Each semester brings a new Michael Lester Wendt Character Lecture. During this event, guest lecturers speak to the community about integrity, justice, compassion, and other topics of character.
February 9, 2026, 7:00 p.m. - John & Alice Butler Hall, Heritage Center
Travis Frampton, President of the University of Dubuque, will deliver the Spring 2026 Wendt Character Lecture. He'll explore how stories shape our character and how we cast ourselves and others as either heroes, villains, or simple bystanders. Re-examining the stories we construct, believe, and choose to live by can open the door to growth, empathy, and transformation in a changing world.
Recent Speakers
Some recent Wendt Character Lecturers include:
- Joshua Freedman - Co-founder and CEO of Six Seconds: The Emotional Intelligence Network
- Jon Turbett - Special Agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation
- Tammie Jo Shults - Retired naval aviator and airline captain who saved Southwest Airlines Flight 1380
- Freshta Tori Jan - Political Asylee from Afghanistan, Persecuted Minority under the Taliban
- Rev. Gregory Drumwright - Public Theologian, Minister to George Floyd's family during the Derek Chauvin Trial
- Max Stossel - Founder and CEO of Social Awakening, Advisor for the Center for Humane Technology
- Marcus Eriksen - Environmental Scientist and Educator on the Global Crisis of Plastic Pollution
- Kaitlin Curtice - Enrolled Citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and a Christian, Author of Native and Glory Happening
- Alex Kotlowitz - Award-winning Journalist and Best-selling Author of An American Summer and There are No Children Here
- Dr. Brian J. Walsh - Co-author of Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement and The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian World View
- Father Greg Boyle, S.J. - Founder and Executive Director of Homeboy Industries and Author of Tattoos on the Heart
- Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J. - Death Penalty Abolitionist and Author of Dead Man Walking
- Nontombi Naomi Tutu - Race and Gender Justice Advocate and Daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu