Dole Institute

Historians on “Hamilton”: How a Blockbuster Musical Is Restaging America’s Past
2021-03-09 00:00 (America/Chicago)
America has gone Hamilton crazy. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical has spawned sold-out performances, a triple platinum cast album, and a score so catchy that it is being used to teach U.S. history in classrooms across the country. But just how historically accurate is Hamilton? And how is the show itself making history? Our guests examine what the musical got right, what it got wrong, and why it matters.
Claire Bond Potter is Professor of History at The New School for Social Research, New York, NY, and co-Executive Editor of Public Seminar, a digital journal of ideas and culture aimed at a general audience. Her writing has appeared in general audience publications such The New York Times, The Washington Post, Jacobin, The Bulwark, and Dissent.
Renee C. Romano is the Robert S. Danforth Professor of History and Professor of Comparative American Studies and Africana Studies at Oberlin College in Ohio. A specialist in twentieth and twenty-first century American cultural and political history and in the field of historical memory, she is the author of Racial Reckoning; Reopening America’s Civil Rights Trials and Race Mixing: Black-White Marriage in Postwar America.

“UnRepresented” – Documentary Screening & Filmmaker Q&A
2021-03-16 00:00
UnRepresented is an award-winning documentary that uncovers the mechanisms that drive the cycle of corruption in Congress—giving political insiders enormous, unchecked power. The film explores how special interests bankroll political campaigns and relentlessly lobby to rig the system in their favor, all while following the letter of the law. Dole Institute audience members can take part in an exclusive viewing of the documentary before its debut on PBS. During a follow-up event, a panel of experts will discuss the problems highlighted in the documentary, and the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
The panel features the panel will feature UnRepresented filmmaker Andrew Rodney, businessman and leading voice of the Independent Movement Greg Orman, and Mary Banwart, an expert in political campaign communication at the Department of Communications at KU. The live online discussion will highlight influences in campaigns and politics, current reform efforts, and filmmaker insights on the making of the film.

Birch Bayh: Making a Difference
2021-03-23 00:00
Author Robert Blaemire will share insights from his book, a biography of Senator Birch Bayh. Bayh served the people of Indiana for over 25 years and sponsored landmark legislation throughout his career, including the Bayh-Dole Act. The bill, co-sponsored with Senator Bob Dole, changed the way inventions created through federal research and development could be licensed by the private sector.
Robert Blaemire has been an active participant in politics all of his adult life. Born and raised in Indiana, his career began at the age of 18 upon entering George Washington University. His employment with Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN) began in 1967 during Bob’s freshman year and concluded with Bayh’s unsuccessful re-election campaign in 1980. In 1991, Bob created Blaemire Communications, a political computer services firm serving Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations, and political consultants.

Denis Mahan and the Foundations of American Theory
2021-04-01 00:00
During the first half of the nineteenth century, no military thinker arguably had more impact on the United States Army than Denis Hart Mahan. By the time he graduated at the top of his class at West Point in 1824, Mahan had become a protégé of Superintendent Sylvanus Thayer, whose wide-ranging reforms would win him recognition as “Father of the Military Academy.” In 1830, Mahan accepted appointment as Professor of Civil and Military Engineering at West Point and carried his mentor’s work forward in the decades that followed. Mahan’s writings and influence on the officers who, after surviving “Old Cobbon Sense’s” classroom, would dominate the Army nearly to the end of the 19th century made him one of the most important figures in the evolution of American warfare. This talk will describe Mahan’s life, his role in shaping the military academy, the ideas that he promoted in the army, and his place in the American military experience.
Submit your questions for Dr. Rafuse to dolequestions@ku.edu for the question-and-answer portion of the program.
This program is closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.
This special program will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and to its website, www.doleinstitute.org. Due to continuing concerns regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, the program will only be available online. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.
Ethan S. Rafuse received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and since 2004 has been a member of the faculty at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where he is a professor of military history.

