Visiting lecturer programs
The Office of the President oversees two programs that bring scholars and distinguished individuals to the university for a blend of interactions with faculty, staff, students, and the public at large.
Robert and Elizabeth Knight Distinguished Lecturer
Supported by the R.G. and E.M. Knight Fund, the Knight Distinguished Lecturer program enhances the quality of higher education at the University of Manitoba and enriches the university's academic and cultural life by bringing distinguished scholars and innovative thinkers to our campuses.
President's Academic Visit Support Fund
Each year, $20,000 is made available through the President’s Fund to provide partial financial support to units hosting guest lecturers. Visits are intended to advance academic excellence and foster meaningful engagement among faculty, staff, students, and the broader university community.
Applications can be submitted at any time. Please note, only faculty or staff members within the university community are eligible to submit applications via the UM Intranet.
Upcoming visits
Please check back regularly for updates.
Past visits
Dr. Sheri Price
The College of Nursing in collaboration with Rady Faculty of Health Sciences (RFHS) Office of Interprofessional Collaboration and the Manitoba Primary Care Research Network welcomed Dr. Sheri Price, RN, PhD, FCAN, FAAN, Professor, School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, to campus in September 2026.
Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette
The Centre for Human Rights Research, in collaboration with the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, the Department of Indigenous Studies, and the School of Art at the University of Manitoba were honoured to host Dr. Sherry Farrell Racette in early March 2026 with support of the President's Academic Visit Support Fund.
Dr. Farrell Racette (Métis, Anishinaabe-Algonquin, and Irish) is a distinguished interdisciplinary scholar with an active arts and curatorial practice. Her work is grounded in story: stories of people, stories that objects tell, painting stories, telling stories and finding stories, especially those that recover Indigenous women’s knowledge and voices.
Dr. Michael Marder
Mosaic: an interdisciplinary critical journal and UM's School of Art welcomed Dr. Michael Marder to campus in the fall of 2025.
During his time at the university, Dr. Marder delivered a public lecture open to the university community, conducted an open seminar for grad students, and participated in an interview on his research with Dr. Shepherd Steiner and Mosaic interns.
Dr. Julie Posselt
Rooted in sociological and organizational theory, Dr. Posselt's research programs examines institutionalized inequalities in higher education and organizational efforts aimed at reducing inequities and encouraging diversity.
Hosted by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the President's Academic Visit Support Fund supported Dr. Posselt's visit to campus in May 2025.
The Honourable Bob Rae
The Honourable Bob Rae, former Canadian Ambassador to the United States and Canada's Permanent Representative to the UN delivered The Paul Buteux Memorial Lecture as part of the 40th annual J.W. Dafoe Political Studies Students' Conference on January 29 and 30, 2025.
Mr. Rae lecture was titled "The UN at 80—Successes, Hopes, Failures and Challenges" and he delivered a keynote address at the students' conference the following day.
Dr. Bryan Palmer
Dr. Bryan Palmer is Professor Emeritus of Canadian Studies at Trent University and a former Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. He has published widely on the history of capitalism, class, labour, and left politics. His work has been translated into multiple languages. Dr. Palmer has also been instrumental in building the field of labour and working-class history, both through his own work and his over 30 year stewardship of the journal Labour/Le Travail.
The Labour Studies Program hosted Dr. Palmer at UM from Tuesday, January 30, 2024 to Thursday, February 2, 2024 to discuss Canadian labour and working-class history.
Mr. Robert Baines
Mr. Robert Baines is the President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada, where he is focused on communicating the importance of NATO and the international-rules based order to Canadians. With support from the President's Academic Support Fund, Mr. Baines delivered The Paul Buteux Memorial Lecture as part of the 39th annual J.W. Dafoe Political Studies Students' Conference.
Mr. Baines' lecture, Alliances in a New Age: Celebrating 75 Years of NATO, was held on Thursday, January 31, 2024.
Dr. Peter Simcock
Hosted by the Faculty of Social Work, Dr. Simcock visited in July 2023.
Dr. Peter Simcock is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Birmingham City University, United Kingdom. He has an academic background in law, social work, and gerontology, and has worked in social work education for over ten years. Prior to his academic career, Peter was a social worker, working predominantly in the physical and sensory disability field. Widely published in the field of deafblindness, he is also co-author of the Polity published text ‘Social Work and Disability’ and more recently published a chapter on disability in the text ‘Human Rights and Social Justice. Key Issues and Vulnerable Populations’ edited by Prof. Carole Cox and Prof. Tina Maschi.
Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire
Sponsored by the Richardson Foundation, and hosted by the Arthur V. Mauro Institute for Peace & Justice at St. Paul's College, the President's Academic Visit Support Fund provided support for the 2023 Sol Kanee Lecture Series, which feature distinguished leaders in the field of peace and justice. On Thursday, November 9, 2023, we welcomed Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire to campus to discuss Peace, Faith, and Humanity in Times of Crisis.