Most of the speakers were either well-known journalists such as Anderson Cooper, Dan Rather, and Bob Woodward), or government figures, including Robert Gates, Rudolph Giuliani, and Shimon Peres.
The lecture series was named in honor of Robert C. Vance, publisher of the New Britain Herald from 1951 to 1959.
[8] The ad hoc committee submitted a list of potential speakers the following term,[9] but again, no consensus was reached.
Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson is among the speakers the Vance Foundation has been unsuccessful in booking.
[11] The Vance Lecture Series has been accused of conservative bias by members of the CCSU community.