Past Speakers

2025

Nikki Budzinski - Illinois Congresswoman, 13th District - Morton-Kenney Lecture series - November 24, 2025

Jessica Yellin - Founder, News Not Noise - Understanding Our New World virtual series - November 13, 2025

Jen Daulby - CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation - November 10, 2025.

Future of Higher Education in Illinois panel discussion - Dr. Dan Mahony, Ralph Marterie, Jim Nowlan - November 4, 2025.

Carol Moseley Braun - Former United States Senator from Illinois - October 22, 2025

Frank Gavin - Profressor and Author, "Thinking Historically: A Guide to Statecraft and Strategy" - Understanding Our New World virtual series - September 24, 2025.

Ronald McMullen - Former United States Ambassador, Professor at the University of Iowa - September 9, 2025

David Callahan - Founder and Editor, Inside Philanthropy - Understanding Our New World virtual series - September 3, 2025.

Max Stier - President and CEO, Partnership for Public Service - Understanding Our New World virtual series - July 14, 2025.

Philip Shenon - Author, "Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Catholic Church.” - Understanding Our New World virtual series - May 28, 2025.

Lindsey LaPointe - Illinois State Representative, 19th District - Pizza and Politics - May 5, 2025

Sharon Davies - President and CEO of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Understanding Our New World virtual series - April 24, 2025.

Nicole Rader - Professor at Mississippi State University, author of "Teaching Fear: How We Learn to Fear Crime and Why it Matters" - April 17, 2025

Paul Djupe - Professor at Denison University, expert on religion and politics, Morton-Kenney Lecture series - March 27, 2025

Melissa Connelly - CEO of OneGoal, Understanding Our New World virtual series - March 21, 2025

Robert Eschbach - 2024 Simon-Edgar Award winner, Former Ottawa (IL) mayor - March 14, 2025

Stephen Heintz - President and CEO, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Understanding Our New World virtual series - January 29, 2025

Rachel Kousser – Professor, Author, Understanding Our New World virtual series – January 15, 2025

2024

Carla Martinez Machain - Professor, Foreign Policy expert, Understanding Our New World virtual series - December 12, 2024

Lindsey Cormack – Professor, Author, Understanding Our New World virtual series – December 3, 2024

Jan Eliasson – Former Ambassador to Sweden, former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Understanding Our New World virtual series – November 12, 2024

Kai Bird - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian, Understanding Our New World virtual series - October 30, 2024

John Palfrey - President of the MacArthur Foundation, October 22, 2024
William Hoagland – Senior Vice President at the Bipartisan Policy Center, Understanding Our New World virtual series – October 10, 2024.
Samuel Freedman - Professor at Columbia Journalism School, September 18, 2024.
Norman Ornstein - Senior Fellow Emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute, Understanding Our New World virtual series - September 9, 2024
Tony McCombie - Illinois Republican House Leader, September 9, 2024
Illinois Politics 2024: Why a Swing State Stopped Swinging and How Wisconsin Remains a Competitive Two-Party State - Cheri Bustos, Ray LaHood, Carl Hulse, and Jeff Mayers - Chicago, IL - August 19, 2024
Dame Louise Richardson - President of Carnegie Corporation of New York, Understanding Our New World virtual series - July 17, 2024
Fanta Aw - Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Understanding Our New World virtual series - June 5, 2024
John Palfrey - President of the MacArthur Foundation, Understanding Our New World virtual series - May 6, 2024
Scott Simon - Host of Weekend Edition Saturday on NPR - April 17, 2024
John W. Rogers Jr. - Founder, Chairman, Co-CEO, and Chief Investment Officer of Ariel Investments - April 11, 2024
Dr. Evelyn Farkas - Executive Director of the McCain Institute, Understanding Our New World virtual series - April 1, 2024
Sarah McCammon - National Political Correspondent for NPR, Morton-Kenney Lecture series - March 27, 2023
Brian Rosenberg - President Emeritus of Macalester College, Visiting Professor at Harvard, Understanding Our New World virtual series - March 19, 2024
John Hamre - International Relations Scholar, Understanding Our New World virtual series - February 20, 2024
Dave Kindred - Award-winning sportswriter, Illinois Authors virtual series - February 12, 2024
Dick Simpson - Author, professor, and politician, Illinois Authors virtual series - February 6, 2024

