SOLD OUT: Prolific writer and lawyer to headline fourth annual Craig W. Barton Speaker Series

Update: This event has reached capacity. To be added to the waitlist, please email the Fine Arts Box Office inside Duerksen Fine Arts Center at fastickets@wichita.edu by 5 p.m. Thursday, March 6. Patrons on the waitlist will be notified by email if tickets become available.

Ben Stein, economist, lawyer, actor and prolific author, will speak at the 2025 Craig W. Barton Speaker Series event at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 at Miller Concert Hall in Duerksen Fine Arts Center. Seat reservations are required, and the event is free and open to the public.

Stein, a Yale Law School valedictorian, has worked as a speechwriter for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, authored more than 30 books on finance and law, and has become a key figure in exposing the junk bond scandal. Widely recognized for his iconic role in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and for hosting “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” Stein continues to speak on economics and politics.

The Craig W. Barton Speaker Series is an annual Wichita State event established to expose students and the community to differing points of view and encourage critical thinking and conversation. Previous speakers include Robert Gates, 22nd United States secretary of defense (2006-2011), Cody Keenan, former White House director of speechwriting for President Barack Obama, and Norah O’Donnell, anchor for the CBS Evening News and “60 Minutes” contributor.