2017 SPRING | President Trump: The First 100 Days
2017-03-01 00:00 - 2017-05-03 00:00 (America/Chicago)
Dole Fellows Henry “C.J.” Jackson and Johanna Maska
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Fresh off a dramatic election season, KU alums Henry “C.J.” Jackson and Johanna Maska will examine and interpret the first 100 days of the Trump administration as they happen. Jackson and Maska will welcome a who’s-who of Washington insiders and reporters to explore a complex season in U.S. politics.

A Nation in Transition
3/1/2017

White House and presidential campaign veteran Johanna Maska and veteran political journalist C.J. Jackson will focus on presidential transitions and explore what’s unique about the new Trump White House. The pair will examine how Washington D.C. changes with a new administration, how new presidents build relationships (or don’t), and how they adjust to the trappings of their office. Both KU alums, Maska and Jackson will also discuss their careers and personal transitions as they moved to Washington D.C. in 2009, sharing experiences while balancing professional obligations—and sometimes national security guidance.

The New “Race”
3/15/2017

Former Deputy Social Secretary and State Department official Samantha Tubman traveled at President Barack Obama’s side throughout the 2008 campaign, working on his presidential transition before taking on key roles in the White House and State Department. She joins Dole Fellow C.J. Jackson to discuss the rapid transformation from a campaign to governing. Jackson and Tubman will explore the new “race” to enact policy, the challenges of a presidential transition, and Tubman’s path as a young person engaging with politics to the White House and beyond.

Entering the White House
3/29/2017

With guest Greg Jenkins – Founder, North Bay Strategies; Deputy Assistant to George W. Bush
Two former White House aides—one from each major party—break down what a presidential transition looks like from the inside. As a former deputy assistant to President George W. Bush, Greg Jenkins traveled the world helping to craft and hone a president’s message. Dole fellow Johanna Maska, who held a similar role for President Obama, will lead a discussion on the demands of working in the White House as the beginning of a new administration.

Meet the Press
4/5/2017

NPR White House correspondent Scott Horsley, Republican communications strategist Tim Miller and Dole fellow Johanna Maska will look at the relationship between politics, government and the press. They will focus on what’s unique in Trump’s emerging relationship with the press and what challenges any administration’s press corps would face. This discussion will focus on the important role of the media, the obligations of those in political communications and how history is made and recorded.

Inside the Situation Room and the Importance of Presidential Language
4/19/2017

Former White House deputy director of speechwriting and lead National Security Council speechwriter Terry Szuplat joins Dole fellow C.J. Jackson to talk about how presidents form a national security message. Szuplat will discuss what it is like to be in the Situation Room in a crisis and how presidents craft their messages for an international audience. Szuplat will also analyze the Trump administration’s approach to international relations and talk about the issues that have already emerged.

At Home and Abroad: the Global Presidency
4/26/2017

Former National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden joins Dole fellow C.J. Jackson to discuss how presidents manage an international audience. Hayden, who has worked across national security positions in government, will examine how the Trump administration approaches diplomacy, how the presidential transition affects international relationships and more.

The Loyal Opposition
5/3/2017

The final discussion group of the semester will focus on the party out of power, looking at how the minority party has reacted to big political changes. What tactics do minority parties use to stay relevant, or effect change? How do they develop their relationships with a new president–or how don’t they? How do new presidents work with (or not work with) the opposition party? Former Director of State Campaigns and Political Engagement for Hillary Clinton and KU graduate Marlon Marshall joins Dole fellows C.J. Jackson and Johanna Maska to talk about how the “out” party adjusts to a new president and what they do to stay relevant.

2017 SUMMER | Beyond the Border: U.S.-Mexico Relations
2017-05-24 00:00 - 2017-07-11 00:00
Dole Fellow Christina Luhn
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For many, the U.S.-Mexico border presents a problem, for others, an economic opportunity. An expert in cross-border economic development, Christina Luhn will lead a summer discussion group series exploring the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico with a focus on border security, immigration and trade.

The Value of Bi-National Collaboration
5/24/2017

Because the international border falls under federal jurisdiction, decisions are made far from the border in the respective capitals of Washington, D.C. and Mexico City. Yet these decisions not only impact the borderlands but also the rest of America, including Kansas and other midwestern states. In this discussion, Alfonso Navarro-Bernachi, Mexican Consul General in Kansas City, brings a unique perspective to understanding the value of bi-national collaboration. A distinguished member of Mexico’s Foreign Service, Navarro-Bernachi has served in consulates in several border states including California and Arizona and will share his insights on collaboration from firsthand experience.

Trade and the Border: the Value of NAFTA
5/31/2017

Recent political and economic rhetoric has focused on how globalization and NAFTA have cost many Americans their jobs. What is often missing in these emotionally charged narratives are the many jobs that are created and supported by trade. With Mexico recently becoming the largest export market for Kansas, a repeal of NAFTA could have catastrophic consequences for Kansas economy. In this discussion, Christopher Wilson, Deputy Director of the Mexico Institute at The Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., brings a researcher’s perspective to help sort through trade myth from reality and discuss possible policy solutions to address some of the more glaring issues associated with trade.

Life along the Border: A Separate Reality?
6/21/2017

While there are many positive economic opportunities for bi-national collaboration, this is not the reality for many who struggle with border conditions. This discussion with Andy Carey, executive director of the U.S.-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, will provide a deeper understanding of this reality and how some of these complex problems are being addressed. Carey brings a breadth of experience in his years working the entire U.S.-Mexico border to grow community philanthropy, leadership and cross-border collaboration in order to increase the human and financial capital needed to address the complex issues facing the region.

Borderlands: Why should Kansans and Midwesterners care about the Border?
6/28/2017

This session is designed to provide a deeper understanding of the U.S.-Mexico border and key issues, with special emphasis on historical context. In this discussion, Raul Rodriguez, Chairman of the Board of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation in New York City and former President of the North American Development Bank, brings his long and distinguished career of working on important bi-national issues to help explain how we got here today and what is special about the U.S.-Mexico border.

Security, Immigration, Trade and the Border
7/11/2017

This session will provide deeper understanding of key issues around border security, trade and immigration. Is the proposed wall realistic and would it achieve what its proponents suggest? Are security, immigration and trade mutually exclusive or can we have all three? In this discussion, Alan Bersin, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, brings his vast federal experience to a discussion about the intersection of security, immigration and trade. Having served in the Obama and the Clinton Administrations, Bersin has learned a great deal about what works, what doesn’t and what might be on the horizon.

2017 FALL | The Elusive Quest for the Lacrosse Mom: How do Politicians, Corporations, Organizations and the Community Engage Women?
2017-09-12 00:00 - 2017-11-28 00:00
Dole Fellow Cherylyn Harley LeBon
An experienced campaign advisor, D.C. insider and media contributor, fall fellow Cherylyn Harley LeBon will lead a discussion group series examining how various organizations, corporations and political entities attempt to engage with women, and why they can be a difficult constituency to reach.

Sarah Bruno
9/12/2017

“Guest: Sarah Bruno, Executive Director of the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN)
This discussion will focus on how to engage young women and provide them with the tools they need to become future leaders.”

Katie Pinke
9/19/2017

“Guest: Katie Pinke, publisher and general manager, Agweek
This discussion will focus on women from the heartland engaging with their communities. Katie Pinke is a columnist, small business owner and mother from North Dakota.”

Patrick Jephson and Mary Jo Jacobi
9/26/2017

This discussion will examine corporate engagement and reputation management from the pros. Jephson is the former Social Secretary and Spokesman for Princess Diana, while Jacobi boasts a long career in energy, finance and government, including time in President George H.W. Bush’s administration.

Andrea Bottner
10/10/2017

Andrea Bottner is founder of Bottner Strategies, LLC, is an expert in women’s issues and has earned the respect and admiration of some of Washington’s most influential policy makers. Prior to creating Bottner Strategies, Bottner served at the U.S. Department of State as Director for the Office of International Women’s Issues. Prior to her work at the State Department, Bottner served at the U.S. Department of Justice as Principal Deputy Director and later, as Acting Director of the Office on Violence Against Women. Additionally, Bottner served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Republican National Committee Co-Chairman Ann Wagner, specializing in the Committee’s national women’s outreach expansion strategy.

Ashley Davis
10/24/2017

This conversation will examine ways to engage more women at the national, state and local level of politics. Ashley Davis is a former member of the President George W. Bush administration and a noted political strategist and lobbyist.

Sandra Sobieraj Westfall
11/14/2017
Sandra Sobieraj Westfall is the national political correspondent and Washington bureau chief for PEOPLE Magazine. She joins the Dole Institute for a discussion on her career as a journalist for PEOPLE and the Associated Press, covering national politics and engaging with women voters.

Alan West
11/28/2017

Allen West, political commentator, retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel and former U.S. Congressman (R) representing Florida’s 22nd District
This conversation will focus on the future of constitutional conservatism in the U.S.

2018 SPRING | Rise of the Independents: Candidates and Reform in 2018 and Beyond
2018-02-21 00:00 - 2018-05-02 00:00
Dole Fellow Jim Jonas
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In a partisan political environment, independent or unaffiliated voters now represent the largest voting bloc in many U.S. states. Can independent and third party candidacies seize upon this shift in party identification? How could they shape the future of U.S. politics? Dole Fellow Jim Jonas leads a discussion group series examining election reform and independent candidates in Kansas and the nation.

