Nominations may be submitted under one of four speaker categories. Nominators are asked to select the category that best aligns with their nominee at the time of submission. Please note that the committee reserves the right to reclassify a nomination into a different category, should it determine that an alternate designation better reflects the speaker’s work or the goals of the series.
Nominations open the first week of November and close at 5:00 PM PT on the last Thursday of January.
What the committee looks for
Walker Ames Lecturer (WAL)
The committee seeks nominees who are considered leaders in their respective academic fields with broad public and interdisciplinary appeal. In cooperation with written support from academic departments and programs, we seek nominations that reflect diversity of background, ethnicity, and intellectual thought. This successful nominee will give a public facing address as well as spend time in classrooms for 3-5 working days.
Nominations must include co-sponsorship letters of support and demonstrate the speaker’s interdisciplinary appeal.
Walker Ames Scholar (WAS)
The committee seeks nominees who are considered leaders in their respective academic fields and who may not have broad interdisciplinary support. Letters of support are not required for this nomination category. Successful scholars will not give a public facing address. They are expected to spend 3-5 working days on campus interacting with students and faculty in a classroom setting.
Jessie and John Danz Lecturers
The committee seeks nominations of public intellectuals with national and international reputations. The Danz bequest specifies that we host scholars “who have concerned themselves with the impact of science and philosophy on man’s perception of a rational universe.” In choosing Danz lecturers, the committee reviews both the nominee’s record of accomplishment and his or her public speaking ability.
Mary Ann and John D. Mangels Lecturers
The committee seeks nominations of scholars whose research, teaching, or public service advances understanding, equity, and inclusion — and of individuals who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to creating accessible, welcoming, and intellectually rich experiences for students, the campus community, and the broader public.
Nominations must include:
- Co-sponsorship letters of support
- Demonstration of the speaker’s multi-department (interdisciplinary) appeal
- Evidence of name recognition or public interest in the topic, along with demonstrated public speaking experience
- An explanation of how the visit will advance GSEE’s mission to foster equity, inclusion, and intellectual growth — supporting an accessible and enriching experience for students and the broader community across the Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses
All nominations must include these core requirements:
- Identify the name and professional title of your nominee.
- Mission Fit and Motivation for Nomination: Why is this nominee and proposed lecture a strong fit for the Office of Public Lectures’ purpose of connecting the University and the public through engagement with significant ideas? Explain what makes the nomination timely, compelling, or distinctive.
- Intellectual Quality: What scholarship, expertise, professional accomplishment, or body of work demonstrates that the nominee can contribute substantive ideas worthy of public engagement? Describe the credibility and significance of the nominee’s work, independent of whether audiences agree with its conclusions.
- Relevant Expertise and Subject-Matter Knowledge: What demonstrated subject-matter expertise does the nominee bring to the proposed topic? Identify relevant scholarship, professional practice, publications, lived experience, or equivalent accomplishments, and explain how they connect directly to the proposed lecture.
- Interdisciplinary Appeal and University Benefit: How would the nominee’s visit engage more than one academic department, school, college, or campus unit and appeal to a broad cross-section of the University community? Explain how the proposed lecture aligns with the interdisciplinary mission of the Walker-Ames or Mangels Lecture Series, or with the mission of the selected endowment.
- Public Speaking Ability: What evidence demonstrates the nominee’s ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and engagingly with a public, non-specialist audience? Describe the nominee’s speaking experience, presentation style, and ability to engage a generally informed and diverse audience.
All current and emeritus UW faculty, directors of academic units, chairs and deans are eligible to make a nomination. OPL will not accept self-nominations nor consider nominations of past Walker-Ames, Mangels, or Danz lecturers. You can access the list of past speakers by clicking the Past Speakers link below.
Looking to nominate a speaker outside of the nomination window? Please see Signature Speaker Nomination Information.