Each winter, the Faculty of Arts is pleased to present the annual Stapleford Lecture, a free lecture funded through the generosity of the Ernest William Stapleford and Maude Bunting Stapleford Lecture Fund. This endowed trust was provided to the University of Regina by Dr Elsie Stapleford, as a memorial to her parents. The endowment allows the Faculty of Arts to bring a distinguished guest lecturer to the University to speak in the area of human justice, the status of women, the education and care of children, the rights of disadvantaged groups, and/or the history and art of Saskatchewan.

Rev. Ernest Stapleford (1874-1959) was the president of Regina College from 1915-1934. He guided the college through the crisis of World War I and the economic depression of the 1930s. He was one of the formative presidents of this institution. His wife, Mrs. Maude Stapleford (1884-1962) was very active and engaged in the community, and took a particular interest in the arts, and in the advancement of women's and children's rights. Daughter Dr Elsie Stapleford helped create and implement the Ontario Day Nurseries Actof 1946, which provided provincial government funding for day care centres, and implemented licensing and inspection measures. As Director of the Day Nurseries Branch, Dr. Stapleford made the Ontario program a model, and helped to transform the way child care is thought of and delivered in this country. Elsie Stapleford passed away in 2004.