Hyperpartisanship: How did we get here, and how to we fix it?
February 21, 2018

Political parties can seem more concerned with partisan advantage than finding common-ground solutions to the nation’s problems. Jim Jonas is joined by guest Matthew Dowd, a best-selling author, cultural commentator and chief political analyst for ABC News. Dowd owns experience working on both sides of the aisle, including time as chief strategist for President George W. Bush. The pair will examine ways to break the U.S. system out of its rut and encourage political competition and solutions to policy challenges.

The Shifting Electorate
March 7, 2018

The American political parties and the makeup of the electorate are experiencing enormous changes. What effects will the rapidly changing political landscape mean for Kansas and the country in 2018 and beyond? For this discussion, Jim Jonas welcomes Patrick Caddell, a political strategist, consultant and FOX News contributor. Caddell has advised over 150 presidential campaigns, including George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Joe Biden, Edward Kennedy and more.

Third Parties and Independent Movements in Kansas
March 14, 2018

What are the prospects for independent and third party efforts underway in Kansas in 2018 and beyond? How can voters who do not feel an affinity for either major party participate in Kansas elections and have an equal voice? Lawrencian Scott Morgan explores these ideas alongside Jonas, drawing on Morgan’s background in local, state and national politics. Morgan served as counsel in various positions for Sen. Bob Dole, culminating in a position as chief counsel for Dole’s 1988 presidential campaign. He is currently the chair of a grassroots group focused on starting a new Party of the Center in the state of Kansas.

Challenging the Duopoly
April 4, 2018

This discussion examines the legal, infrastructural, communication and electoral disadvantages for independents and third parties, and what is happening in the reform space to challenge those barriers. Jonas welcomes Chad Peace, who holds extensive experience in election law and voter rights. Peace is a legal strategist for the Independent Voter Project, a founding board member of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers, and founder and president of IVC Media LLC.

Hacking the System: Examining Unite America’s Plan
April 11, 2018
Unite America aims to strategically elect independent candidates to office who can break through the political gridlock and serve as a voice for all those in the center –– not as a traditional third party, but as America’s first “Unparty.” Their “fulcrum strategy” focuses on electing a sufficient number of candidates to closely divided legislatures where, as a swing coalition, independents can deny both parties an outright majority and use their disproportionate influence to forge common-ground solutions. Jonas is joined by Nick Troiano, who has spent the last decade leading political reform campaigns and is on staff at the Centrist Project. Most recently, Nick helped launch Change.org’s new elections platform as the company’s senior politics manager.

Kyle Bailey
April 18, 2018

Jonas welcomes Kyle Bailey for his penultimate discussion group installment of the semester. Bailey owns over a decade of experience managing and fundraising for independent candidate campaigns, referenda campaigns, and advocacy organizations. In 2016, he managed the statewide referendum campaign that won Ranked Choice Voting in Maine. This year, Bailey is leading a people’s veto campaign on the June 2018 ballot to restore ranked choice voting in Maine after it was repealed by Maine Legislature last year.

Jackie Salit
May 2, 2018

Jonas caps discussion groups with a visit from Jackie Salit, president of IndependentVoting.org, one of the nation’s leading organizing centers for independent voters. In addition to support for specific candidates, Salit and IV have supported ballot initiatives for nonpartisan primaries as well as legal and political defense of open primaries. Her political commentaries have appeared in a wide variety of publications, and she has been a commentator on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, FOX and other outlets.

2018 FALL | Political Campaigns, Top to Bottom: Data, Door Knocking and the 2018 Midterms
2018-09-12 08:00 - 2018-10-24 17:00
Dole Fellow Kelly Dietrich
Technology has transformed every aspect of the modern political campaign, from polling to messaging to fundraising and beyond. Kelly Dietrich, founder of the National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) and KU alumnus, leads a discussion group series on the midterm elections and their intersection with tech and data. Dietrich and his guests will glean real-world examples from the midterms as they happen, offering audience members an unparalleled look at the inner workings of today’s campaigns.

Crafting a Winning Message in the Age of Trump: Is All Politics Still Local?
9/12/2018

Every campaign struggles with how to communicate with voters. The maxim used to be, “All politics is local.” Does this hold true in today’s charged political atmosphere? How can local campaigns cut through the national focus on the Trump administration?

Targeting Voters: Big Data at the Local Level
9/19/2018

How do campaigns, with more personal data on voters available than ever, decide who to target to win? How can this data be used in traditional campaign activities like canvassing? Kelly Dietrich is joined by John Hagner, partner with Clarity Campaign Labs, and Jason Perkey, vice president at JVA Campaigns and political consultant for TargetSmart. Hagner oversees consulting and strategic service offerings, working with clients like the Democratic Governor’s Association, EMILY’s List and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Perkey works for the nation’s leading data, technology and consulting firm and has been involved in local, state and national political campaigns for over a decade, including Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential run.

The Small Money Revolution: How Tech is Changing How Campaigns Are Funded
9/26/2018

National campaigns are experiencing major shifts in the ability to solicit and collect low-dollar contributions from individuals across the country. How does this affect local campaigns and how can they compete with larger organizations and candidates? For this conversation, Kelly Dietrich will welcome Lily Gold, director of strategic operations for Mothership Strategies. Gold currently leads a team that focuses on email fundraising for Democrats around the country. She previously worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, raising $70 million in online donations in 2014 alone.

Social, Text, Email, Digital, Mail and TV: Communicating with Voters of Every Age
10/3/2018

For decades, the mainstay of any political communication plan was TV and mail. Now, digital and social media advertising are challenging the supremacy of the old ways and offering cheaper alternatives for candidates to communicate with even more specific voters. How are these tools being adopted on local campaigns? How do they change a campaign’s priorities and relationship with its supporters? Kelly Dietrich is joined in conversation by Valerie Martin, co-founder of Silversmith Strategies, and Danielle Winterhalter, managing director of SpeakEasy Political. Specializing in fundraising, campaign management and media, Martin has also managed two U.S. Senate races and worked in fundraising on Sen. Claire McCaskill’s 2006 upset victory in Missouri. Winterhalter owns experience as a campaign manager, policy director and political consultant for Democratic candidates, progressive causes and labor organizations.

Polling and Data: How do we Track and Predict the Outcome of Elections?
10/10/2018

Polling is always one of the focal points for the public’s attention leading up to elections. In 2016, very few pollsters forecasted the Trump win accurately. Some blame this on the Clinton campaign’s reliance on analytics and modeling, rather than polling and door-to-door experience. Can polling and data work together in the future?

The Future of State and Local Parties in the Candidate-Driven Campaign Era
10/17/2018

Most individuals have no idea what state and local parties actually do. Given our candidate-centric culture, how do parties continue to provide service and value to the party and their candidates? What will their role be in the future of politics? Kelly Dietrich is joined in conversation by Vicki Hiatt, Jim Joice and Ken Martin. Hiatt is a KU graduate and retired teacher who now serves as vice chair of the Kansas Democratic Party. In her current role, Hiatt works to recruit and train candidates throughout the state of Kansas. Joice is currently the executive director of the Kansas Republican Party. He began his career working for Rep. Kevin Yoder and later served with Kansas Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning. Martin is a vice chair for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) and chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. A KU graduate, he has worked on many different campaigns over the years including three Presidential campaigns, Kerry ’04, Gore ’00, and Clinton ’92, as well as countless federal, state, and local efforts.

What the Heck will Happen? Predictions Ahead of November 2018
10/24/2018

The last session ahead of the 2018 mid-terms, this is a chance to predict election results, focus on bigger trends, individual tactics and strategies, and interpret what it could all mean for 2019 and 2020. Kelly Dietrich welcomes Michael Blake and Marlon Marshall for this conversation. Blake is currently a state assembly member in New York and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. He was previously White House Associate Director of Public Engagement and Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and National Deputy Operation Vote Director for President Barack Obama in 2012. Marshall is a founding partner of 270 Strategies, KU alumnus and Dole Institute Board of Advisors member. Marshall has previously served as special assistant to the President and principal deputy director in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement. He was director of states and political engagement for the Hillary for America campaign and deputy national field director for President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012.

2019 SPRING | International Trade in the 21st Century
2019-02-13 08:00 - 2019-04-03 17:00
Dole Fellow Ethan Corson
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Once considered an area of bipartisan consensus, support has eroded for the idea that free trade benefits the U.S. and that engagement with the global economy is essential to the nation’s economic growth.
An alumnus of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the current executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, Dole Fellow Ethan Corson leads an exploration of the issues surrounding international trade, including the different approaches taken by recent presidential administrations. Corson and his guests will dissect arguments for and against free trade and provide the historical context for understanding today’s debate.

The Big Ideas in International Trade, from Truman to Obama
2/13/2019

Ethan Corson and guest Scott Handler kick off our spring discussion group series with a look at the ideological underpinning for U.S. trade policy since the 1940s. Handler previously served as a White House Fellow and special advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. His work focused on international trade issues including digital trade, promoting entrepreneurship abroad and strategic initiatives. He is currently the chief information security officer and head of partnerships at WireWheel.

The Collapsing Consensus: Trade in the Era of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders
2/20/2019

Free trade was once considered an area of broad bipartisan consensus. Is trade really to blame for some of the negative effects attributed to it, or is it a scapegoat for other, larger challenges in the U.S. economy? Joining Ethan Corson in conversation is Arun Venkataraman. Venkataraman has more than 15 years of experience advising government officials on trade and economic policy. Most recently, he served as director of policy for the International Trade Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. He is currently trade and policy advisor at Steptoe.

