DSC_0754
POINTS OF PRIDE
FALL 2025

Politics connects people. Throughout the fall season, the Dole Institute connected students and members of the public to opportunities that helped them learn more about historical and contemporary topics in policy and political culture, public service, and civics across the political spectrum.

Politics, Civics, Public Service, & more —

Our fall programming gave audiences unique insights to a variety of historical and contemporary topics into policy and political culture, public service, and civics across the political spectrum.

 

→ Politics in Kansas and Beyond

  • Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and National Catholic Reporter executive editor James Grimaldi, and The Catholic Association senior fellow Ashley McGuire joined Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib for “Church and State,” a conversation on Catholicism and its influence on today’s politics and leadership

  • Dole Fellow Karen Willey spoke with Kansas State legislators Kenny Titus (R) and Lindsay Vaughn (D) for “Water for Our Future,” a conversation about their work on the Kansas State Water Program Task Force
  • Cook Political Report editor Amy Walter visited with Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib for “The Midterm Election, One Year Out,” a wide ranging discussion on the factors shaping the 2026 midterm election campaign
  • The Dole Institute commemorated Constitution Day with a special program, “Healthcare in the U.S. Constitution,” which featured Dr. Barbara Ballard and Student Advisory Board alum Jesse Burbank speaking with Harvard Law professor I. Glenn Cohen about the intersection of healthcare policy and the Constitution

→ Signature Programs & Featured Partnerships

  • The Dole Institute hosted Kansas State Court of Appeals Judges Sarah Warner, Thomas Malone, and Amy Fellows Cline as they heard oral arguments in two cases involving constitutional issues in commemoration of Constitution Day
  • The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Michael Kelley and Andy Winkler visited the Institute to host a student workshop and public program, “Affordable Housing in America“
  • Dole Institute Visiting Fellows and attorneys Ed Duckers and Pedro Irigonegaray returned for this season’s edition of The Counselors, which featured the pair debating “Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?” with a panel of expert witnesses, including Washburn University’s Jeffrey D. Jackson and Linsey Moddelmog, author Tara Ross, and Save Our States founder Trent England

→ Discussion Groups

Dole Fellow and political consultant Joni Wickham developed the fall season’s Discussion Groups series, “Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Public Service.” Over the course of five programs, she spoke with former and current mayors, nonprofit leaders, state legislators, and journalists, about topics in local governance, including mayoral and representative leadership, public advocacy, and civic engagement.

Stories from the Dole Archives —

  • In partnership with the KU Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, we hosted historian Alice Kelikian and journalist Michael Bobelian for “Why the Armenian Genocide Still Matters,” a conversation that built upon the stories of loss and recovery turned advocacy for Armenia that are seen in the Dole Archives’ original special exhibit, “Dole & Dr. K“
  • The Dole Archives awarded a record number of research and travel grants, including two recipients of a new education grant designed to support faculty and instructors across all subjects and levels at KU who develop curriculum that draws from the primary resources housed in the Dole Archives

Reaching the Next Generation of Leaders —

Students help make the Dole Institute a vibrant hub for learning about and connecting with opportunities in public service and bipartisan cooperation. Throughout the fall season, the Institute and the Student Advisory Board engaged with KU students, the Lawrence community, and many more throughout the region.

 

→ Engagement at KU

  • The Student Advisory Board hosted their annual Partio (Party on the Patio) program, “The Impact of Local Newsroom Closures on Communities and Society,” a conversation moderated by SAB Coordinator Abbie Clements that featured Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, and Eric Meyer, editor and publisher of the Marion County Record
  • Participants in the Spring 2025 Center for Strategic and International Studies Journalism Bootcamp presented their multimedia project and spoke about their experiences with faculty at KU and Friends of the Dole Institute

  • For the first time, the Dole Institute hosted a multi-day reunion of Student Advisory Board alumni in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the organization
  • The Dole Institute announced its first-ever podcast, From the Balcony, launching in the new year with the first episode featuring Nathan Binshtok speaking with former Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas CEO Rob Kaplan
  • This year’s Hemenway awardees, under the direction of associate director Dr. Barbara Ballard and in coordination with the KU Civic Engagement and Leadership Council, led on-campus voter education and registration initiatives, which saw over 100 students registered to vote in Kansas, and over 30 students participating in a leadership workshop

→ Engaging K-12 Students

  • The Dole Institute partnered with the KU Center for Community Outreach to host their annual Trunk or Treat event, which featured an evening full of spook-tacular costumes and family fun
  • The National Council for History Education and the Dole Institute, in partnership with the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Council for History Education, were awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support the Learning Independence and Nationhood in Kansas Schools (LINKS) Project, which provides educators across the state with opportunities to strengthen instruction by connecting local history to national narratives, while also building professional networks across schools and districts

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.