Presidential Lecture Series

With the 2012 presidential contest already underway, the Dole Institute's signature series looks at what separates successful presidents from those deemed failures. Both Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon had significant accomplishments during their presidencies that were overshadowed by Vietnam and Watergate respectively. What if these men had been able to avoid these stains? Join us […]

A fascinating look at the Founding Fathers! Presidential historian and first permanent director of the Dole Institute, Richard Norton Smith, brought our first three presidents to life and helped us understand these men’s important contributions to the start of our nation.   Part One: George Washington 2/10/2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpE-4KdqmwA&t=3s George Washington was born on February 22, […]

Richard Norton Smith, notable presidential historian, will examine the private lives and the public roles of the First Ladies and how this position has changedsince Martha Washington. The Presidential Lecture Series is sponsored in part by the William T. Kemper II Charitable Trust and Commerce Trust Company and Bob Loyd, Co-Trustees.   Prisoners of State […]

With attention turning toward the next presidential race, we look at a question we first addressed nine years ago: Will the U.S. elect its first woman president? What unique challenges must women overcome to rise through the ranks to some of the highest positions in public service, politics, and business or to be President of […]

In the 2016 Presidential Lecture Series, noted presidential historian and former Dole Institute director Richard Norton Smith returns this spring to examine the politicians who were nominated to America’s highest office but never elected. Covering their careers and the reasons behind their losses, this timely four-part series will shed light on the impact of presidential […]

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked a joint session of Congress to make the world “safe for democracy.” Four days later, the United States entered World War I, one of the deadliest wars in American history. The 2017 Presidential Lecture Series will welcome expert guest lecturers to dive inside U.S. involvement in the […]

Presidential historian and former Dole Institute director Richard Norton Smith returns for a deep dive into presidential rankings and what they can teach us. Smith will guide the audience through an examination of the executive office from the exalted to the ignoble, with his participation in the annual C-SPAN Presidential Historians Survey serving as a […]

Public service leadership has many faces, and no two paths are the same. Four female leaders from various stages of their public service careers will join the Dole Institute to discuss how they prepared to take on their leadership roles and how they mentor others to follow in their footsteps. Both inspirational and practical, this […]

This year’s Presidential Lecture Series, created and developed by award-winning presidential rhetoric scholar Dr. Robert Rowland, focuses on presidential speeches and rhetoric, from the greatest speeches, to the process of speechwriting, to changes in presidential rhetoric in the age of social media. Join us for this compelling journey through the words that defined presidencies. Robert […]

Richard Norton Smith is a nationally recognized authority on the American presidency. He worked for Senator Bob Dole, with whom he collaborated on books. Mr. Smith served as Director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Center, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. In December 2001, Mr. Smith became director […]

The Presidential Lecture Series is presented in partnership with the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home. Join notable historians and archivists as they discuss the military service of former U.S. presidents and the relationship of that service to their own politics, leadership, and […]