2023

Eliot Cohen - National security expert at Johns Hopkins University & an authority on William Shakespeare, Understanding Our New World virtual series - December 11, 2023
Drew Gilpin Faust - Former president of Harvard University and a leading scholar of the American Civil War, Understanding Our New World virtual series - December 5, 2023
Richard Russo - Pulitzer Prize awardee, novelist, screenwriter & former SIU professor - November 7, 2023
An Illinois Political Family - Congressman Darin LaHood and former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood - October 30, 2023
Samuel Freedman - Award-winning author, columnist, and professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism - Understanding Our New World virtual series - October 19, 2023.
The Future of Illinois - Illinois Speaker of the House Chris Welch & Illinois Senate President Don Harmon - September 29, 2023
Cheri Bustos - Former U.S. Representative from Illinois's 17th District - Morton-Kenney Lecture Series - September 18, 2023
Michael Frerichs - Illinois State Treasurer - Pizza & Politics series - September 12, 2023
Carolin Harvey - Mayor of Carbondale, Illinois, Meet The Mayor - August 28, 2023
Jim Nowlan - Author - Illinois Authors virtual series - August 16, 2023
Michelle Morales - President of Woods Fund Chicago - Understanding Our New World virtual series - August 3, 2023
Julieanna Richardson - Founder and executive director of The HistoryMakers - Understanding Our New World virtual Series - July 24, 2023
Ben Smith - Journalist & co-founder of Semafor - Understanding Our New World virtual series - June 28, 2023
John Walcott - Award-winning journalist & foreign policy expert - Understanding Our New World virtual series - June 8, 2023
Rita Ali - Mayor of Peoria - Meet the Mayor virtual series - May 12, 2023
Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier - Ohio State University Professor - Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture Serires - April 25, 2023
Carl Hulse - Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times - Special Presentation at The Varsity - April 17, 2023
Margaret Croke - Illinois State Representative for the 12th District - Rising Stars in Illinois Politics virtual series - April 14, 2023
Philip Taubman - Lecturer at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation - Understanding Our New World virtual series - April 13, 2023
Liz Dozier - Founder & CEO of Chicago Beyond - Understanding Our New World virtual series - March 23, 2023
Dale Fowler - Illinois State Senator - Pizza & Politics - March 2, 2023
Ellen Alberding - President & CEO of Joyce Foundation - Understanding Our New World virtual series - February 21, 2023
Allison Joseph - Acclaimed poet and the director of Southern Illinois University Carbondale's MFA program in creative writing - Illinois Authors virtual series- February 14, 2023
Miles Rapoport - Executive director of 100% Democracy - Understanding Our New World virtual series -  February 6, 2023
Shannon McGregor - Professor of journalism and Political Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Understanding Our New World virtual series - January 26, 2023
Susan Hayward - Associate Director for the Religious Literacy and Professions Initiative at Harvard Divinity School - Understanding Our New World virtual series - January 10, 2023

2022

2021

Daniel Biss – Mayor of Evanston, Illinois – Meet the Mayor virtual series – December 6, 2021
Margo Jefferson – Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic and author of memoir Negroland – Illinois Authors virtual event – December 3, 2021
Ruth Simmons – President of Prairie View A&M University – Understanding Our New World virtual series – November 29, 2021
Alice Hill – David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations – Understanding Our New World virtual series – November 23, 2021
Anne-Marie Slaughter – CEO of New America – Understanding Our New World virtual series – November 18, 2021
Stavros Lambrinidis – European Union ambassador to the United States – Understanding Our New World virtual series – November 2, 2021
Elizabeth Shackelford – Senior fellow on U.S. foreign policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs – Understanding Our New World virtual series – October 19, 2021
Kristin Hoganson – Author and University of Illinois history professor – Illinois Authors virtual event – October 7, 2021
Tammy Duckworth – U.S. senator from Illinois – Understanding Our New World virtual series – October 4, 2021 
Mboka Mwilambwe – Mayor of Bloomington, Illinois – Meet the Mayor virtual series – October 1, 2021
Monique Jones – President of Forefront – Understanding Our New World virtual series – September 20, 2021
Andrew Bacevich – Author, historian, and president of Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft – Understanding Our New World virtual series – September 9, 2021
Amy McGrath – Retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and former candidate for U.S. Senate – Understanding Our New World virtual series – August 31, 2021
Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz – Illinois state representative for the 17th District – Understanding Our New World virtual series – August 17, 2021
Robert Hartley – Author of Paul Simon: The Political Journey of an Illinois Original and Paul Powell of Illinois: A Lifelong Democrat – Illinois Authors virtual event – August 10, 2021
Tim Knight – President and CEO of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation – Understanding Our New World virtual series – July 21, 2021
Will Stephens – Mayor of Murphysboro, Illinois – Meet the Mayor virtual series – July 13, 2021
Candice Millard – Biographer and New York Times bestselling author – Understanding Our New World virtual series – July 9, 2021
Audra Wilson – President & CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law – Understanding Our New World virtual series – July 7, 2021
Nicole Perlroth – New York Times cybersecurity reporter – Understanding Our New World virtual series – June 15, 2021
Susana Mendoza – Illinois Comptroller – Understanding Our New World virtual series – June 4, 2021
John Gaddis – Robert A. Lovett Professor of Military and Naval History and Distinguished Fellow of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy, Yale University – Understanding Our New World virtual series – May 25, 2021
Julie Moore Wolfe – Mayor of Decatur, Illinois – Meet the Mayor virtual series – May 12, 2021
Angela Jackson – Illinois poet laureate – Understanding Our New World virtual series – April 22, 2021
Jim Bullard – President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Understanding Our New World series – April 8, 2021
Elizabeth Hinton – Yale University professor and historian – Understanding Our New World virtual series – March 25, 2021
Barbara Bodine – Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy – Understanding Our New World series – March 11, 2021
Don Harmon – Illinois State Senate President – Understanding Our New World virtual series – March 8, 2021
Institute Student Ambassadors and Jeff Doherty – Carbondale city councilman – February 25, 2021
Alexis Coe – Presidential historian – Understanding Our New World virtual series – February 19, 2021
Jim Ardis – Mayor of Peoria – Meet the Mayor virtual series – February 9, 2021 
Edward Larson – Pulitzer Prize-winning historian – Understanding Our New World virtual series – February 1, 2021
John Allen – President of the Brookings Institution – Understanding Our New World virtual series – January 26, 2021
Timothy Lynch – Professor of American politics at the University of Melbourne, Australia – Understanding Our New World virtual series – January 19, 2021
Sharon Bush – Executive director of Grand Victoria Foundation – Understanding Our New World virtual conversation series – January 5, 2021

