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Bucksbaum Lecture

At ÁùºÏ±¦¿â, we believe that access to influential world leaders is an exceptional way for you to experience thought-provoking ideas and develop into responsible global citizens. The Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lectureship is one of several programs at ÁùºÏ±¦¿â that ensure you’ll have the opportunity to hear from and interact with individuals who have changed the world with their ideas and actions.

Presidents, media icons, CEOs, best-selling authors, and other renowned figures have all taken the stage at ÁùºÏ±¦¿â’s Knapp Center to opine on vital global issues as part of the Bucksbaum Lecture, held twice annually in ÁùºÏ±¦¿â’s Knapp Center.

Admission to the lecture is free, and there’s always a Q&A session during which members of the audience are invited to pose questions. Because thousands of community members also attend, the lecture serves as a powerful tie between the University and the city of Des Moines.

Founded by Martin Bucksbaum, a former member of ÁùºÏ±¦¿â’s governing board and leader in the Des Moines community, the lecture has become a cornerstone of the University’s commitment to promoting responsible global citizenship.

Past Bucksbaum lecturers have included:

• Former United States President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter.
• Thomas Pickering, 17th undersecretary of state for political affairs
• Garrison Keillor, famed public radio host and bestselling author
• Lisa Ling, Acclaimed journalist and host of CNN's This is Life
• Megan Rapinoe, US Women's National Soccer Team co-captain
• Bill Bryson, best-selling author and ÁùºÏ±¦¿â alumnus
• David McCullough, American historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner
• Ken Burns, documentarian of Civil War, baseball and national parks
• Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran
• Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
• Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico
• Bob Costas, American sportscaster for NBC Sports