» Fall 2024

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POINTS OF PRIDE

FALL 2024

Throughout the fall season, the Dole Institute was a thriving forum for engaging dialogue. In one of the most historic election seasons in our nation's history, the Institute provided many opportunities for rich discussions on ongoing shifts in political and campaign dynamics, the information landscape, and general perspectives on leadership and policy at home and abroad.

Engaging Discourse for All —

Our programming throughout the fall gave audience members an inside look into the issues that were prevalent throughout the election season, including the information landscape, defense policy, the shift in party ideologies, and more.

→ Discussion Groups

This season, we hosted concurrent Discussion Groups series that cut through the noise to understand the 2024 elections and gave an inside look into congressional leadership and representation.

Dole Fellow Jonathan Shorman’s series, “Beyond the Ballot: Understanding the 2024 Elections,” highlighted elections, campaigns, and more here in Kansas and throughout the nation. His series will culminated in November with the Kansas Panel of the 2024 Post Election Conference.

In partnership with the Association of the Former Members of Congress, the Dole Institute welcomed former members of Congress Luke Messer (R-IN) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL) for “Congress in the 21^st Century,” a three-part Discussion Groups series highlighting their careers in public service and bipartisanship, and work with members of the Student Advisory Board to develop programming on topics at the top of students’ minds. This series was supported by the Edward F. Reilly Endowed Fund and presented in partnership with the Association of the Former Members of Congress.

→ Elections and National Politics

Ahead of the 2024 Election, students and members of the public alike had the opportunity to hear from journalists, experts, and former leaders on the issues at stake this election cycle.

Bestselling author and journalist Sasha Issenberg visited with Director Audrey Coleman for a discussion on his new book, The Lie Detectives: In Search for a Playbook for Winning Elections in the Disinformation Age

Former Republican Senator of Nebraska and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel visited with Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib to discuss where the presidential candidates stand on the issues that impact America’s standing on the world stage

Karen Tumulty, associate editor and columnist at the Washington Post, joined Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib for an overview of the presidential campaign and how it’s reshaping the nation’s political landscape for years to come

Dole Institute Director Emeritus Bill Lacy, Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib, and Dole Fellow Jonathan Shorman moderated panels at the 2024 Post Election Conference, which recapped the campaign season, analyzed the results from the election, and provided insight into what’s next

→ Signature Programs & Featured Partnerships

Former Supreme Court Justice and founder of iCivics Sandra Day O’Connor was honored with the 2024 Dole Leadership Prize, with her eldest son, Scott O’Connor, and iCivics CEO Louise Dubé accepting the award

Members of the Bolstering Elections Initiative, a collaboration with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, participated in the Bipartisan Policy Center’s 2024 Elections Summit, which included a brief presentation by project senior advisor Tammy Patrick

Archivists continued making progress on the Dole Institute’s contributions to the American Congress Digital Archives Portal, including senate schedules and manuscripts on accessibility

Dole Institute Visiting Fellows and attorneys Ed Duckers and Pedro Irigonegary returned for the latest installment of The Counselors, which featured a debate on whether the military draft should be reinstated

In partnership with KU’s Department of Political Science, assistant professor Jack Zhang moderated a conversation on building a balanced approach to relations with China with Notre Dame associate professor Kyle Jaros and former senior U.S. diplomat Susan Thornton

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Michael Thorning and J.D. Rackey visited the Institute this season to host a program and interactive student workshop on structural democracy—the mechanisms by which American governmental institutions might be more efficient in meeting the needs of its citizens

Dole Institute Fellows —

This season, we welcomed one of the largest classes of fellows in our history. Each of these experienced individuals engage substantively with students or conduct outreach on behalf of the Dole Institute, in addition to hosting programming. Click a profile photo below to learn more about the fellow’s background and topic on their fellow profile.

Serving KU and Beyond —

Student opportunities are a cornerstone of the Dole Institute’s mission. Throughout the fall season, we provided students at the University of Kansas with unique opportunities to be civically engaged in the election, including registering voters on campus, having conversations on issues at the top of students’ minds, and more.

→ Engagement at KU

The Student Advisory Board hosted their annual Partio program, which featured a conversation moderated by SAB Coordinator Ana-Sofia Lahovary on Latino community engagement with Erica Andrade and Alejandro Rangel-López

Members of the Student Advisory Board and students from our campus partners had the opportunity to join Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics polling director John Della Volpe for a student-only focus group ahead of the election

Pizza & Politics Coordinator Nathan Binshtok hosted a series of informal student programs on campus this season on a variety of topics, including on the electoral college, the national debt and budget challenges, the impending ban of TikTok, and the fate of social security

This year’s Hemenway awardees, under the direction of senior associate director Dr. Barbara Ballard, led on-campus voter education and registration initiatives, which saw 125 students registered to vote in Kansas and recognition from the ALL-IN Campus Democracy Challenge

→ Engaging K-12 Students

The Dole Institute partnered with the KU Center for Community Outreach to host their annual Trunk or Treat event at the Institute, which featured an evening full of frights and delights

The Dole Institute’s public education team traveled to classrooms and community events throughout the region this season, including offering educational activities at the Watkins Museum’s annual Tails and Traditions event

Dole Institute public education manager Julie Clover worked with members of the KU Council for the Social Studies to prepare for their presentations at the National Council for the Social Studies’ annual conference

Plus Much More

This is only a glimpse into the work conducted at the Dole Institute. Stay up to date with news from the Dole Institute, upcoming events, features, and more by following us on social media and subscribing to our newsletter, The Digital Dole Institute.

Explore more highlights from previous semesters and seasons on our website by clicking the link below.

The Dole Institute is committed to universal accessibility in all programs and resources. We are in the process of making all of our web projects fully accessible. An accessible version of the material represented on this site will be made available upon request. Please contact us at doleinstitute@ku.edu to request the material be made available in an accessible format, or for general assistance.