2020

Fredrik Logevall – Pulitzer Prize-winning historian – Understanding Our New World virtual conversation series – December 16, 2020
Jorge Castañeda – Mexico's former foreign minister – Understanding Our New world virtual series – December 10, 2020
Chasity Wells-Armstrong – Mayor of Kankakee – Meet the Mayor virtual series – December 9, 2020
Eliot Cohen – Dean of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University – Understanding Our New World virtual conversation series – December 1, 2020 
Theresa Mah – Illinois State Representative – Understanding Our New World virtual series – November 12, 2020
Ertharin Cousin – Ambassador, former executive director of the World Food Programme – Understanding Our New World virtual series – November 9, 2020
Margaret MacMillan – Duff Cooper Prize-winning historian – Understanding Our New World virtual series – October 28, 2020
Kimberly Lightford – Illinois Senate Majority Leader – Understanding Our New World virtual series – October 20, 2020
Mike Absher – Mayor of Marion – Meet the Mayor virtual series – October 14, 2020
Hanh Le – Executive director of the Weissberg Foundation – Understanding Our New World virtual series - October 6, 2020
John Danforth – Former U.S. Senator (R-Missouri) – Understanding Our New World virtual series – September 30, 2020
Pete Buttigieg – Former U.S. Presidential candidate and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana – Understanding Our New World virtual series – September 24, 2020
Richard Haass – President of the Council on Foreign Relations – Understanding Our New World virtual series – September 21, 2020
Sherrod Brown – U.S. Senator (D-Ohio) – Understanding Our New World virtual series – September 18, 2020
Leon Rockingham, Jr. – Mayor of North Chicago – Meet the Mayor virtual series – September 9, 2020
Michelle Howard – Retired United States Navy four-star admiral – Understanding Our New World virtual series – September 1, 2020
Mary Robinson – Former President of Ireland – Understanding Our New World virtual series – August 26, 2020
Donald McHenry – Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations – Understanding Our New World virtual series – August 19, 2020
Carmen Rojas – President of the Marguerite Casey Foundation – Understanding Our New World virtual series – August 11, 2020
Jim Durkin – Illinois House Republican leader – Understanding Our New World virtual series – August 4, 2020
Juliana Stratton – Illinois lieutenant governor – Understanding Our New World virtual series – July 30, 2020
Charles Ray – Former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe – Understanding Our New World virtual series - July 21, 2020
Angelique Power – President of The Field Foundation – Understanding Our New World virtual series – July 7, 2020
Leon Panetta – Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and director of the CIA – Understanding Our New World virtual series – July 1, 2020
William Burns – President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – Understanding Our New World virtual series – June 18, 2020
Emanuel "Chris" Welch – Illinois state representative (D-7th District) – Understanding Our New World virtual series – June 11, 2020
Darin LaHood – U.S. Congressman (R-Illinois) – Understanding Our New World virtual series – June 8, 2020
Rahm Emanuel – Former mayor of Chicago – Understanding Our New World virtual series – June 4, 2020  
Carl Hulse – Chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times – Understanding Our New World virtual series – June 1, 2020
Dr. Teresa Amott – President of Knox College - Understanding Our New World virtual series – May 21, 2020
Jan Eliasson – Former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations – Understanding Our New World virtual series – May 14, 2020
David Kennedy – Pulitzer Prize-winning historian – Understanding Our New World virtual series – April 29, 2020
Dr. Samuel Wheeler – Illinois state historian – "Lincoln and Kennedy: Two Iconic Presidents" – February 13, 2020
Terri Bryant – Illinois state representative – Pizza & Politics – February 10, 2020

2019

Ray LaHood – Former U.S. congressman (R-Illinois) and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary – October 21, 2019
Dr. Temple Grandin – Animal science professor at Colorado State University and autism self-advocate – October 3, 2019
David M. Kennedy – Pulitzer Prize-winning historian – September 23, 2019
Betty Koed – U.S. Senate historian – September 9, 2019
Tammy Duckworth – U.S. senator (D-Illinois) – July 12, 2019
Dr. Barbara Walter – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – April 11, 2019
LaToya Greenwood – Illinois state representative (D-114th District) – April 8, 2019
Harriet Elam-Thomas – Former United Nations ambassador – March 21, 2019
Emanuel "Chris" Welch – Illinois state representative (D-7th District) – January 28, 2019

