DANBURY, Connecticut — In November 2025, Western Connecticut State University Provost Dr. Stephen Hegedus announced the Provost’s Distinguished Lecture Series: Advancing Knowledge Through Dialogue and Discovery. The three-part series aims to bring leading voices from across disciplines to share their insights, scholarship, and vision with the community. The remaining two lectures, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in February and April 2026, are scheduled as follows:
- The featured lecturer on Wednesday, Feb. 25, is CSU Professor of Legal Studies Terrence P. Dwyer, JD, MFA. Dwyer will discuss “Criminals, Clients, Curricula, and Creativity” at 5:30 p.m. in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.
As an academic, Dwyer has presented at national conferences, published in criminal justice and law journals, authored three textbooks, and been cited in academic articles, course books, and a petitioner’s brief before the U.S. Supreme Court. However, his desire to reach a wider audience and speak on issues important to him, as well as his creative writing interests, led him to reconsider how research is shared with the public. With a diverse background as a retired police officer and attorney, and many years in academia, he decided to forgo traditional academic writing and present his work as a playwright and author. His most recent work, the memoir, “The Badge Between Us: Duty, Marriage, and Family,” was released this month. Dwyer will discuss the three research topics he has been working on and how he took alternate paths to presenting his work. A book signing will follow.
- The series will conclude on Wednesday, April 1, with a talk by Brian Clements, CSU Professor of Writing, Linguistics and Creative Process, and director of the university’s Kathwari Honors Program, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 218, the President’s Reception Room, in the Westside Classroom Building, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury.
Clements will share his thoughts on “The Marketplace of Campo de’ Fiori, or What is Poetry?” Clements’ summary states, “In the United States, the public often turns to poetry after times of tragedy and forgets about it much of the rest of the time. Poetry receives less funding than any of the other arts. Yet there are more people writing (if not reading) poetry now than ever before, and capital-P Poetry is highly reputable — so much so that we commonly praise songwriters and speechwriters by calling them poets. In this talk and reading, Dr. Clements will discuss the public and private roles of poetry and the reasons poetry persists in a hyper-capitalist economy where it seems to have little economic value.”
Following each Distinguished Lecture, a reception will be held to allow for conversation and connection. The lectures and receptions are free, and the public is invited. Register to attend at www.wcsu.edu/academics/provosts-distinguished-lecture/.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.