A View from the Capitol: How Congress Looks at International Trade
2/27/2019

Ethan Corson and Jordan Haas break down the politics of trade from the perspective of those who have worked on the issue with members of Congress. Haas played a lead role in advancing Barack Obama’s trade legislative agenda, including serving as director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs for the International Trade Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. In his current position, he works as the director of trade policy for the Internet Association.

Trump’s Trade Policies, Two Years In
3/6/2019

This session presents a deep dive into the policy decisions, philosophies and results of the Trump Administration’s approach to international trade. Ethan Corson and guest Atman Trivedi will break down a host of topics, including the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, tariffs, trade wars and bilateral trade agreements. Trivedi served as senior director for policy in global markets at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and as chief of staff in the U.S. State Department’s International Security and Nonproliferation bureau. He is currently managing director of Hills and Company International Consultants.

Were Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers Made in China? How Trade Affects Kansas
3/20/2019

In the fifth week of discussion groups, Ethan Corson adopts a local perspective. Alongside guest Mike Matson, Corson will shift the focus to the ways that trade and policy decisions affect the Sunflower State. Matson is the director of industry affairs and development for the Kansas Farm Bureau, a non-profit farm organization that works to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and research.

Talking Trade: How the Messaging around Trade Shapes Public Opinion
3/27/2019

Public perception of trade and policy decisions can be heavily shaped by the messaging of a presidential administration. Ethan Corson unpacks the communications strategy of senior officials with U.S. Department of Commerce alumna Meghan Groob. Groob served in a variety of messaging roles in the department of commerce, including as director of speechwriting and deputy director of public affairs. She is currently editorial director at Gates Ventures.

Trade Enforcement: How Trade Disputes are Resolved
4/3/2019

Once a trade agreement is signed, how does the U.S. make sure the terms are followed? Former U.S. Department of Commerce chief counsel for trade enforcement and compliance John McInerney joins Ethan Corson to examine the finer points of trade enforcement, including how U.S. industries seek relief from unfairly traded imports, “dumping,” countervailing duties and more. McInerney served as the chief legal advisor to the department of commerce for antidumping and countervailing duty matters, and was involved in almost every major administrative proceeding, negotiation, litigation and dispute relating to these laws during that period. He has briefed and argued cases before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, NAFTA panels, WTO Panels and the WTO Appellate body.

2019 FALL | Create Change: Women, Democracy and Global Politics
2019-09-25 08:00 - 2019-11-20 17:00
Dole Fellow Nancy Bocskor
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Do you dream of creating change in your community, state or country? Are you ready to become a more effective advocate, activist or even an elected official? This fall, Dole fellow Nancy Bocskor will give you a roadmap to turn your knowledge and passion into a plan. By utilizing the tools that women activists use worldwide, you will be both inspired and ready to take action.
Bocskor, tagged a “democracy coach” by a German newspaper, teaches citizens around the world how to communicate with passion to effect change in their communities. She is the director of the Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas.

Week 1 | Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Farhat Popal
9/25/2019

Week 2 | Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Susan Markham
10/9/2019

Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Susan Markham, cofounder of Smash Strategies — whose mission is to help companies & non-profits understand that gender equity is “good for business”. During the Obama Administration, Markham was the “go-to” top staffer for the President at USAID ensuring women worldwide had economic, educational, health and political equity. She’s worked in more than 50 countries.

Week 3 | Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Sally Canfield
10/16/2019

Week 4 | Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Lee Peterson
10/23/2019

Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Lee Peterson. Fall fellow Nancy Bocskor welcomes Lee Peterson. Peterson is a top political adviser to those brave candidates who battle dictators such as Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. He was country director in Russia for the International Republican Institute, chaired by the late Sen. John McCain. Peterson is an expert on British politics and has a PhD from the London School of Economics.

Week 5 | Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Deb Sofield
10/30/2019

Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Deb Sofield. This week’s guest, Deb Sofield, is an executive speech coach and author who trains political candidates, beauty queens and Fortune 500 executives how to connect with their audiences. She accompanied me to Russia for two summers where she trained young political leaders from more than 80 countries, mentored women from Egypt and Jordan, was an election observer in Bangladesh, to mention just a few. Sofield is a past president of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale, a member of the Greenville, SC water commission and will travel anywhere as long as you feed her three times a day.

Week 6 | Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Natalia Budaeva Arno
11/6/2019

Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Natalia Budaeva Arno. This week’s guest, Natalia Budaeva Arno is the president and founder of the Free Russia Foundation where she exposes the atrocities of the Putin regime. Arno was the Country Director for Russia for the International Republican Institute for nearly a decade before she was banished from her home during the 2014 crackdown on pro-human rights & democracy organizations in Russia. She testifies before the US Congress, the European Union and worldwide groups that promote civil society.

Week 7 | Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Mariam Memarsadeghi
11/20/2019

Fellow Nancy Bocskor with guest speaker Mariam Memarsadeghi. This week’s guest, Mariam Memarsadeghi is the founder of Tavaana.org, an online activism and civil engagement site that breaks through the Iranian firewall to reach hundreds of thousands of Iranian activists. Memarsadeghi was seven years old when she and her family escaped the Iranian regime. She was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar in 2017. She and Bocskor were part of the team that created the first online activism institute in Arabic for the Middle East/North Africa in 2007.

2020 SPRING | Spying in the Cyber Age
2020-02-12 08:00 - 2020-04-22 17:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Dole Fellow Ron Marks
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The Dole Discussion Groups are made possible be a grant from Newman’s Own

Recruiting in the Cyber World – Q or Bond or Both?
2/12/2020

Ian Fleming’s legendary suave super-spy, James Bond, has imprinted himself on the collective imagination of society as what a true intelligence gathering agent looks and acts like. While this has never really been the case, the reality today is even farther afield from the tuxedo-clad, martini-swilling 007. In the digital age, do modern spies look more like Bond’s geeky, gadget-obsessed quartermaster “Q” than Bond himself? Dole Fellow Ron Marks welcomes former Chief of the Directorate of Digital Innovations Hiring for the CIA Roynda Hartsfield, who will discuss what the CIA and the intelligence community at large is looking for in a 21st century spy.
Another misconception that lingers in the minds of the public is that intelligence operatives are always agents of a government, or “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” In reality, the intelligence industrial complex has ballooned from $27 billion annually in 2001 to $86 billion today. Hartsfield and Marks will explore what this shift in the terrain means, the differences and similarities between what the public and private sectors look for when hiring new operatives, and what types of individuals should apply.
This discussion group is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to get world-class advice and information about pursuing a career in this rapidly growing industry. It is also a chance to dispel the fictions around what spies in our age look like, and perhaps for attendees to see themselves in a field they had previously relegated to “spies” like James Bond.
Roynda “Roy” Hartsfield is a recently retired senior Central intelligence Agency officer and formerly Chief of the Directorate of Digital Innovations Hiring. Roy has spent most of her career overseas focused on operational issues around the globe. She currently heads Talent Acquisition for Excel Technologies and is President of PTG Consulting focused on bringing more diversity and inclusion to STEM.

Speaking Truth to Power in the Cyber Age?
2/19/2020

E.C.H.E.L.O.N.
P.R.I.S.M.
M.Y.S.T.I.C.
These infamous mass surveillance programs not only dominated many a conspiracy-theorist blog, but also began shifting public understanding of intelligence gathering in the age of the internet. As the role of computers rose, the role of human beings seemed to diminish. The practical truth lies somewhere between the Rosenbergs and Facebook. Dole Fellow Ron Marks welcomes the Honorable Randall M. Fort, former assistant secretary of state for Intelligence and Research, as they delve into this new world where the purposes of computers and humans in intelligence gathering have shifted in unprecedented ways.
Fort is an expert on the emergence of artificial intelligence and other technological tools used in data mining and processing. In this discussion, he and Marks will explore how these emergent technologies change the intelligence game, but also how integral humans remain to the overall process. To that point, they will discuss how to utilize personal networks to collect information without competing with senior executives. Fort and Marks will serve as guides through a rapidly shifting landscape in which the technologically adept person may have the career advantage.
Randall M. Fort is director of Corporate Programs Security for Raytheon. He joined the Engineering, Technology and Mission Assurance leadership team in July 2009. Prior to Raytheon, Fort was employed at the U.S. State Department as the assistant secretary of state for Intelligence and Research, from 2006 to 2009. He managed the production and dissemination of all-source intelligence analysis for the secretary of state and other senior policymakers. Fort headed the department’s Cyber Policy Group and the Bureau of Intelligence and Research— a member of the U.S. intelligence community.
Before his U.S. State Department appointment, Fort was director of Global Security for Goldman Sachs, from 1996 to 2006, where he was responsible for all aspects of physical security risk management, including
investigations, travel safety, executive protection, risk analysis, access control, perimeter protection and security technology. He also served as chief of staff to the president and co-chief operating officer of the firm. From 1993 to 1996, Fort was director of Special Projects at TRW, Inc. for two of the corporation’s Space and Defense operating groups.
He served as the deputy assistant secretary for Functional Analysis and Research in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the U.S. Department of State from 1989 to 1993. He was also the special assistant to the secretary for National Security and director of the Office of Intelligence Support at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1987 to 1989. Prior to moving to Treasury, he served as a professional staff member, first as assistant director and subsequently as deputy executive director, of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board at the White House from 1982 to 1987.