2018

Tom Desch – SIU alumnus and founder of House Painter Media – November 5, 2018
Jim Nowlan – Former Illinois state representative and author – October 24, 2018
Dr. Samuel Wheeler – Illinois state historian – October 3, 2018
Ira Shapiro – Former U.S. Ambassador – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – September 24, 2018
Will Davis – Illinois state representative (D-30th District) – September 17, 2018
Dr. Pam Smoot – September 10, 2018
Cindi Canary and Forefront – U.S. Census 2020 Briefing – May 4, 2018
Carl Hulse – Chief Washington D.C. correspondent for The New York Times – April 23, 2018
Dr. Marie Griffith – John C. Danforth Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Washington University – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – April 16, 2018

2017

Susana Mendoza – Illinois comptroller – November 14, 2017
Dave Severin – Illinois state representative – November 2, 2017
Dick Durbin – United States senator (D-Illinois) – October 10, 2017
Katherine Cramer, Ph.D. – Director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – September 16, 2017
Jim Edgar – former Illinois Governor – May 4, 2017
Paul Schimpf and Dale Fowler – Illinois state senators (R-58th District, R-59th District, respectively) – April 20, 2017
John Sides – Associate professor of political science at George Washington University – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – April 12, 2017
Illinois School Funding Fairness Conference (K-12) – March 10, 2017
Tequia Hicks-Delgado – Senior adviser for Congressional Engagement & Legislative Relations in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs – The Jeanne Hurley Simon Lecture – March 3, 2017
Will Guzzardi – Illinois state representative (D-39th District) – January 26, 2017

2016

Ban Ki-moon – United Nations Secretary-General – December 21, 2016
Steven Ellis – Deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management – The Gil and Jean Kroening Lecture series – October 20, 2016
Tim Tagaris and Zach Schneider – "Two Salukis for Bernie Sanders: A View of Digital Campaign Fundraising" – September 27, 2016
Illinois Campaign for Political Reform – September 19, 2016
Carol Marin – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – September 12, 2016
SIU Debate Team Showcase – April 12, 2016
Christopher A. Smith – U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy for Fossil Energy – April 6, 2016
Tom Vilsack – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – April 23, 2016
Dr. Keona Ervin – The State of the American Worker Lecture series – March 22, 2016
Roy Norton – Canadian Consul General – March 3, 2016
Jeff Mays – Director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security – The State of the American Worker Lecture series – February 25, 2016

2015

Professor Richard Falk – The Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – November 18, 2015
James Durkin – Illinois House Republican leader – November 5, 2015
David Luechtefeld –  Illinois state senator (R-58th District) and Ralph A Dunn Public Service award recipient – November 2, 2015
Jorge Ramirez – President of the Chicago Federation of Labor – October 20, 2015
Cindi Canary – "The Independent Map and Redistricting" – September 28, 2015
Wes Moore – SIU Distinguished Speakers series – September 23, 2015
Evelyn Sanguinetti – Illinois Lieutenant Governor – September 17, 2015
Loretta Swit (Star of M*A*S*H) & Jan Thompson – "Never the Same: The Prisoner of War Experience" – September 14, 2015
Mike Brown – Founder of The Brainzooming Group – July 21, 2015
Dr. Michio Kaku – "The Future of the Mind" – April 22, 2015
David Axelrod – "BELIEVER: My Forty Years in Politics" – The Morton Kenney Public Affairs Lecture series – April 13, 2015
Randall Balmer – The John and Muriel Hayward Lecture – April 9, 2015
James Clyburn – U.S. congressman (D-South Carolina) and assistant Democratic leader – March 30, 2015
Felicia Norwood – Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services – The Jeanne Hurley Simon Lecture – March 26, 2015
Wendy Davis – Former Texas state senator – March 23, 2015 
Terri Bryant – Illinois state representative (R-115th District) – March 16, 2015
Gloria Campos – "Path to Politics, Illinois and the GOP: A Republican Latina Perspective" – February 26, 2015
Gary Shafer – "Chicago in less than 2 hours: An Idea for Direct Commercial Flights from Southern Illinois" – February 24, 2015
Dr. Katherine Scott – United States Senate assistant historian – February 17, 2015

