- Scott Tinker
- Jon Meacham
- Cory Booker
- Jack Bowman
- Candace Gingrich-Jones
- David Agus
- Jeffrey Immelt
- Isaac Asimov: Science Fiction to Science Fact
- Reza Aslan: No god but God
- Norm Augustine: Want Jobs? Invest in Universities
- Charles Best: DonorsChoose.org
- Dr. Robert DiClerico: The Last Class
- Bill Easterly: Free the Poor!
- Jared Fogle: Living Well
- Harold Ford, Jr.: More Davids than Goliaths
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- Leroy Hood: Systems Biology & Medicine
- Arianna Huffington: The Road to 2008
- Gwen Ifill: Evolution in Washington
- Walter Isaacson: Evolution of Mass Communication
- Sebastian Junger: Front Lines of History
- John Kao: Mr. Creativity
- Sheril Kirshenbaum: Unscientific America
- Meave Leakey: Evolution & Fossil Evidence in Africa
- Gayle Tzemach Lemmon: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana
- C. Peter Magrath: Land-Grant @ 150
- James McPherson: Lincoln and the Millennium
- Maria Mossman: Peace Caravan
- Siddhartha Mukherjee: The Emperor of All Maladies
- Gary Paul Nabhan: Renewing America's Food Traditions
- Soledad O'Brien: Diversity & Media
- Byron Pitts: Step Out on Nothing
- Marcus Rediker: The Slave Ship
- Mark Russell: Comedy, Music, Bribery, and Conspiracy
- Laurie Santos: Evolution of Irrationality
- Joshua Wolf Shenk: Lincoln's Melancholy
- Rebecca Skloot: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
- Gore Vidal: A Conversation
- Sarah Vowell: Assassination Vacation
- Alan Weisman: The World Without Us
- Cornel West: Hip Hop, Law & Culture
- Jerry West: My Life
- The Revolution Will Be Tweeted!
- Einstein's Unfinished Symphony
- Does Race Matter?
- Digital Media and the 2008 Presidential Election
- The American Penny
Speaker Information
Explore the links to the left to find Festival of Ideas archival footage, video highlights, and detailed biographies.
A complete list of speakers who have visited the West Virginia University campus since the lecture series began in 1996 can be found here.
Check back often and visit our Facebook page for details on upcoming Festival events.
Featured Festival Clip:
Dr. Cornel West
The Evolution of Street Knowledge: Hip Hop’s Influence on Law & Culture
Questions? Contact: FestivalofIdeas@mail.wvu.edu