The Lawless Cyber Frontier
2/26/2020

Nineteenth century southwestern America lit up movie and television screens and imaginations from the earliest talkies to the latest blockbusters. The lawless West and the rugged cowboy protecting the innocent are archetypes embedded in the American psyche. Westerns have, with a few exceptions, grossly romanticized a terrifying time for the men, women, and children pushing the frontier ever westward with little or no protection. The frontier a century and a half later has no oceans to arrest its forward progress, and for many, the anarchy of cyberspace has wrought havoc on their lives with few white-hat wearing lawmen to rescue them.
Dole Fellow Ron Marks welcomes Stephanie Pell, Assistant Professor and Cyber Ethics Fellow at West Point’s Army Cyber Institute, to a discussion of bringing the rule of law to a lawless frontier. Pell stands out as an expert on the existing laws of the internet, and a leader in creating new ones, particularly at the international level. As countries and companies weaponize information on a global scale, Pell and Marks will provide vital insight into how we survive the new Wild Wild West.
Stephanie Pell is an Assistant Professor and Cyber Ethics Fellow at West Point’s Army Cyber Institute (ACI), with a joint appointment to the Department of English and Philosophy. Pell is also an Affiliate Scholar at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School.
She writes about cybersecurity, privacy, surveillance, cyber ethics, and national security law and policy. Pell’s work has been published in several law journals, including the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, the Yale Journal of Law and Technology, and the Connecticut Law Review, as well as in the popular magazine Wired. Prior to joining West Point’s faculty, Pell served as Majority Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, serving as lead counsel on Electronic Communications Privacy Act reform and PATRIOT Act reauthorization during the 111th Congress. Pell was also a federal prosecutor for over fourteen years, working as a Senior Counsel to the U. S. Deputy Attorney General, as a Counsel to the U.S. Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. She was a lead prosecutor in U.S. v. Jose Padilla, in which in which American citizen was detained as an enemy combatant prior to criminal indictment, trial, and conviction on various terrorism charges, for which she received the U.S. Attorney General’s Exceptional Service Award, and
in U.S. v. Conor Claxton, a court case involving IRA operatives who purchased weapons in South Florida and smuggled them into Belfast, Northern Ireland during peace process negotiations.

In Home, at Home and Abroad – How Intelligence Is Made and Used in the 21st Century
4/1/2020

The word “spy” almost drips with connotations. From James Bond to Spy vs. Spy to Black Widow, pop culture has no end of colorful characters who claim spying as their profession. One thing they all have in common is they work for a government. In the post-9/11 world, this changed, as the intelligence industry more than tripled in value. Spies much more frequently work for private firms. The burgeoning industry saw public and private organizations casting much larger nets and scooping up oceans of data. The ability to sort through so much information remains a key struggle.
Dole Fellow Ron Marks welcomes Dr. Mark M. Lowenthal, former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Analysis & Production and former Vice Chairman for Evaluation on the National Intelligence Council, to the Dole Institute for a fascinating study of how intelligence is gathered, made, and used in an era where information flows more like Niagara Falls than a faucet. Lowenthal has run organizations both in government and the private sector, bringing a balanced perspective to a field that governments no longer monopolize. Join Marks and Lowenthal as they examine an industry that has radically transformed in the last 20 years and forever changed the definition of a “spy.”
Dr. Mark M. Lowenthal, an internationally recognized expert on intelligence, is President Emeritus of the Intelligence & Security Academy, LLC, a national security education, training and consulting company. From 2002-2005, Dr. Lowenthal served as the Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Analysis & Production and also as the Vice Chairman for Evaluation on the National Intelligence Council. Prior to these duties, he served as Counselor to the Director of Central Intelligence. Dr. Lowenthal was the Staff Director of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the 104th Congress (1995-97), where he directed the committee’s study on the future of the Intelligence Community, IC21: The Intelligence Community in the 21st Century. He also served in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), as both an office director and a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and has been the Senior Specialist in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Dr. Lowenthal has written extensively on intelligence and national security issues, including ten books and over 100 articles or studies. He published The Future of Intelligence. His textbook, Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy, has become the standard college and graduate school textbook on the subject. Dr. Lowenthal is a frequent public commentator on intelligence issues.
He is on the adjunct faculty of the Johns Hopkins University and Sciences Po in Paris (Institut d’études politiques de Paris), and is a Visiting Professor at the Norway Defence Intelligence School (NORDIS). He was an adjunct for 14 years at Columbia University. He is the Executive Director of the International Association for Intelligence Education and a Chairman Emeritus of the Intelligence Committee for AFCEA. He is currently a member of the Intelligence Community Studies Board and the FBI Intelligence Analysts Association.
In 2005, Dr. Lowenthal was awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Intelligence Community’s highest award. In 2006, he received AFCEA’s Distinguished Service Award for service to the Intelligence Community. In 1988, Dr. Lowenthal was the Grand Champion on “Jeopardy!,” the television quiz show.

Ghost in the Machine: Being a Reporter in the Age of Total Information
4/8/2020

On June 1, 1980, the Cable News Network launched, creating the first 24-hour news channel. It marked the first major departure from the decades-old model of television news broadcast twice a day. Then the internet swept the world, splintering not only televised news but print and radio as well. In the span of only three decades, the entire landscape of journalism changed. For most, we only see the external changes, the increasing need to curate our sources of information from an ever-increasing number of choices, but what is it like for the people who work in the field?
Dole Fellow Ron Marks welcomes his guest Jenna McLaughlin, national security and investigations reporter for Yahoo News. McLaughlin will share her experiences in working in a world-class non-traditional news agency, how she deals with the demands to constantly gather information for the 24/7 news cycle. She will also discuss how she balances the need to get the information out fast and the need to get it right.
Jenna McLaughlin is a national security and investigations reporter for Yahoo News, where she focuses on the intelligence community, foreign policy, and other issues. McLaughlin previously covered intelligence and national security for CNN, Foreign Policy Magazine, The Intercept, and Mother Jones Magazine, following her graduation from Johns Hopkins University in 2014.

The Death of 20th Century Power Structures and Adapting to the Birth of the 21st Century World
4/15/2020

Few inventions so radically re-shaped the world as the internet did in the 1990s. The pillars of society, economics, information, communication and government shook, cracked, and some even crumbled, perhaps none so dramatically as the political structures that supported and ordered the world. As of yet, no new framework has emerged to replace the old. Even the foundational idea of the nation-state as a political concept and the basis for the modern definition of a country threatens to buckle under the forces of change.
Dole Fellow Ron Marks welcomes his guest Dr. Greg Treverton, former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, to examine how future leaders can cope with these tectonic changes and how to build a new framework. Treverton, the most senior intelligence analyst for President Barack Obama, will provide deep insight into what that structure might look like, as well as an understanding of how the rising power of private players, such as Facebook, challenge the power of nations.
This discussion group is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear the foremost experts in this field reflect on what brought us to our present state, how to get to the next evolution, and what your role in all of this might be.
Gregory F. Treverton is Professor of the Practice of International Relations and Spatial Sciences at the University of Southern California. He served as chairman of the National Intelligence Council from September 2014 to January 2017. Earlier, he directed the RAND Corporation’s Center for Global Risk and Security, and before that, its Intelligence Policy Center and its International Security and Defense Policy Center. He also was associate dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School.
He has served in government for the first Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, handling Europe for the National Security Council and as vice chair of the National Intelligence Council, overseeing the writing of America’s National Intelligence Estimates. In addition to RAND, he has taught at Harvard and Columbia universities, has been a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and also deputy director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
His latest books are Dividing Divided States and Beyond the Great Divide: Relevance and Uncertainty in National Intelligence and Science for Policy (with Wilhelm Agrell).

Everyone’s an Editor: Finding “Truth” in Cyber News
4/22/2020

Cronkite. Murrow. Brinkley.
In the not so distant past, these men dominated the American news landscape. With two channels (eventually three) to get your televised news, you watched at least one of them. They were the Gatekeepers. The Arbiters of Truth. The advent of cable news, and then internet, brought an end to the Gatekeepers. Many lauded a new era of “democratized” journalism. What emerged had the best and the worst of the “news,” and suddenly, no one was there to sort through it all to find the truth.
The internet has made everyone an editor. Dole Fellow Ron Marks welcomes his guest Shelby Coffey, former editor of the L.A. Times and US News and World Report, to discuss how dramatically the world of journalism has changed in only 40 years. Information is faster than ever and there is far more of it. In this discussion group, Marks and Coffey will teach how to cut through the noise and find the truth.
Shelby Coffey III began his journalistic career as a reporter at The Washington Post, later becoming deputy managing editor. He is the former editor of the Los Angeles Times and US News and World Report. He was President of CNN Financial News and executive Vice President of ABC News. He was named editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation in 1995. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International advisory council of APCO Worldwide and the board of the Newseum in Washington DC.

2020 FALL | Politics, Pandemic and Protests
2020-09-23 00:00 - 2020-11-18 00:00
Unpacking the 2020 general election with the Dole Institute’s fall fellow, Collen McCain Nelson, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Vice-President of the Kansas City Star.
Dole Fellow Colleen McCain Nelson
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The Dole Discussion Groups are made possible by a grant from Newman’s Own.