2014

John Becker – USAID and SIU alumnus, United State Food Policy – November 18, 2014
Cody Sokolski – Champaign Illinois' One Main Development – Building a Creative Economy series – October 21, 2014
Dan Long – Executive director for the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability – October 16, 2014
Doug Whitley – Former president and CEO of Illinois Chamber of Commerce and spokesperson for Transportation for Illinois Coalition – The State of the American Worker series – October 3, 2014
Dr. Ann Markusen – Director of the Arts Economy Initiative – Building a Creative Economy series – October 1, 2014
Sarita Gupta – Executive director of Jobs with Justice – The State of the American Worker series – September 25, 2014
Patti Simon and John Oldfield – "Tapped Out to The Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act" – September 17, 2014
SIU Debate Team – "The Paul Simon Debate: A Showcase of SIU's National Champion Debaters – April 21, 2014
Dr. David Bositis – Vice president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies – April 14, 2014
Jim Edgar – Former Illinois Governor – April 7, 2014
Dr. Karl Kurtz – National Conference of State Legislators – April 7, 2014
Dr. Chris Mooney – Institute of Government and Public Affairs – April 7, 2014
Tony Mayville – 115th State Representative candidate – March 4, 2014
Bill Kilquist – 115th State Representative candidate – February 27, 2014
Jini Roby – Professor at Brigham Young University – February 26, 2014
Terri Bryant – 115th State Representative candidate – February 24, 2014
Robert "Bob" White – 115th State Representative candidate – February 20, 2014
Sylvia Puente – Executive director of Latino Policy Forum – January 27, 2014

2013

Jerry Costello – October 23, 2013
Dr. Christopher Koch – ISBE Director – October 22, 2013
Julia Rendleman – SIU alumna – October 3, 2013
Jerry Costello – Former U.S. senator – September 25, 2013
Alan Dixon – Author of A Gentleman from Illinois – September 24, 2013
Janice Jacobs – "Careers in Foreign Service and State Department" – September 23, 2013
David Shribman – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and editor – September 10, 2013
Toni Preckwinkle – President of the Cook County Board – April 24, 2013
Steve Casteel – Former director of intelligence for the DEA – April 18, 2013
Ben Campbell – SIU Debate Team's Public Speaking Workshop for Students – April 2, 2013
Cheri Bustos – United States representative (D-Illinois) – March 29, 2013
Allen LaPointe – Vice president of environmental quality, John G. Shedd Aquarium – March 28, 2013
Jerry Costello – Former U.S. congressman (D-Illinois) – March 19, 2013
Dr. Dianne Bystrom – Director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center – February 25, 2013
Bill Stanhouse – Manager of the Southern Region Office of Regional Economic Development – February 12, 2013
John Tillman – CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute – February 5, 2013
Steve Schnorf – Senior budget and policy adviser to Governors Jim Edgar and George Ryan – January 29, 2013

2012

Toi Hutchinson – Illinois state senator (D-40th District) – November 8, 2012
Ralph Martire – Executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability – November 5, 2012
Jim Thompson – Former Illinois Governor – October 25, 2012
Carl Bruch – Senior attorney and co-director of International Programs – October 18, 2012
Glen Browder – Former U.S. representative (D-Alabama) –  September 6, 2012
Dr. Artemesia Stanberry – Assistant professor of political science at North Carolina Central University – September 6, 2012
Nancy Bocskor – "Go Fish: How to Catch and Keep Contributors" – April 19, 2012
Jonathan Shay – "Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming" – April 18, 2012
Bobbi Steele – First female chairperson of Cook County Board – April 13, 2012
Tom Johnson – "Illinois' Money Problems: Is There an End in Sight?" – April 4, 2012
Sheila Simon – "Civil Unions: What You Get and What You Don't" – April 3, 2012
Charlie Cook – "Forecasting the 2012 Elections" – March 26, 2012
Rupert Borgsmiller – "Assuring Fair Elections in Illinois" – March 6, 2012
Carolyn Smoot – "Perspectives of the First Female Circuit Judge in Williamson County" – February 21, 2012
Ryan Burge – "Religion's Role in the 2012 Election" – February 16, 2012
Nancy Sherman – "The Moral Cost of War: Shame, Guilt, and Self-Empathy" – February 15, 2012
Gloria Campos – "Winning the Women's Vote" – February 8, 2012

2011

Dan Long – Director of the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability – October 13, 2011
Stephen Katsinas – Director of the Education Policy Center – October 4, 2011
Dana Jay – Reporter for WSYX/WTTE – October 3, 2011
Terri Bryant – Illinois Republican Coalition Leader – September 29, 2011
Stephen Katsinas – Director of the Education Policy Center – September 21, 2011
Sheila Simon – Illinois lieutenant governor – September 19, 2011
John P. Andrews – Director of counterintelligence for U.S. Department of Homeland Security – September 19, 2011
Christine Todd Whitman – Former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – September 13, 2011
Bill Holland – Illinois auditor general – April 19, 2011
Justin Nichols – Mayor of Manitowoc, Wisconsin – April 9, 2011
Jehan Gordon – Illinois state representative – April 9, 2011
Terrance Gainer – U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms – March 28, 2011
Patricia Bellock – Illinois state representative – March 7, 2011
William Atwood – Executive director of the Illinois State Board of Investment – February 22, 2011
Ra Joy – Executive director at Arts Alliance Illinois – February 7, 2011
Eugene Trani – President emeritus of Virginia Commonwealth University – February 1, 2011

