Each year, the UC Speaker Series brings distinguished speakers and thought-provoking events to Charleston, West Virginia. Speakers have included astronaut Sally Ride, crusader Erin Brokovich, comedian Dave Barry, White House chef Walter Scheib, Time Magazine editor Nancy Gibbs, and many others. The Forum on the Future of Energy in 2010 pitted environmentalist Bobby Kennedy against coal magnate Don Blankenship in a debate watched around the world.
Since 2001, the Dow Chemical Foundation has been the major sponsor for UC Speaker Series events.