Election 2020: The State of the Race
9/23/2020

As the 2020 presidential campaign enters the final sprint to the finish, we’ll kick off this fall discussion series by assessing the state of the race after a tumultuous and unpredictable spring and summer. Which states are likely to decide this election? What issues and messages are resonating with voters? This will be a broad overview of the political landscape and a prelude to future Dole Institute events, touching on campaign strategy, fundraising, and the state of play in the battle for control of Congress.
Allan J. Katz served as Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Portugal from March 2010 until August 2013. Upon returning to private life, Ambassador Katz joined the University of Missouri in Kansas City (UMKC) as a Distinguished Professor where he served from 2013 until 2019. In 2019, he joined the faculty of William Jewell College as Distinguished Professor in Residence. Additionally, in 2014, he founded and remains CEO and Chairman of an NGO, American Public Square, which brings together non-like-minded people to engage in civil, fact-based dialogue about polarizing issues. He serves as Executive Committee Chair of the Academic and Corporate Board to ISCTE Business School in Lisbon, Portugal. Additionally, he serves as a non-executive Board Member of EDP Renewables (global energy company, a leader in the utilities sector and part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index), a board member of the Harry S. Truman Good Neighbor Foundation, and a former board member of the International Relations Council of Kansas City.
Kevin Yoder is a 5th generation Kansan who represented the 3rd District of Kansas for four terms from 2011-2019. During his entire tenure in Congress, Kevin served on the House Appropriations Committee, where he chaired both the Homeland Security and the Legislative Branch Subcommittees. He regularly crossed the aisle working with members of both parties to push for key initiatives, including historic expansion of medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health and new investments in early childhood education programs like Head-start. Prior to serving in Congress, Kevin was elected four times to the Kansas State Legislature representing Overland Park and Leawood, and he served as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Kevin is a graduate of the University of Kansas.

Why did everyone underestimate Joe Biden?
9/30/2020

Even though Joe Biden entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary as the front-runner, many political pundits and journalists lost confidence in the former vice president along the way, writing his political obituary and declaring him an also-ran who had missed his moment. How did they get this race so wrong? And at a moment when it appeared that Sen. Bernie Sanders was gaining steam and possibly emerging as an unstoppable force, how did Biden quickly change the narrative and begin to unify the party?
Edward-Isaac Dovere is a staff writer for The Atlantic, where he covers the presidential campaign. He got his start covering politics in his native New York and was the senior White House reporter for POLITICO in Barack Obama’s second term. He is currently working on a book about Democrats in the Trump years, tentatively titled, “You Are Right to Be Concerned,” out spring 2021.
Peter Nicholas is a White House reporter for The Atlantic. He has also worked at the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Times-Picayune newspaper.

How the Coronavirus Has Upended the 2020 Campaign
10/7/2020

With relatively little warning, the coronavirus pandemic brought the 2020 presidential campaign to a virtual halt, cancelling candidates’ rallies for months, throwing the conventions into limbo, shutting down in-person fundraisers and making gladhanding and personal appeals to voters an impossibility. For a time, President Donald Trump was confined to the White House, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden was forced to campaign from his basement in Delaware. How did the campaigns adapt? And how is COVID-19 still altering the dynamics of the race?

It’s the Economy, Stupid
10/14/2020

Conventional wisdom has long suggested that presidents win reelection when the economy is strong and lose when the economy is faltering. Will that hold true in the 2020 election? For three years, President Donald Trump could lay claim to a thriving economy, low unemployment and a strong stock market. But the bottom fell out when the coronavirus took hold in this country, spurring Depression-era unemployment and gutting entire industries. Will voters hold Trump responsible for the economic fallout from a pandemic?

A War of Disinformation
10/21/2020

What role is disinformation playing in the 2020 presidential campaign? In 2016, many were shocked — shocked! — to learn that completely false “news” stories about the election were shared far and wide on social media. Four years later, little has been done to slow the spread of disinformation on a variety of online platforms. Foreign governments have made no secret of their intent to meddle in our elections. And the president himself has had a tenuous relationship with the truth, elevating conspiracy theories and repeating falsehoods. What can voters do to separate fact from fiction?

Do Endorsements Matter?
10/28/2020

Time was, newspaper endorsements were a consequential boost for campaigns. But in an era of multiplying media outlets and declining newspaper subscriptions, do endorsements still carry the same weight? In 2016, Donald Trump earned the endorsements of only 20 daily newspapers in the entire country, but he won the White House. We’ll convene opinion journalists to explore what role editorial boards are playing in the 2020 election and consider the question of whether traditional candidate endorsements have outlived their usefulness.

Election 2020: Lessons Learned
11/18/2020

With the 2020 election now in the rearview mirror, we’ll do a deep dive into the deciding factors in this year’s presidential campaign. Did polls, journalists, and political prognosticators get it right this time? What surprised us on Election Day? Were the mistakes of 2016 repeated in 2020? We’ll wrap up this election season with an assessment of lessons learned from the 2020 campaign and a look ahead to what awaits the next president and Congress.

2021 SPRING | The Modern American City: Past, Present, and Future
2021-02-24 08:00 - 2021-04-07 17:00
Dole Fellow Patrick Tuohey
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This program is made possible through the generosity of Newman’s Own Foundation

The Shifts that Shape Our Cities, Demographic Trends
2/24/2021

Please join us for our first Discussion Group of the semester, “The Shifts that Shape Our Cities, Demographic Trends.” This program is the first of our Spring Discussion Groups series, “The Modern American City: Past, Present, and Future.
Our Spring Discussion Groups Fellow, Patrick Tuohey, welcomes Wendell Cox as his special guest for this week. Wendell Cox is principal of Demographia (St. Louis, MO-IL). He was appointed to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and was appointed by Speaker Newt Gingrich to the Amtrak Reform Council. He is co-author of the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey and author of Demographia World Urban Areas. Cox is also a Senior Fellow at the Urban Reform Institute (Houston) and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy (Winnipeg).
Wendell Cox is principal of Demographia (St. Louis, MO-IL). He was appointed to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which was a predecessor to the Los Angeles County MTA. Speaker Newt Gingrich appointed him to the Amtrak Reform Council. He is co-author of the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey and author of Demographia World Urban Areas. He is a Senior Fellow at the Urban Reform Institute (Houston) and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy (Winnipeg) as well as a member of the Board of Advisors at the Center for Demographics and Policy at Chapman University. He served as a visiting professor of transport at the Conservatoire National Des Arts Et Metiers (a national university) in Paris. He earned a BA in Government from California State University, Los Angeles, and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Trends in Municipal Growth and Finance
3/3/2021

Cities are the engines of state and national economies, yet in many places, taxes and public debt are at the highest levels they’ve ever been. Are the increased costs justified by the returns on public investment in the areas of public safety and infrastructure?
Please join us for the second installment of our Spring 2021 Discussion Groups series, “The Modern American City: Past, Present, and Future.” Our Spring Fellow Patrick Tuohey welcomes University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Professor Whitney Afonso, and Kansas City-based architect Dennis Strait for a conversation on what finance and budgeting look like at the local level and how these fields have adapted with time.

Segregation, Race, and City Policy
3/10/2021

Beginning in the 1920s, state and federal policy aided and abetted the segregation of Americans through housing policies, zoning ordinances, economic development, and urban revitalization. Although much of these aims have been discarded, the policies are still with us. This discussion will identify which remnants are still with us and how cities can finally put them to rest.
“Segregation, Race, and City Policy” will feature our special guests, Edward J. Pinto and Mark Treskon. Edward J. Pinto is an American Enterprise Institute (AEI) resident fellow and director of AEI’s Housing Center. The Center monitors the US markets using a unique set of Housing Market Indicators. Active in housing finance for over 40 years, he was an executive vice president and chief credit officer for Fannie Mae until the late 1980s. Mark Treskon is a senior research associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center at the Urban Institute. His current projects include an evaluation of financial coaching programs and a study measuring the effects of arts-related initiatives on community development. Treskon has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on community-based planning, home lending policy advocacy, and the arts economy.

Subsidies in the City
3/17/2021

The competition among cities to woo Amazon’s new headquarters brought national attention to the use and abuse of economic development subsidies, but the practice is not new. In fact, the value of such subsidies is staggering and seems to show no signs of slowing. This discussion would help quantify the amount of subsidies, how cities benefit, and how public policy can be changed to improve outcomes for taxpayers.
Please join us for the fourth installment of our Spring 2021 Discussion Groups series, The Modern American City: Past, Present, and Future. Our Spring Fellow Patrick Tuohey welcomes guests Heywood Sanders, Professor of Public Administration at the University of Texas-San Antonio, and Michael Lefaive, Senior Director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Effective Housing Policy
3/24/2021

Housing policy is again capturing the national spotlight. Local policies have restricted the development of new housing stock and as a result, in places like San Francisco and Seattle, housing prices have skyrocketed. But even smaller cities like Kansas City have seen the impacts. What are the underlying causes of the phenomenon, how great are the impacts, and what policies can help alleviate the problem?
“Effective Housing Policy” will feature our host Patrick Tuohey, as well as special guests Emily Hamilton and Kirk McClure. Hamilton is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and McClure is a professor emeritus of urban planning in the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration.