2010

Tom Logan – Founder of Marion Medical Mission – November 30, 2010                
Rick Pearson – Chicago Tribune political reporter – November 17, 2010
Leonard Gross – SIU law professor – November 15, 2010
Kayne Robinson – Former president of the National Rifle Association – November 15, 2010
Chris Boyster – Representative from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence – November 15, 2010
Jeffery Sedgwick – Former Assistant Attorney General under President Bush and Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst – November 8, 2010
David Luechtefeld – Illinois state senator (R-58th District) – November 9, 2010
John Bradley – Illinois state representative (D-117th District) – November 9, 2010
Dr. Tobin Grant – Associate professor in the SIU Department of Political Science – October 28, 2010
Tom Swoick – Executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association – October 26, 2010
Thomas Grey – Senior advisor to Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation – October 26, 2010
Janice Jacobs – Former ambassador and Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Consular Affairs – October 25, 2010
Dr. Sara Imhof – Concord Coalition – October 18, 2010
Dr. Scott Gilbert – SIU economics professor – October 18, 2010
Iris Martinez – First Latina Illinois state senator – October 6, 2010
Judge Phil Gilbert – September 28, 2010
Lilly Ledbetter – Fair pay pioneer and inspiration for Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act – September 16, 2010
John Shimkus – U.S. congressman – September 16, 2010
Ethan Watters – Author of Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche – April 29, 2010
Tim Feldheim – April 23, 2010
Michael Dannenberg – U.S. Department of Education – April 22, 2010
Mike Boland – Illinois state representative and chair of Illinois House Higher Education Committee – April 22, 2010
Don Sevener – Deputy Director of External Relations, Illinois Board of Higher Education - April 22, 2010
Anne Neal – President of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni – April 22, 2010
Sandy Baum – Economics professor at Skidmore College and Senior Policy Analyst for The College Board – April 22, 2010
Phil Keene – April 16, 2010      
Richard Durbin – U.S. senator (D-Illinois) – April 7, 2010
Dr. Barbara Brown – March 21, 2010
Kenneth J. Gray – Former U.S representative – February 26, 2010
Fulton Armstrong – Foreign Relations Committee's Western Hemisphere specialist and former adviser to President Clinton – February 22, 2010
Glenn Poshard – SIU president – January 12, 2010

2009

Mary Flowers – Illinois state representative – November 30, 2009
Christine Radogno – Illinois Senate Minority Leader – November 8, 2009
Richard A. Baker – U.S. Senate Historian – October 23, 2009
Tom Johnson – October 20, 2009        
Thomas Patterson – American political and media scholar – October 14, 2009
Robert E. Hartley – Author, former newspaper editor, and Illinois political historian – October 5, 2009
Dejuan Kea – September 6, 2019            
John Cullerton – Illinois State Senate President – April 14, 2009
Howard Buffett – United Nations' Goodwill Ambassador Against Hunger, philanthropist, environmentalist, and humanitarian – April 9, 2009
Scott Simon – Peabody and Emmy award-winning broadcaster, commentator, and host of National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition Saturday” – April 4, 2009
Michael Mandelbaum – Christian A. Herter Professor of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies – March 23, 2009
Cornel West – Author, professor of Religion at Princeton University, and director of the Afro-American Studies program – February 20, 2009
Joseph A. Saloom III – Former ambassador and director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office – January 29, 2009

2008

Doyle McManus – Washington bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times – November 17, 2008
Lisa Madigan – Illinois Attorney General – October 21, 2008
Ted Sorensen – Special counsel, adviser, and speechwriter, to President John F. Kennedy – October 8, 2008
Harry Miller – Former associate vice president, SIU Carbondale – September 29, 2008
Rachel Jones – Journalist and media consultant – May 8, 2008
Ray LaHood – U.S. congressman (R-Illinois) – April 28, 2008
Dan Hynes – Illinois state comptroller – April 23, 2008
David E. Sanger – Chief Washington, D.C., correspondent of The New York Times – April 16, 2008
Desiree Rodgers – First African-American female president of the Peoples Energy Corp. – April 15, 2008
Alexi Giannoulias – Illinois state treasurer – April 6, 2008
Patrick J. Fitzgerald – U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois – March 27, 2008
Dr. Tieraona Low Dog – Director of the Arizona Center of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona – March 19, 2008
Wole Soyinka – 1986 Nobel Prize Laureate for literature – February 28, 2008
Ray Suarez – Senior correspondent of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer – February 26, 2008