A Conversation on Race Part III: Baseball: The Color Barrier
2021-04-14 00:00
The third installment of the series “A Conversation on Race” will feature the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Bob Kendrick, Scout for the New York Yankees Darryl Monroe, and will be moderated by Senior Associate Director of the Institute, Dr. Barbara W. Ballard.
“Since the founding of the first professional baseball league in this country, racism has been a persistent problem,” said Director Bill Lacy. “For the third episode of ‘A Conversation on Race,’ we will discuss the color barrier in baseball and the courageous men who broke through. Bob Kendrick is the ideal guest to explore this topic and we look forward to what will be a fascinating and insightful evening.”
The program will explore the factors that made Major League Baseball a flashpoint for civil rights in 1947, more than a decade before the marches and rallies of the 1960s. The event streams the day before Jackie Robinson Day, in which all Major League Baseball players wear jerseys with his number “42.” This program will discuss the man who became the focus of a nation as he walked on the field as the first professional black athlete in the U.S. to shatter the color barrier.
Bob Kendrick was named President of the NLBM in March of 2011. Kendrick has been responsible for the creation of several signature museum educational programs and events including the Hall of Game, which annually honors former MLB greats who played the game in the spirit and signature style of the Negro Leagues. Kendrick has become one of the leading authorities on the topic of Negro Leagues Baseball history and its connection to issues relating to sports, race, and diversity.
Darryl Monroe graduated from Lawrence High School in 1990 and went on to play baseball at KU from 1991-1994 where he was a member of the 1993 College World Series team. He was drafted in the 9th round by the Detroit Tigers in 1994 and played 4 years of minor league baseball with the Tigers and the Independent Minor Leagues. Monroe started scouting with the Montreal Expos in 1998, then worked in the scouting department and the player development department with the Atlanta Braves for 4 years starting in 2000. He has been working in the scouting department with the New York Yankees from 2007 till the present.

Jean-Arthur Régibeau
2021-05-05 00:00
The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced that the guest for the 2021 Dole Lecture will be the Ambassador of Belgium to the United States Jean-Arthur Régibeau. This year’s lecture will take place on Wednesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. on the institute’s YouTube channel.
“Ambassador Régibeau is only the second seated ambassador to be a guest at the institute,” Dole Institute Director Bill Lacy said. “As the world begins to emerge from the COVID pandemic, he will bring a unique perspective on what lies ahead for U.S. and European relations.”
Régibeau presented his credentials to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. on September 17, 2020, and took up his duties as Ambassador. He entered the office as major transitions dominated the global political and economic landscape including the presidential administration change in the U.S. and the worldwide vaccination effort to end the pandemic. He will discuss these massive changes, focusing on Belgium, the European Union, and what role the U.S. will play.
Régibeau joined the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1998. He was the diplomatic advisor to the Minister of Defense from 1999 to 2002 and he went on to be First Secretary at the Belgian Embassy in Berlin. From 2003 to 2007, Régibeau returned to Brussels as Head of the Private Office of the Minister of Defense. In 2007, he was appointed Director General in charge of Multilateral Organizations at the Foreign Ministry. In this capacity, he managed some aspects of the Belgian presidency of the EU in 2010. From 2012 to 2016, he also was Deputy Commissioner for the commemoration of World War I. In 2016, he became Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Armenia, Belarus, and Uzbekistan.

Donn Starry, Active Defense, and Airland Battle
2021-05-06 00:00
After the Vietnam War, the US Army refocused itself on its primary peacetime mission since the end of the Second World War: the defense of NATO. However, the Army leadership had to face the reality that the US Army was not capable of accomplishing this mission. In 1973, the US Army did not have the trained personnel, the technology, or the fighting doctrine to defeat the Warsaw Pact forces led by the Soviet Union, should those forces decide to invade the West. Over the next fifteen years that situation changed dramatically as the US Army and its NATO allies rebuild their capabilities first to counter a Soviet-led invasion of the West, and by the end of the Cold War, defeat the Warsaw Pact. Central to this rebirth of capability was the US Army warfighting doctrine of “Airland Battle.” General Donn Starry was at the center of the intellectual effort that created the Airland Battle doctrine, and the training programs and technology that enabled it. The effectiveness of the Army’s efforts was a major contributor to the end of the Cold War, and the great allied victory in Operation Desert Storm that followed immediately afterward.
Submit your questions for Dr. Louis DiMarco to dolequestions@ku.edu for the question-and-answer portion of the program.
This special program will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and to its website, www.doleinstitute.org. Due to continuing concerns regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, the program will only be available online. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.

