INFORMATION FOR
An Evening with Terry GrossHost of National Public Radio’s Fresh Air
in conversation with WP alumSteven Baker ' 04Vice President of DevelopmentCandle True Stories CANCELED
We regret to inform you that the Terry Gross Distinguished Lecturer Series event scheduled for May 8, 2026, has been canceled due to illness.
Patrons who purchased tickets by credit or debit card will receive an automatic refund. If you paid by cash or check, please contact the Shea Center Box Office at 973-720-2371 or boxoffice@wpunj.edu for refund or exchange assistance.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. We look forward to welcoming you to a future Shea Center event.
For audiences eager to hear illuminating discussions by today’s most in-demand speakers, William Paterson University offers the Distinguished Lecturer Series (DLS)—an event that began in 1980 and brings illustrious personalities from the worlds of politics, government, the arts, literature, sports, science, and business, along with original programs—to Wayne, New Jersey. Jon Meacham, one of America’s most prominent public intellectuals and a New York Times best-selling author, spoke to a full house at the Shea Center for Performing Arts in the fall about the 2016 presidential election. Previous speakers include Robert Krulwich, Mitch Albom, Jacques Pepin and Claudia Pepin, Daniel Levitin and Roseanne Cash, Harold Prince, Gloria Steinem, Diane Ravitch. actor Al Pacino, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox general managers Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein, musical theatre composer Stephen Sondheim, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, film directors Oliver Stone and Spike Lee, performer Gregory Hines, and writers Alice Walker and Joyce Carol Oates to more than 100,000 audience members who have attended DLS since its inception.Read more on history page