2007

Morris Dees – Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center – November 6, 2007
Anne M. Burke – Illinois Supreme Court justice – October 17, 2007
Catherine Bertini – Former executive director of the United Nation's World Food Program – October 15, 2007
Jack Danforth – Former U.S. senator (R-MO) and U.S. ambassador to United Nations – October 10, 2007
Joan E. Higginbotham – NASA astronaut – October 4, 2017
Mike Glenn – Former NBA star and SIU alumnus – September 22, 2007
Christopher Gardner – CEO of Christopher Gardner International Holdings – August 23, 2007
Alan J. Dixon – Former U.S. senator (D-Illinois) – May 15, 2007
Bob Hartley – Author and historian – May 15, 2007
Maya Angelou – Poet, author, and civil rights leader – May 2, 2007
Ellen Soeteber – Former St. Louis Post-Dispatch editor – April 24, 2007
Bob Hillman – Former Dallas Morning News White House correspondent – April 24, 2007 
Al Balk – Author and former editor of the Columbia Journalism Review – April 24, 2007
Rick Kittles – Renowned geneticist and cancer researcher – April 12, 2007
Barbara Flynn Currie – Illinois state representative and House Majority Leader – April 2, 2007
Aaron Schock –  Illinois state representative – March 24, 2007
Lisa Madigan – Illinois Attorney General – March 24, 2007
Art Turner – Illinois state representative and House Deputy Majority Leader – February 19, 2007
Christine Todd Whitman – Former EPA Administrator and New Jersey Governor – February 6, 2007
Ben Nelson – U.S. senator (D-Nebraska) and former Nebraska Governor – February 6, 2007
Jim Edgar – Former Illinois Governor – February 6, 2007

2006

Henry Bayer – Executive director of the Illinois AFSCME Council 31 – November 15, 2006
Gillian M. Sorensen – United Nations Foundation senior adviser – October 24, 2006
Andrew H. Card Jr. – Veteran of three White House Administrations – October 10, 2006
Philip Taubman – Washington, D.C., bureau chief of The New York Times – September 24, 2006
Paula Wolff – Recipient of the Ralph A. Dunn Public Service Award – September 18, 2006
Martin Luther King III – Civil rights leader – August 26-27, 2006
Tom Cross – Illinois House Republican Leader
Tom Daschle – Former U.S. senator (D-South Dakota)
Rodney Paige – Former U.S. Secretary of Education
Clarence Page – Nationally syndicated columnist
Ray LaHood – United States representative (R-Illinois)
Deanna Demuzio – Illinois state senator
Jackie Spinner – The Washington Post reporter
Earl Caldwell – Journalist
Ralph Martire – Executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability

2005

Judy Shepard – Mother of Matthew Shepard, who was murdered in a 1998 hate crime
Janice Jacobs – Chair of visa services in the United States
Walter Rodgers – Former senior international correspondent for CNN and SIU alumnus
Mary Ann McMorrow – First female Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
John C. Green – Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics University of Akron
Jim Thebaut – Director of Running Dry, a documentary based on a book by Paul Simon
Don Cochran – Former assistant federal prosecutor
Jerry Mitchell – Investigative reporter with the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi
Thomas Friedman – The New York Times foreign affairs columnist and author
William Recktenwald – 2004 tsunami survivor and SIU professor
Art Simon – Founder and president emeritus of Bread for the World

2004

Stephen Lewis – United Nations Special Envoy to Africa on HIV/AIDS
Dan Balz – National political correspondent of The Washington Post
Mike Huckabee – Arkansas governor
Stanley Nelson – Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker
Dawn Clark Netsch – First woman elected to statewide office in Illinois
Jody Williams – Nobel Peace Prize laureate for an anti-landmine campaign
Michael J. Madigan – Illinois state representative and Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives
John Block – Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Dr. William Close – Internationally acclaimed physician and author
Dr. Joe Nye – Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
David Yepsen – Des Moines Register political columnist

2003

Judy Baar Topinka – Illinois state treasurer – October 23, 2003
Anthony Zinni – Retired U.S. general – October 21, 2003
Richard Goldstone – Justice of the South Africa Constitutional Court – October 13, 2003
Walter Cronkite – Legendary news anchor – October 9, 2003
Carol Channing – Tony-Award-winning entertainer – October 2, 2003
Julie Nixon Eisenhower – Chair of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships – September 29, 2003
Howard Baker – U.S. ambassador to Japan and former U.S. Senator (R-TN) – August 29, 2003
Nancy Kassebaum Baker – Former U.S. senator (R-Kansas) – August 29, 2003
Bruce Laingen – Former U.S. ambassador and Iranian hostage – April 28, 2003
Autherine Lucy Foster – Civil rights pioneer – April 16, 2003
George McGovern – Former U.S. senator and 1972 presidential candidate – April 14, 2003
Ed Asner – Actor and social activist – April 1, 2003
William Perry – Former U.S. Secretary of Defense – March 31, 2003
Oliver "Buzz" Thomas – Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center – March 3, 2003
Charles Haynes – Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center – March 3, 2003

2002

Martin Marty – Renowned University of Chicago theologian – December 2, 2002
Clayton Yeutter – Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture – October 28, 2002
Richard Carmona – U.S. Surgeon General – October 27, 2002
Ramsey Clark – Former U.S. attorney general – September 22, 2002
David Dinkins – Former mayor of New York City – September 5, 2002
Mike Farrell – Actor and human rights activist – April 28, 2002
David Satcher – Former U.S. Surgeon General – April 7, 2002
William Hungate – Former U.S. congressman (D-Missouri) and a retired federal judge – March 17, 2002
Joe Tydings – Former U.S. senator (D-Maryland) – March 17, 2002
Jim Sasser – Former U.S. senator (D-Tennessee) – March 17, 2002
David Durenberger – Former U.S. Senator (R-Minnesota) – March 17, 2002
Henry Bellmon – Former U.S. senator (R-Oklahoma) and Oklahoma governor – March 17, 2002
Hank Brown – Former U.S. senator (R-Colorado) – March 17, 2002
Richard Brecht – Director of the National Foreign Language Center – March 17, 2002

