Speakers in the Schools
The New York Council for the Humanities’ Speakers in the Schools program offers FREE top-notch lectures by a renowned and diverse group of scholars on a wide variety of humanities subjects to high school communities across New York State.
If your application is successful, the Council will cover all costs associated with the program, including the Speaker’s honorarium and travel expenses.
How to apply to host a lecture
Select a Lecture/ Speaker
Browse lecture listings to find the right topic for your students, school community and curriculum.
Find a Lecture/Speaker >
Contact the Speaker to arrange a date and time
Directly contact the Speaker you have selected to establish a mutually agreed upon date and time for the lecture presentation.
Browse Speaker directory >
Apply to the Council
Once you have selected a lecture and confirmed a date and a time with the Speaker, submit the Speakers in the Schools application.
Apply >
Plan your event
As soon as you receive notice of Council approval, start planning your event, including pre- and post-lecture activities.
View Planning Tips >
Submit Follow-Up Evaluation
It is required to submit an online evaluation within three (3) weeks following your event.
Program Evaluation >
Speakers in the Schools is made possible by funding from the New York State Legislature.
The Council is proud to partner with the New York State Historical Association's New York State History Day to support the humanities and education in schools and cultural institutions statewide.
Organize a series of Art and Architecture lectures in April
The Quest for Porcelain: Art, Alchemy and the Transformative Power of FireNicholas ZumbulyadisTrace how artisans, alchemists, and early chemists working across three continents and since the dawn of civilization, jointly created the first artificial material -- one that is both commonplace, and the stuff of legend. |
Ancient Pompeii in the Year 79 A.D.Mario MacalusoAncient Pompeii on August 24, 79 A.D. - the day when the city was destroyed by a cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. |
Prepare a May lecture series in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Longing and Belonging: The Idea of Home in Asian American LiteratureLuis H. FranciaAsian-American writers often explore the tension of being both an American and an outsider. Learn more about how contemporary authors including Maxine Hong Kingston, Chang Rae Lee, and Jumpa Lahiri re-imagine notions of home, tradition, sexuality, history, and memory in their stories and novels, to forge a unique place for Asian-Americans in American culture. |
Rising from the Trenches: The 1899 Philippine-American WarLuis H. FranciaUnderstanding the brutal 1899 Philippine-American War enables us to comprehend both the Filipino-American experience and more recent U.S. wars, from Vietnam to Iraq. |
Become a humanities supporter! Your generous contribution to the New York Council for the Humanities will help benefit over one million New Yorkers eager to engage with ideas that shape who we are and how we live.