George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States

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George H.W. Bush received the 2008 Dole Leadership Prize for his long career in public service. Continuing a family tradition of public service, Bush enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday. As a Navy pilot, Bush flew 58 combat missions during World War II. After his military service, Bush worked privately in the oil […]

Unlimited Partners: Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole

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Former Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole spoke at the Lied Center for the 2009 Dole Lecture as part of the Dole Institute's annual Dole Lecture Series. The Dole Lecture is a public event headlined by a national figure discussing an aspect of current politics or policy. Held each spring, it commemorates April 14, 1945, […]

Donna Shalala, former Health and Human Services Secretary

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Donna Shalala received the 2009 Dole Leadership Prize for her long record of public service, including acting as co-chair of the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors with former Sen. Bob Dole. Chosen in 2007 by President George W. Bush, Shalala and Dole led a task force to evaluate how injured veterans transition from […]

Sheila Bair

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FDIC Chair and KU alumna Sheila Bair discussed her career in public service and her efforts to restore Americans' faith in the financial system. Sheila C. Bair has spent most of her life in public service, beginning with her career as a civil rights attorney in what was then the U.S. Department of Health, Education, […]

Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II (WASP)

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In 2010, the Dole Institute of Politics awarded the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II with the Dole Leadership Prize for their courage and contributions during the war. About World War II Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Between 1942 and 1944, at the height of World War II, more than a thousand women […]

Bob Woodward

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Bob Woodward, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor for the Washington Post, was interviewed by Dole Institute of Politics Director Bill Lacy for the 2011 Dole Lecture. Bob Woodward is regarded as one of America’s preeminent investigative reporters and non-fiction authors. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is […]

Viktor Yushchenko, former President of Ukraine

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Viktor Yushchenko, former President of Ukraine, received the 2011 Dole Leadership Prize. “We are honored to give the Dole Leadership Prize to such a great cultural and revolutionary icon,” said Bill Lacy, director of the Dole Institute. “Yushchenko and the Orange Revolution ignited a fire for the people of Ukraine, and his victory was a […]

2012 | Why Presidents Succeed. Why They Fail.

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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 […]

Senator George Mitchell

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George Mitchell is an exemplary public servant with an impressive political career. Mitchell served with Senator Dole in the Senate and was a founder of the Bipartisan Policy Center. After leaving the Senate, he has continued to serve by seeking peace in Northern Ireland and in the Middle East and by studying the effect of […]

Wounded Warrior Project

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With the mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is the hand extended to encourage warriors as they achieve new triumphs. WWP was the recipient of the 2012 Dole Leadership Prize. Wounded Warriors, a WWP advocate/caregiver and WWP’s executive director, Steven Nardizzi, joined us at the Dole Institute for an interview […]

2013 | In the Beginning: Three Men Who Made America

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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, […]

Ike’s Legacy: Brigadier General Carl Reddel

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Ike is a personal hero of Bob Dole's, and the Dole Institute was proud to honor President Eisenhower's life and legacy with the annual Dole Lecture. Are you aware of the effort to honor IKE with a memorial on the national mall? Authorized in 1999 by an act of Congress, the Commission seeks to build […]

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