman, Amartya Sen, and Joseph Stiglitz. For more information, contact the Department of Economics at 210-999-7221.
Distinguished Lecture Series
This series is made possible through the generosity of the Walter F. Brown Family of San Antonio. This series brings some of the most influential leaders, pioneers, and thinkers of our time to Trinity to share their personal journeys and to provide insight into their life’s work. The series has hosted Walter Cronkite, Henry Kissinger, Walter Mondale, Elie Wiesel, Mario Cuomo, Benazir Bhutto, Dick Cheney, Desmond Tutu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Madeleine Albright, Robert Gates, and David Brooks, among others. For more information, contact Strategic Communications and Marketing at 210-999-8406.
Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series
The Trinity University Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series is made possible through an endowment gift from the Walter F. Brown Family of San Antonio. The lecture brings pioneering U.S. and international scientists to Trinity. Past speakers include Robert Sapolsky, Scott W. Tinker, John C. Mather, Robert A. Bjork, and David Eagleman. For more information, contact Office of Academic Affairs at 210-999-8201.
Flora Cameron Lecture on Politics and Public Affairs
The Flora Cameron Lecture on Politics and Public Affairs is made possible by an endowment gift from the late Mrs. Flora C. Crichton of San Antonio and is held during the spring semester. This lecture brings world leaders, heads of state, and politicians to Trinity to discuss their careers, historic events, and the modern political climate. The lecture has hosted Martin E. Dempsey, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Margaret Thatcher, Rudy Giuliani, George H.W. Bush, Vicente Fox, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Jeb Bush, among others. For more information, contact Strategic Communications and Marketing at 210-999-8406.
Food for Thought Lecture Series
The Food for Thought lecture series allows Trinity alumni, staff, faculty, and members of the San Antonio community to attend a lecture taught by a Trinity professor. The event includes a buffet lunch. Typically, there are three lectures each spring. A season subscription for all three lectures is $50 and a single lecture is $18. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 210-999-8404.
Lennox Seminar Lectures
The Lennox Lecture Series is made possible by the Martha, David, and Bagby Lennox Foundation. Departments including human communication, theatre, classical studies, modern languages and literatures, history, religion, sociology, communication, and others have hosted the Lennox Seminar Lectures. Four lectures center around a single topic, with visiting professors each offering a different perspective on the chosen theme. An outcome of the seminar is an anthology of papers generated by the speaker and seminar participants that are made available to the wider community. For more information, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 210-999-8201.
Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture
This lecture honors the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The lecture is sponsored in collaboration with the City of San Antonio MLK Jr. Commission and Trinity University. The lecture has hosted Freeman A. Hrabowski, Tim Wise, Julianne Malveaux, Boyce Watkins, Bernice King, and Ilyasah Shabazz, among others. The lecture takes place every January. For more information, contact the Office of Student Involvement at 210-999-7547.
Maverick Lecture
The Maverick Lecture is an event that honors the late Maury Maverick Jr., the legendary civil rights lawyer, former member of the Texas Legislature, Marine, and iconoclastic newspaper columnist. The lecture explores topics that defined Maverick's place in American civic discourse. These topics include threats to constitutional liberty, with particular emphasis on the First Amendment, issues of poverty and race, Western occupation of developing world countries, and the moral requirements of war. The Maverick Lecture is underwritten by the William and Salomé Scanlan Foundation. For more information, contact Alumni Relations and Development at 210-999-8404.
Mexico, the Americas, and Spain (MAS) Alvarez Seminar
The MAS series is made possible through the generosity of Carlos and Malú Alvarez. The series celebrates the history and influence of Mexico, the Americas, and Spain through art exhibits, lectures, film screenings, readings, workshops, and musical performances. It is interdisciplinary in nature and the coordination of the seminar rotates among MAS faculty from various academic departments. For more information, contact Elseke Membreño-Zenteno at 210-999-8826.
Policy Maker Breakfast Series
The Policy Maker Breakfast Series brings national leaders from across the United States to San Antonio to speak on a variety of topics, from politics to the economy to the role of the news media. Former speakers include Keith B. Alexander, Jay Carney, David Broder, Tucker Carlson, Tom Peters, Ann Compton, Chuck Hagel, Nina J. Easton, Bob Schieffer, and Jon Huntsman Jr. Breakfasts take place during both the fall and spring semesters, with two breakfasts scheduled for each semester. The series is sponsored by the Stevens Academic Enrichment Fund and the office of Conferences and Special Programs. For more information, contact Conferences and Special Programs at 210-999-7601.
Reading TUgether Lecture Series
Each year, the Trinity University community shares a common reading experience through the Reading TUgether program, in which students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to all read a single book. Selections have included Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss, The Circle by David Eggers, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne. Designed to enhance the first-year experience, the lecture occurs during New Student Orientation each fall. For more information, contact Academic Affairs at 210-999-8201.
Stieren Arts Enrichment Series
The series is made possible through the generosity of Jane and the late Arthur Stieren of San Antonio. This series brings to the campus a distinguished array of outstanding leaders in the fields of art, music, drama, communication, literature, art history, and aesthetics. The Stieren series encompasses both the fall and spring semesters. For more information, contact the Office of Faculty and Student Affairs at 210-999-7246.
Women’s History Month
March is Women's History Month, and the University celebrates with a series of events including the Ruth McLean Bowman Bowers Lecture. Bowers, a longtime benefactor of Trinity, served on the Board of Trustees and encouraged University programs, including annual Women’s History Month activities on campus. For more information, contact Jenny Browne at 210-999-7567.
Darwin Day Lecture
The Trinity University Darwin Day Committee organizes an annual lecture to celebrate the life and scholarship of Charles Darwin. Each February, a keynote lecturer provides a talk on research in biology, evolution, biodiversity, paleontology, chemistry, and other relevant disciplines. The lecture is sponsored by multiple departments, including biology, chemistry, computer science, religion, economics, math, engineering science, geosciences, philosophy, physics and astronomy, political science, and English. For more information, contact Michele Johnson at 210-999-8918.
McGavock Lecture Series
This lecture series honors the memory of William Crews McGavock, a former professor of chemistry who was instrumental in establishing the tradition of faculty and student research in the chemistry department. The McGavock Lecture Series is supported by an endowment from the McGavock estate and by donations from chemistry and biochemistry alumni. For more information, contact the Department of Chemistry at 210-999-7381.
Southwest Texas Archaeological Society Lecture Series
Covering a wide variety of topics within the field of archaeology, the Southwest Texas Archaeological Society (SWTAS) Lecture Series is free and open to the public. The series is made possible by the Archaeological Institute of America, SWTAS, and the Department of Classical Studies at Trinity University and occasional collaboration with UTSA and San Antonio College. For more information, contact the Department of Classical Studies at 210-999-7653 or consult the SWTAS website.
Jan and Tom Tinker Memorial Lecture on Science and the Humanities
The purpose of the Jan and Tom Tinker Memorial Lecture on Science and the Humanities is to support speakers for a campus visit and a campus-wide lecture at the intersection of science and the humanities, contributing to an interdisciplinary educational student experience. The endowed lecture is made in memory of Jan and Tom Tinker to honor their love of Trinity University and the legacy they helped forge through the many Trinity graduates from their family, including their children Dr. Scott Tinker ’82, Dr. Mark Tinker ’91, and Jill Tinker Duncan ’80.