The Committee on Lectures (COL) is the funding arm of the Student Government for speakers and events. It works to bring to campus a broad spectrum of stimulating lectures, political debates, and academic forums; cultural events, including musical performances and art and dance programs; and entertainment such as film and comedy. The COL offers financial assistance to registered student organizations that wish to sponsor a public lecture or cultural event. The funds distributed by the COL are student fees allocated by the Student Government.

The COL is open to a wide variety of programming and strives to be impartial in its consideration. While appeal to the student population is one criterion for event sponsorship, the COL also recognizes the need to present topics to broaden student awareness.

How are lectures chosen? Lectures program events are chosen by students, for students.

How Are Lecture Series events chosen?

Short answer: Lectures Program events are chosen by students, for students.

The Lectures Program oversees funds provided by Iowa State’s Student Government to support speaker requests from recognized student organizations and to support lectures that add value to students’ educational experiences.

The Committee on Lectures, comprised of students across campus and supported by faculty and staff members, reviews requests for speakers covering a broad range of topics and issues from student organizations, academic units, individual students, and website submissions.

The COL and the Lectures Program collaborate with dozens of students, faculty, and staff to coordinate more than 80 events each academic year.

The COL solicits lectures on both sides of important issues and works closely with student organizations, in a non-partisan way, to explore the entire marketplace of ideas.

Join the Committee on Lectures

Membership on the Committee on Lectures is open to all members of the university community. Apply to join the Committee here.

The COL, comprised primarily of students and funded by Iowa State’s Student Government, works with program staff, campus units, co-sponsors, and student organizations to select and bring speakers to campus. The COL supports a broad range of viewpoints on topics of interest to the university community, consistent with the university’s commitment to the First Amendment while acknowledging some members will have strong views for or against certain speakers.

COL Operation Policies

Voting Minimums for Meetings and Email Votes (approved 11/30/23) 

  • Quorum for valid votes at an in-person meeting = 3 students present.
  • Email voting:
    • Requires a minimum of 3 students to respond to make the vote valid.
    • Voting closes by 5pm the next business day (voting deadline will be provided).

Lectures Campaign Event Guidelines (renewed 9/14/23) 

  • Must be renewed annually in the fall .

The COL comprises up to twenty-eight voting members - faculty, staff, and students - plus the director and assistant director of Lectures, who serve on an ex officio basis. Two student chairs are elected from among these members. COL members represent a cross-section of students, academic disciplines, and administrative offices and work in close collaboration with student organizations, academic departments, university offices, and off-campus organizations. They are expected to have the vision and imagination to provide opportunities for students to think, learn, and act in new ways.

The Student Government appoints up to eleven student members and at least two alternate members to the COL, and a cabinet-level official acts as a liaison between the committee and the Student Senate. The Graduate and Professional Student Senate appoints two representatives, and the Memorial Union Student Union Board (SUB) appoints one.

The Office of the Provost, which provides administrative supervision of the Lectures Program, appoints a faculty chair to the COL and approves faculty representatives nominated by each of the colleges. It also appoints at-large members to the committee.

Membership on the COL is open to all members of the university community. Students interested in joining the COL can find an application link on the Committee on Lectures page. The COL meets monthly during the academic year to evaluate funding requests and advise student organizations while planning events. Meeting schedules are set at the start of each semester.

Students

Adelaide Brennan, IRHA
Kolton Eisma, Agricultural Studies, Student Government
Braden Fels, IRHA
Matthew Hudelson, Business
Jayden Jech, Natural Resource Ecology and Management
Olivia Miller, Environmental Science
Stella Montgomery, Lectures Marketing and PR Assistant
Charity Nya Njeshi, Biomedical Sciences
Luke Valerio-Garsow, IRHA

Faculty and Staff

Katherine Bangert, Human Development and Family Studies (Human Sciences)
Heidi Doellinger, Engineering Administration (Engineering)
Dave Gieseke, Veterinary Medicine (Veterinary Medicine)
Stephen Gilbert, Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering (Engineering)
Ted Grevstad-Nordbrock, Community & Regional Planning (Design)
Mark Hargrove, Biochemistry (CALS & LAS)
Melea Licht, University Library
Suzanne Lyndon, Business (Business)
Rebecca Nation, Student Innovation Center
Sara Parris, Student Health Center
Laurie Smith Law, Honors Program
Alissa Stoehr, Women and Gender Studies (LAS)
Amanda Knief, Lectures Program (ex-officio)
Laura Shaw, Lectures Program (ex-officio)