2001

John Anderson – Former U.S. congressman and 1980 Presidential candidate – November 15, 2001
Coretta Scott King – Civil rights leader – November 8, 2011
Brian Mulroney – Former Canadian Prime Minister – November 1, 2011
Harry Mark Petrakis – Greek author – October 22, 2001
Karen Hasara – Former Illinois state senator – September 29, 2001
Kirk Dillard – Illinois state senator – September 29, 2001
Debbie Halvorson – Illinois state senator – September 29, 2001
Clarence Harmon – Former St. Louis mayor – September 29, 2001
Corinne Wood – Illinois Lieutenant Governor – September 29, 2001
Pete Seeger – Singer, songwriter, and activist – September 6, 2001
Romeo Dallaire – Retired Canadian Lieutenant-General – April 30, 2001
James A. Baker III – Former U.S. Secretary of State – April 24, 2001
Richard Riley – Former U.S. Secretary of Education – April 22, 2001
David Broder – The Washington Post columnist and reporter – March 29, 2001
Dick Gregory – Entertainer and activist – January 23, 2001 

2000

Eugene Lang – Founder of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation – December 10, 2000
Judy Baar Topinka – Illinois state treasurer – November 15, 2000
Don McHenry – Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations – November 2, 2000
Richard Durbin – U.S. senator (D-Illinois) – October 21, 2000
Barack Obama – Illinois state senator (D) – October 21, 2000
Lisa Madigan – Illinois state senator (D) – October 21, 2000
Juan Andrade Jr. – Hispanic leader – September 15, 2000
Gwendolyn Brooks – Illinois Poet Laureate – September 14, 2000
Thomas Patterson – Government professor at Harvard University - September 6, 2000
William Gray – President & CEO of The College Fund - April 28, 2000
Heather Booth – Founder of Citizen Action – April 25, 2000
Ron and Joan Engel – Social advocates – February 25, 2000
Bernard Rapoport – Chairman emeritus for the American Income Life Insurance Co. – February 7, 2000

1999

David Rawson – Former U.S. ambassador to Rwanda – November 17, 1999
Studs Terkel – Renowned author and historian – November 11, 1999
Carol Moseley Braun – Former U.S. senator and ambassador to New Zealand – November 4, 1999
C. Everett Koop – Former U.S. Surgeon General – October 20, 1999
Glenn Poshard – Former U.S. congressman (D-Illinois) – October 9, 1999
William Warfield – Grammy Award-winning singer – September 29, 1999
Wayne Owens – Former U.S. congressman (D-Nevada) – September 17, 1999
Fred Korematsu – Japanese-American civil rights leader – September 1, 1999
Michael Dukakis – Former Massachusetts Governor and 1988 presidential candidate – April 9, 1999
Tom Sawyer – U.S. congressman (D-Ohio) – March 26, 1999
Jesse White – Illinois Secretary of State – March 26, 1999
Barbara Bush – Former First Lady of the United States – March 26, 1999
Jack Kubik – Former Illinois state representative – March 25, 1999

1998

Dick Lugar – U.S. senator (R-Indiana) – December 7, 1998
Sherrod Brown – U.S. congressman (D-Ohio) – December 7, 1998
Eugene Carroll Jr. – Retired U.S. Navy admiral – December 6, 1998
Bette Bao Lord – Renowned author on China – December 6, 1998
Winston Lord – Former U.S. ambassador to China – December 6, 1998
Barbara Gottschalk – Executive vice president, Seeds for Peace – October 23, 1998
Lee Hamilton – U.S. congressman (D-Indiana) – October 23, 1998
Jim Edgar – Illinois governor – October 8, 1998
Dan Rostenkowski – Former U.S. congressman (D-Illinois) – September 22, 1998
Joe Hartzler – Assistant U.S. attorney in the Oklahoma City Bombing case – September 22, 1998
Webster Hubbell – Former U.S. deputy attorney general – September 22, 1998
Ken Hechler – Former U.S. congressman (D-West Virginia) and West Virginia Secretary of State – September 9, 1998
Dick DeSchutter – Vice-chairman of Monsanto – April 22, 1998
Robert Nye – U.S. congressman (R-Ohio) – April 15, 1998
Pat Robertson – Christian leader – March 25, 1998
Chief Shoneken – Spiritual leader from Lagos, Nigeria – March 25, 1998

1997

Hubert Humphrey III – Minnesota attorney general – October 20, 1997
Jim Ryan – Illinois attorney general – October 17, 1997
David Kessler – Former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – October 6, 1997
Alan Simpson – Former U.S. senator (R-Wyoming) – May 22, 1997
David Pryor – Former U.S. senator (D-Arkansas) – May 22, 1997
Jack Danforth – Former U.S. senator (R-Missouri) – May 22, 1997