Opportunities in the Gig Economy
3/31/2021

Technology companies such as Uber and Lyft have created opportunities for individuals to leverage their cars, and their downtime, to earn money on the side. Airbnb and Vrbo have done the same through short-term rentals. While these are some of the more familiar companies in the so-called gig economy, they are by no means the only ones. What is the future of the gig economy, and how should cities be reacting?
Please join us for the sixth installment of our Spring 2021 Discussion Groups series, “The Modern American City: Past, Present, and Future.” Our Spring Fellow Patrick Tuohey welcomes guests Steve King, Partner at Emergent Research, and Arun Sundararajan, Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Technology, Operations and Statistics at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Poverty in American Cities
4/7/2021

Cities large and small are facing some existential issues, as we’ve covered over the past several weeks. Often they are saddled with outdated approaches or just simply bad habits. How can cities and towns learn from their mistakes and develop public policy in a way that is sustainable?
Please join us for the final installment of our Spring 2021 Discussion Groups series, “The Modern American City: Past, Present, and Future.” Our Spring Fellow Patrick Tuohey welcomes guest Jesús Gerena, CEO of Family Independence Initiative, and Angela Rachidi, Rowe Scholar in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute, for a conversation on urban poverty and how to combat it.

2021 FALL | What’s the Matter with American Politics: How Fake News, Black Women, COVID-19, Presidents 45 and 46, and Protests Might Shape Politics in 2022
2021-09-22 - 2021-11-03
The fall 2021 discussion group series will examine how the political issues, leaders, and events of the past couple years have brought us to our current political climate and explore how these factors will impact the upcoming 2022 election season.
Dole Fellow Michele L. Watley
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This program is made possible by a grant from Newman’s Own Foundation

2020 Politics in Review
9/22/2021

With guest speakers Mindy Brissey and Rashard Young

Say it Loud – From Protest to Politics
9/29/2021

With guest speakers Justice Horn and Seft Hunter

Talk Politics to Me
10/6/2021

With guest speakers Julee Jones, Mary Sanchez, and Allison Kite

Who you Wit? – Political Identity Today
10/13/2021

With guest speakers Ravi Perry, Anoa J. Changa, and Randy Dunn

Flipping States
10/20/2021

With guest speakers Congresswoman Sharice Davids, Representative Turner, and Phil Scaglia

A Black Woman’s Place is in Politics
10/27/2021

With guest speakers Melissa Robinson, Stacey Knoell, and Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould

War Room 2022- Forecasting the Future of American Politics
11/3/2021

With guest speakers Annie Presley, Tezlyn Figaro, Abbie Hodgson, and Donna Davis

2022 SPRING | Giants of the Senate
2022-02-16 - 2022-04-20
This semester’s seven-part Discussion Group series, “Giants of the Senate,” will be led by author and political consultant Robert Blaemire.
The series will discuss former Democratic and Republican Senators, their accomplishments, and their challenges. Featuring former campaign staffers and notable politicos as his guests, Blaemire will lead conversations about times when the Senate and Congress worked together and when many bipartisan acts were passed.
Dole Fellow Robert Blaemire
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The Dole Discussion Groups are made possible by a grant from Newman’s Own Foundation and are presented in partnership with the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University and the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University.

The U.S. Senate Then and Now: A Historical Perspective
Feb. 16, 2022

With guest Don Ritchie, former Historian of the Senate

Howard Baker of Tennessee – Senate leader, White House Chief of Staff, Ambassador to Japan
Feb. 23, 2022

With guest Tom Griscom, staff of Senator Howard Baker

Birch Bayh and Frank Church: Two Democratic Giants of the Senate in the ‘60s and ‘70s
Mar. 2, 2022

With guest Peter Fenn, staff of Sen. Frank Church

How Bipartisanship in the Senate Changed America
Mar. 9, 2022

With guest Sheila Burke, staff of Senator Bob Dole

Luke Albee on Patrick Leahy: Nearly Half a Century as a Senator
Mar. 23, 2022

With guest Luke Albee, staff of Senator Patrick Leahy

A Biographer’s Perspective
Apr. 6, 2022

With guest John Shaw, Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and biographer of Senator Richard Lugar.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum: Making Kansans Proud
Apr. 20, 2022

With guest Nancy Kassebaum, Senator

2022 FALL | Big Stakes, Big Consequences
2022-09-14 - 2022-11-16
Gerald F. Seib will lead this semester’s eight-part Discussion Group Series. Seib is a graduate of the University of Kansas and was a journalist with The Wall Street Journal for almost 45 years. He served as the Journal’s Executive Washington Editor and wrote the weekly “Capital Journal” column for 29 years. He has also reported from the Middle East for the Journal in the mid-1980s, covered the White House, moderated three presidential debates, and interviewed every president since Ronald Reagan.
Seib’s series on the 2022 midterm election will feature national pollsters as well as prominent politicos and journalists. Each session takes place at 4 p.m. on the following Wednesdays: September 14, 21, 28; October 19 and 26; and November 2, 9, and 16.
Dole Fellow Gerald F. Seib
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The Dole Fellows Program is made possible by Newman’s Own Foundation. Seib will be in residence this fall, and his residency is sponsored by the Dolph Simons Family Fund.

An Overview of the 2022 Midterm Landscape
September 14, 2022

A look deep inside the forces shaping this year’s highly consequential midterm election, in which control of both the House and the Senate and the shape of the rest of the Biden presidential term will be decided.
With Democratic pollster John Anzalone and Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio
John Anzalone is one of the nation’s leading pollsters and the founder of Impact Research. Anzalone has worked in Democratic politics for thirty years and is currently the chief pollster for President Biden in addition to polling for the 2022 re-election campaigns for MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and NV Gov. Steve Sisolak. He also conducts public-opinion research for many Fortune 500 corporations as well as national associations and advocacy groups like AARP.
Tony Fabrizio is widely recognized as an expert in public opinion and politics, and one of the nation’s leading Republican pollsters. He has helped elect Presidents and Prime Ministers on four continents. In the U.S., Fabrizio served as the Chief Pollster on five Presidential campaigns, from Sen. Bob Dole’s 1996 Presidential campaign through most recently, President Donald Trump’s 2016 victory and his 2020 re-election campaign. Recently, Fabrizio was chosen to co-lead the Wall Street Journal’s election-focused public polling in partnership with Biden pollster John Anzalone.

Political Polarization and How It Affects This Year’s Races
September 21, 2022

The most powerful force in politics today is deep, partisan polarization. A look at how that will affect this year’s races and outcomes.
With the Honorable Katheleen Sebelius, Former Secretary of Health and Human Services and Governor of Kansas and Neil Newhouse, pollster for four Republican presidential campaigns and a range of congressional contests.
The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius was named one of the Forbes “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” in 2013. Secretary Sebelius is one of America’s foremost experts on health policy, health care reform, and executive leadership. She served as U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services from 2009 to 2014, Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009 and Kansas Insurance Commissioner from 1995 to 2003. She also chaired the Democratic Governors Association in 2007. She is a member of the Dole Institute of Politics Board of Advisors.
Neil Newhouse is a partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, a national political and public affairs research firm which has been described by the New York Times as “the leading Republican polling company” in the country. Neil has been named “Pollster of the Year” by the American Association of Political Consultants a record-tying three times for his work on political and public affairs campaigns. Neil has worked in public opinion research for more than 35 years and has helped elect dozens of Members of Congress, U.S. Senators, and Governors. Neil has polled for four Presidential campaigns – Senator Robert Dole, President George W. Bush, Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and he was the lead pollster for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign.

The Kansas Picture
September 28, 2022

Kansas shook the nation’s political landscape once already this year with an abortion referendum, which only set the stage for a big midterm in which both parties have much at state in the state.
With former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer and former Rep. Jim Slattery.
Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. is the longest serving Lt. Governor in Kansas history and the 47th Governor. He made Kansas the first state to privatize its entire Medicaid Program into Kancare saving $2.5billion, expanded services and is the basis of many other states programs. A surgeon known for volunteering in 25 war zones from Rwanda to Syria, he provides trauma reconstruction in Kansas City. He advises companies and investment firms in the US and abroad. Originally from Hays, Governor Colyer has degrees from Georgetown, Cambridge University and KU Med.
Jim Slattery served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the second district of Kansas. He was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee during his entire 12-year tenure in Congress. Slattery is currently President of Slattery Strategy LLC, a consulting firm located in McLean, Virginia. He started this firm in October 2019 after completing a 24-year career with Wiley Rein, LLP a prominent Washington D.C. law firm. Slattery was also the 1994 Democrat nominee for Governor in Kansas and the 2008 Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate.

Election Integrity
October 19, 2022

With debates raging over voting rules and restrictions, as well as over the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, will Americans see this year’s results as fair? Will they feel they had full voting rights? And what does that portend for the 2024 presidential election? Democracy itself is on the ballot this year.
With Sean Morales-Doyle, director, voting rights and democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Sean Morales-Doyle serves as the director in the Voting Rights Program, where he focuses on voting rights and elections. He advocates for pro-voter reforms like automatic voter registration and voting rights restoration while fighting back against voter suppression efforts in the courts. Morales-Doyle is a seasoned litigator with experience in civil rights and constitutional matters, as well as a background in labor and employment law.

Key Senate Races
October 26, 2022

The biggest question of the year may well be whether Republicans seize back control of the Senate. Both parties see a very tight contest, with the outcome up in the air.
With Scott Reed, Republican analyst, former presidential campaign manager and longtime director of political activity for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Scott Reed is the Chairman of Chesapeake Enterprises. Reed advises various GOP Members of Congress and Governors on political and policy issues. He also served as the Senior Political Strategist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In 1996, Reed was the campaign manager for Senator Bob Dole’s Presidential campaign. In 1993, Reed was appointed Executive Director of the Republican National Committee when the Republicans gained control of both the House and the Senate for the first time in 40 years. During the Bush (41) Administration, Reed served as Chief of Staff to Secretary Jack Kemp at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Can Democrats Prevent a Tidal Wave?
November 2, 2022

History and public polling suggest Republicans are likely to take back control of the House, but Democrats see their prospects improving as voting draws near. Can they defy expectations?
With Maya Rupert, campaign manager for Julian Castro’s presidential campaign and later top consultant to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 campaign.
Maya Rupert is a political strategist, writer, and Distinguished Fellow with Community Change. In 2020, she served as campaign manager for Julián Castro’s presidential campaign and is only the third Black woman to have managed a major presidential campaign. When Secretary Castro exited the race, she joined Elizabeth Warren’s campaign as a Senior Advisor, and she managed Maya Wiley’s mayoral campaign in 2021. Maya is a nationally respected voice on progressive politics and the future of the Democratic party.

An Instant Look at the Results
November 9, 2022

On the day after the election, we take an immediate and in-depth look at the outcome.
With Jackie Calmes, political columnist for the Los Angeles Times, former White House and congressional reporter for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Jackie Calmes has been a columnist for the Los Angeles Times in Washington since August 2021, after four years as an editor of White House and political coverage. For nearly 30 years prior, she was a correspondent in the Washington bureaus of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, covering the White House, Congress, presidential elections and national politics; she became the chief political correspondent and chief economic correspondent for each paper and in 2004 received the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Reporting on the Presidency. She has been a fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and is the author of “Dissent: The Radicalization of the Republican Party and Its Capture of the Court” (2021).

How the Outcome Will Change Washington
November 16, 2022

How will the midterms affect how Washington works, now and through the 2024 presidential election? We explore those questions as the dust settles.
With John Harwood, veteran political journalist, and Lindsay Wise, reporter for the Wall Street Journal.
John Harwood has covered Washington and national politics for four decades, most recently as White House correspondent for CNN. Prior to joining CNN in January 2020, he served as CNBC’s Chief Washington Correspondent from 2006 to 2019. Harwood has offered political analysis for The New York Times, NBC, MSNBC, NPR and PBS. He has covered each of the last nine presidential elections. During the 2008 campaign, Harwood broke the news that Republican nominee John McCain had selected Sarah Palin as his running mate. He received an Emmy nomination for his live CNBC town hall with President Barack Obama in 2010. He also moderated Republican presidential debates on CNBC in 2011 and 2015. He is the co-author, with Gerald F. Seib, of Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power.
Lindsay Wise is on The Wall Street Journal’s Congress reporting team. She came from the Kansas City Star and McClatchy’s Midwest I-Team, where she was first a Washington correspondent and then an investigative reporter. Before McClatchy, she reported for the Houston Chronicle on the military, veterans as well as the city’s Arab and Muslim communities. She has a B.A. in English and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from St. Antony’s College, Oxford. Between 2003 and 2006, Ms. Wise worked as a freelance journalist based in Egypt.

Dole Fellow Gerald F. Seib in the Media
Kansas Finds a Path Beyond Partisanship
Seib, G. F. (2022, September 15). Kansas Finds a Path Beyond Partisanship; In a tense election year, voters in a conservative state are showing their independence and avoiding the extremes. The Wall Street Journal. Eastern Edition. https://www.wsj.com/articles/kansas-finds-a-path-beyond-partisanship-11663253693
Will Trump run again? Is Biden finished? The midterm election will answer America’s big questions
Seib, G. F. (2022, November 5). Will Trump run again? Is Biden finished? The midterm election will answer America’s big questions. The Times (London). https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/will-trump-run-again-is-biden-finished-the-midterm-election-will-answer-americas-big-questions-2sr03j2pj
A Midterm ‘Red Wave’ Didn’t Happen; What That Says About 2024
Fertoli, A. (Host). (2022, November 9). A Midterm ‘Red Wave’ Didn’t Happen; What That Says About 2024 [Audio podcast episode]. In WSJ What’s News. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/whats-news/a-midterm-red-wave-didnt-happen-what-that-says-about-2024/45c01580-879d-49da-ba91-0c8412b9cfb8
Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit
Navigating Geopolitical Risk and the Inflation Surge
Schake, K., Seib, G. F. (2022, May 3-4). Navigating Geopolitical Risk and the Inflation Surge [Conference session]. Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, London, United Kingdom. https://ceocouncil.wsj.com/event/ceo-council-summit-4/
American Politics and Roe v. Wade
Murray, M., Seib, G. F. (2022, May 3-4). American Politics and Roe v. Wade [Conference session]. Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, London, United Kingdom. https://ceocouncil.wsj.com/event/ceo-council-summit-4/
The Midterm Elections: Back From the Political Abyss
Seib, G. F. (2022, December 14). The Midterm Elections: Back From the Political Abyss; The real winner this year was America’s democracy, as many of the worst fears failed to materialize. The Wall Street Journal. Eastern Edition. https://www.wsj.com/articles/midterm-elections-democracy-wins-2022-11670867485
Gerald “Jerry” F. Seib’s Appearances on C-SPAN
National Cable Satellite Corporation. (2023). Gerald “Jerry” F. Seib. C-SPAN. Gerald “Jerry” F. Seib | C-SPAN.org
Post-election pundits: Inflation befuddles Republicans, Democrats in 2022 midterm
Carpenter, T. (2022, November 10). Post-election pundits: Inflation befuddles Republicans, Democrats in 2022 midterm; Trump brand suffers as GOP fails to meet high expectations. Kansas Reflector. https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/10/post-election-pundits-inflation-befuddles-republicans-democrats-in-2022-midterm/

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bipartisan, philosophically balanced manner. It is located on KU’s West Campus and houses the Dole Archive and Special Collections. Through its robust public programming, congressional archive, and museum, the Dole Institute strives to celebrate public service and the legacies of US Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.

2023 SPRING | Building Democracy in the 21st Century
2023-02-15 - 2023-04-19
“Building Democracy in the 21st Century” is led by Qëndrim Gashi, Ambassador of Kosovo to France (2016 – 2021).
Qëndrim Gashi is an associate professor at the University of Prishtina and was Kosovo’s Ambassador to France from 2016 until 2021. He has served in supervisory boards of various private and state institutions and think tanks and has won a number of scholarships, awards and honors, including receiving the insignia of Commander of the French Legion of Honor in 2022.Educated at the University of Chicago (PhD 2008), the University of Cambridge (MA St 2003), and the University of Prishtina (Diploma 2002), he has given talks at many universities, was the founder and first President (2008-2012) of the Kosovar Mathematical Society, and since April 2022 also serves as the Kosovo American Education Fund Development Manager.
Dole Fellow Qëndrim Gashi
Read more about Dole Fellows
Discussion Group programs are made possible by Newman’s Own Foundation.
This spring’s series is presented in partnership with the Kosovo American Education Fund.
Gashi’s residency is made possible with support by the Xhema Opportunity Fund.

Kosovo’s Path to Independence and Democracy
February 15, 2023

As democracy undergoes significant challenges around the globe, we examine democracy building in the youngest country in Europe, Kosovo, together with its facets of peace-building, reconciliation and state-building.
With Dr. Pëllumb Kelmendi, political scientist and board member for the Society for Albanian Studies.
Pëllumb Kelmendi is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Auburn University. Previously he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan’s Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies and a Predoctoral Fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Dr. Kelmendi’s research focuses on international security, conflict resolution, and democratization. He has published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Security Studies and Nationalities Papers, among others. He has received research awards from the United States Institute of Peace, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, and Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Dr. Kelmendi serves as a board member for the Society for Albanian Studies and the Prishtina Institute for Political Studies. He received his PhD in Political Science from Brown University, an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago.

Inclusiveness in Forming a Democracy
February 22, 2023

Democracy beyond elections and plurality or majority rules. We discuss how to include minority and marginalized groups in decision making democratic processes, by looking at the example of Kosovo.
With Atifete Jahjaga, former President of the Republic of Kosovo (2011-2016).
Atifete Jahjaga was the first woman President of the Republic of Kosovo, the first female head of state in modern Balkans, and the youngest female world leader to be elected to the highest office. President Jahjaga is active in initiatives aimed at empowering women and supporting the survivors of sexual violence during the war, and in particular through the Jahjaga Foundation she focuses on youth and women to achieve social change in Kosovo. She continues to be resolute in her fight against violent extremism and radicalization and a staunch promoter of peace and prosperity for the Balkans and beyond, which have garnered her numerous honors and awards.

The Road Ahead to Maintaining a Democracy
March 1, 2023

What are the main obstacles to maintaining a democracy? Is a sound legal system sufficient? We examine Kosovo and the Balkan region one year after the start of the aggression against Ukraine.
With Dr. Enver Hasani, former President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo (2011-2016).
Dr. Enver Hasani was the first President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo (2009-2015). He was a member of the Venice Commission representing Kosovo. He is a Professor of International Law and International Relations at the University of Prishtina, where he previously served as its rector. From 1992 to 1997 Dr. Hasani was a Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania. He participated in the Rambouillet Conference on Kosovo (1999) as part of the Kosovo delegation. He has published four books and numerous academic articles regarding different aspects of civil law, constitutional law, public international law and international relations and has given talks at many universities. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Northwestern University. He has studied at the University of Prishtina (Civil and Economic Law) and at Bilkent University in Ankara (MA and PhD in International Law and Relations). Dr. Hasani also holds the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University Kocaeli in Turkey.

Bipartisanship in Action
April 12, 2023

The Kansas Future Caucus convenes young and innovative legislators in the Kansas state legislature to work on the issues facing Gen Z, Millennials, and future generations. Future Caucus members are committed to pragmatically working towards a culture of political cooperation.
Moderated by Katie Bernard, reporter for the Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle and former Student Advisory Board member.
Representative Tory Marie Blew (Arnberger) represents House District 112 in Barton County. She is in her fourth term and is the Vice-Chair of Higher Education Budget Committee. She also serves on Financial Institutions and Pensions and Insurance committees.
Representative Rui Xu represents House District 25 in Northeast Johnson County. He’s in his 3rd term and serves as the Ranking Democrat on Financial Institutions and Pensions, as well as on the Commerce and Agriculture Committees. He also serves as the co-chair of the Kansas Future Caucus, along with Rep. Blew, which is comprised of all the legislators under 45 years old and seeks to solve problems along generational lines rather than fighting across party ones.
Katie Bernard covers politics and government in Kansas for the Kansas City Star. She led the Star’s
coverage of Kansas’ historic August 2nd vote on abortion rights and was part of the team covering the 2022 governor’s race, attorney general’s race, and 3rd District congressional contest. Katie joined The Star as a breaking news and crime reporter in 2019. She studied journalism and political science at the University of Kansas where she spent four years on the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board.
The Millennial Action Project works directly with our nation’s leading young policymakers on both a national and state level to bridge the partisan divide and lead a new era of collaborative governance. As a national, nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to activating millennial and Gen Z policymakers, MAP gives our nation’s young leaders the resources and support to develop and pass innovative policy solutions — and forge productive partnerships on the issues affecting the youngest generations of Americans.
This program is presented in partnership with the Millennial Action Project.

Common Ground for Trusted Elections
April 19, 2023

Join us for the 5th and final program in our Discussion Group series “Building Democracy in the 21st Century” for a conversation with Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and New Mexico’s Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who have both signed The Carter Center’s Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections. Veteran journalist and Fall 2022 Dole Fellow Jerry Seib will return to the Institute to moderate. Seib will focus the discussion on The Carter Center’s Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections, and how they can help candidates, parties, and citizens promote election integrity and confidence in the voting process more broadly.
The Carter Center launched the Candidate Principles for Trusted Elections initiative in 2022. The bipartisan effort encourages candidates, political parties, and voters to uphold five core doctrines of democratic elections: integrity, nonviolence, security, oversight, and the peaceful transfer of power. Anyone — candidates, organizations, community leaders, and voters — can pledge their support for the Candidate Principles at principledcandidates.org.
Sec. Brad Raffensperger has served as Georgia’s Secretary of State since 2019. In that time, he has overseen Georgia public records and Georgia elections, including the highly publicized U.S. Senate runoff elections in 2020 and 2021. Raffensperger won reelection in 2022 following a contentious Republican primary. Raffensperger is also the owner of Tendon Systems, LLC, a specialty contracting and engineering design firm with nearly 150 employees.
Sec. Maggie Toulouse Oliver has served as New Mexico’s Secretary of State since 2016. As Secretary of State, Oliver has modernized New Mexico elections and advocated for reforms to increase transparency. Oliver is the former President of the National Association of Secretaries of State and serves on a number of government commissions & civic boards.
Gerald F. Seib is a graduate of the University of Kansas and was a journalist with The Wall Street Journal for almost 45 years. He served as the Journal’s Executive Washington Editor and wrote the weekly “Capital Journal” column for 29 years. He has also reported from the Middle East for the Journal in the mid-1980s, covered the White House, moderated three presidential debates, and interviewed every president since Ronald Reagan.
This program is presented in partnership with The Carter Center.

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bipartisan, philosophically balanced manner. It is located on KU’s West Campus and houses the Dole Archive and Special Collections. Through its robust public programming, congressional archive, and museum, the Dole Institute strives to celebrate public service and the legacies of US Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.

2024 SPRING | Obstacles and Opportunities: Tackling Sustainability in Kansas
2024-02-20 - 2024-03-26
Our Spring 2024 Discussion Group series, “Obstacles and Opportunities: Tackling Sustainability in Kansas,” will be a four-part series moderated by Kansas Rural Center Board Member Karen Willey. The series was created alongside Discussion Group Coordinators Braiden Bangalan and Rachel Creighton by engaging with members of the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board to determine which topics related to sustainability in Kansas that students wanted to address.

This series is presented in partnership with the Kansas Rural Center.

The Farm Bill: Food and Hunger in the Heartland
February 20, 2024

The Farm Bill, a massive omnibus legislation covering a wide range of issues from agricultural practices to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), is on the docket for this coming year’s Congress. The Farm Bill dictates the most profitable and economical practices for Kansas’s largest industry, agriculture, and will shape farming and food stamp policies for the next 5 years. Join us with Senior Agriculture Advisor to Representative Sharice Davids, Zach Helder, and Executive Director of Kansas Farmers Union, Nick Levendofsky, to discuss the prevailing issues, debates, and environmental impact of this highly influential legislation. Karen Willey will lead this semester’s four-part Discussion Group Series.
This program is presented in partnership with the Kansas Farmers Union and the KU Department of Political Science.

Sink or Swim: The Future of Water in Kansas
February 27, 2024

Working lands, ecosystems, towns, and cities all need scarce water resources to survive in an uncertain future. With a plethora of legal battles and competing interests between powerful players, water access, quantity, and quality is a hot topic in Kansas. In discussion with Representatives Lindsay Vaughn and Kenny Titus, we explore the state of water quantity and quality and the conversations happening within the state. Karen Willey will lead this semester’s four-part Discussion Group Series.
This program is presented in partnership with the KU Honors Program.

Powering the Next Generation: Renewable Energy Options and Hurdles in Kansas
March 19, 2024

As one of the most widely discussed topics with a vast array of stakeholders, the future of renewable energy in Kansas is unclear. Taking into consideration the environmental and economic impacts of various forms of energy, we look at what direction Kansas is headed and where it could go. Join us with Climate + Energy Project Program Director Allison Thomas, Douglas County Planning Commission Chair Gary Rexroad, Evergy Clean Energy Development Manager Brandon Sack, and State Geologist of Kansas Jay Kalbas to discuss the future of renewable energy development in Kansas by means of public policy, community action, and environmental necessity. Karen Willey will lead this semester’s four-part Discussion Group Series.

Where Do We Go Now?: The Politics and Policies of Climate Adaptation in Kansas
March 26, 2024

Kansas is facing the question of how to create a livable state in the face of climate change. How can rural and urban areas adapt to become more resilient? As the environmental and ecological effects of a changing climate rapidly progress, local communities and nations alike are finding new solutions to this crisis. Join Douglas County, Kansas Food Waste Reduction Specialist Jamie Hofling, Kansas Rural Center Executive Director Tom Buller, KU Associate Professor Ward Lyles, and Earthjustice Senior Director Jasmin Moore for this conversation with Dole Fellow Karen Willey.
This program is presented in partnership with the KU School of Public Affairs Administration, and the Department of Environmental Studies.

FALL 2024 | Congress in the 21st Century
2024-09-18 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
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 21st 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 is supported by the Edward F. Reilly Endowed Fund, which supports public programming at the Dole Institute that explores the role of civil discourse and bipartisanship in contemporary politics. This fund has been made possible by a generous gift from Edward F. Reilly, Jr.
Learn more about Congressman Luke Messer (R-IN) and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL) by visiting our website. You can stream their programs on each of their Dole Fellow profiles.

The Association of the Former Members of Congress (FMC) is a non-advocacy, nonpartisan group founded in 1970 and chartered by Congress in 1983. It is a voluntary alliance of more than 800 Former U.S. Senators and Representatives working to strengthen Congress in the conduct of its Constitutional responsibility through promoting a collaborative approach to policymaking and deepening the public’s understanding of our democratic system.

FALL 2024 | Beyond the Ballot: Understanding the 2024 Elections
2024-09-25 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Join Dole Fellow Jonathan Shorman Wednesdays this fall as he highlights elections, campaigns, and more here in Kansas and throughout the nation. His series will culminate this November with the Kansas Panel of the 2024 Post Election Conference.
Learn more about Jonathan Shorman’s Discussion Groups series by visiting our website.

SPRING 2025 | Exactly How Much Power Does an American President Have?
2025-02-19 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Dole Fellow Matt Beat examines how the exercise of presidential power has evolved since the ratification of the Constitution and how it is shared with each branch of government, the states, and citizens themselves.
Learn more about his Discussion Groups series by visiting his Fellow profile.

FALL 2025 | Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Public Service
2025-09-10 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Dole Fellow, bestselling author, and political consultant Joni Wickham examines topics in local governance, including mayoral and representative leadership, public advocacy, and local policymaking in her Fall 2025 Discussion Groups series, Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Public Service.”
Learn more about her Discussion Groups series by visiting her Fellow profile.

SPRING 2026 | Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Principles That Built a Nation
2026-02-11 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Former Kansas State Senator Jeff King and journalist Mark McCormick served together as Spring 2026 Dole Fellows. Their series, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Principles That Built a Nation,” examined principles undergirding America’s founding, and evaluated how they shape our world today.
Learn more about Jeff King and Mark McCormick, and their Discussion Groups series, by visiting their Fellow profile.