The Six Secret Teachings of Jiang Ziya
2021-06-03 00:00
The Six Secret Teachings of Jiang Ziya (Ta’i Kung) is the oldest of China’s Seven Military Classics. This foundational work from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE) period purports to have originated more than five centuries before Sun Tzu (544-496 BCE). The six teachings are a record of conversations between Jiang and the future Zhou Kings Wen and Wu on defeating the Shang Dynasty. This book on civil-military relations, organizing, manning, and fighting forces, is attributed to Jiang Ziya, who is purported to be China’s first general officer and strategist. This presentation explores the key themes and military advice offered in the six books, with comparisons to Sun Tzu and suggestions on how this work might influence a modern Chinese Way of War.
Dr. Geoff Babb was commissioned from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in 1973 as a US Army Military Intelligence Officer. After serving in the Defense Intelligence Agency as a ground forces analyst, he was assigned to Monterey, California, Hong Kong, and Beijing for language and area studies. He was then assigned to Joint and Army Headquarters in Hawaii. In 1991, he joined the Command and General Staff College faculty at Fort Leavenworth. After retiring from the military, he earned a Masters in East Asian Languages and Cultures, and a Doctorate in History from the University of Kansas. He has published numerous book chapters and articles on China and Asia. He currently serves as a professor in the Department of Military History as its China hand.
Submit your questions for Dr. Babb to dolequestions@ku.edu for the question-and-answer portion of the program.
This special program will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and to its website, www.doleinstitute.org. Due to continuing concerns regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, the program will only be available online. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.

President Juan Manuel Santos
2021-06-10 00:00
The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas will live-stream a special event featuring former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday, June 10 at 7 p.m. CDT on the institute’s YouTube channel.
“We are excited to welcome President Santos back to the institute,” said Director Bill Lacy. “He will be discussing his new book about his work on ending the Colombian Civil War. His efforts to end the 50-year-long conflict led to him winning the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.”
In his book The Battle for Peace, Santos shares the lessons he learned about war and peace and how to build a successful negotiation process in the midst of a conflict where a resolution seemed impossible. While Santos is clear that there is no handbook for making peace, he offers conflict-tested guidance on the critical parameters, conditions, and principles as well as rich detail on the innovations that made it possible for his nation to find common ground and a just solution.
Copies of Santos’ book are available for purchase through the University Press of Kansas: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-3066-0.html
Juan Manuel Santos was president of Colombia from 2010 to 2018 and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. Prior to becoming president, Santos had a long career of public service in Colombia, including as minister of foreign trade, minister of finance and public credit, and minister of national defense. Santos prepared for these roles by attending the University of Kansas, through postgraduate studies at the London School of Economics and Harvard University, as a Fulbright Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and in the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. He is founder and chairman of the board of Compaz Center of Resources for Peace, which works for the empowerment of victims, the consolidation of peace, the reduction of poverty and inequality, and the defense of the environment in Colombia and the planet.
This special program will only be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and its website, www.doleinstitute.org. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.
The KU Alumni Association features Santos on its current cover of Kansas Alumni, its quarterly magazine, and highlights an excerpt from his book. The magazine is available at kansasalumnimagazine.org.
This program is co-sponsored by the University Press of Kansas and the KU Alumni Association.

Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Soviet Theory, and Operational Warfare
2021-07-01 00:00
After WWII, many historians, as well as military theorists and leaders, focused on the German ability to restore mobility to warfare, especially at the operational level, in the early years of the war. Popularized as “Blitzkrieg,” the Germans were often portrayed as the pioneers of this new form of warfare—far ahead of all other nations in 1939-40. However, this view overlooks the tremendously far-sighted Operational doctrine of the Soviet Union that had reached a high degree of development. Building on some earlier Tsarist era examples (Suvorov, Brusilov), a crop of Soviet military leaders emerged from their own Civil with fresh ideas for the future of warfare. Along with other prescient theorists (for example, Frunze, Svechin, Triandifillov, and Isserson), Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky developed a doctrine of the operational art that reached a high-point with the publication of the Red Army’s Provisional Field Regulations of 1936. The regulations posited a doctrine of deep battle far ahead of German doctrine at the time. Sadly for the Soviets, most of the great wave of new thinkers, to include Tukahchevsky, were executed in Stalin’s purges before WWII, and the doctrine was watered down.
Dr. Curtis S. King is an associate professor for the Staff Ride Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1982 with a B.S. in History and English Literature. After various assignments, Dr. King returned to the Military Academy as an instructor in 1992. In 1998, he became a professor at the Combat Studies Institute (CSI). While at CSI, Dr. King received his Ph.D in Russian and Soviet history (1998) from the University of Pennsylvania and spent a 6-month tour in Sarajevo, Bosnia (1999-2000) as a NATO historian. Dr. King retired from the Army in May 2002. In October 2002, he was hired to the staff ride team of CSI as a civilian associate professor and is an adjunct professor at Kansas State University. He has published numerous articles and entries to edited works on a wide variety of military history topics.
Submit your questions for Dr. King to dolequestions@ku.edu for the question-and-answer portion of the program.
This special program will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and to its website, www.doleinstitute.org. Due to continuing concerns regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, the program will only be available online. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.

Aerospace Theory
2021-08-05 00:00
In the late 1940s the U.S. Air Force embraced the use of space as a natural extension of its traditional air power mission. As such, they envisioned air and space mediums converging into a single operational domain. Dr. Kalic will lecture on the U.S. Air Force’s development of the Aerospace concept in the period 1946-1963.
Dr. Sean N. Kalic is a Cold War historian. He lectures and publishes widely on topics such as the interwar period 1919-1939, the Cold War, the post-Cold War security environment, and transnational terrorism. Significant publications include: Combating a Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism (2005); Thinking about War: Past, Present and Future (2011); US Presidents and the Militarization of Space, 1946-1967 (2012); The Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War: An Essential Reference (2017); and Spies: The U.S. And Russian Espionage from the Cold War to the 21st Century (2019). He has presented lectures for the U.S. Naval War College, The Slovenian General Staff, and numerous international conferences. He is a Professor in the Department of Military History at the US Army Command and General Staff College where he has taught since 2004.

Exhibit: September 11, 2001: The Day that Changed the World
2021-08-31 - 2021-09-19 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Exhibit: September 11, 2001: The Day that Changed the World
On display from August 31-September 19, 2021
The Dole Institute will display a special poster exhibition in Simons Media Room from August 31 through September 19, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Entitled “September 11, 2001: The Day that Changed the World,” the exhibit reviews the events of the day, highlights personal experiences, and invites reflection. It was developed by the 9/11 Memorial Museum with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In Hansen Hall, visitors can also view two original beams from World Trade Center Tower One, a permanent memorial at the Institute. The two columns were salvaged and presented to the Dole Institute by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in appreciation of Senator Bob Dole’s work with Former President Bill Clinton on the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund for the children of 9/11 victims.

Bring Your Own Chair
2021-09-01 - 2021-09-30 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
-Shirley Chisholm
The Bring Your Own Chair project is inspired by Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s words and lifetime of work to promote a more inclusive democracy. Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968 and the first black candidate to run for the presidential nomination of a majority party. Chisholm was a force for change and a champion of legislation that would improve the quality of life for women, children, people of color, and the poor.
Add your chair to our installation celebrating our democracy’s diverse perspectives. An activity for all ages.
What matters to you? What do you bring to the table?
This interactive installation is for all ages and created with support from the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.

The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage
2021-09-08 00:00
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional, making same-sex unions legal across the United States. However, the road to that historic decision was much longer than many realize. Nationally recognized political journalist Sasha Issenberg will return to the Institute to guide us through the issue’s journey from unimaginable to inevitable as he discusses his latest book, “The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage,” based in part on research he conducted in the Dole Archives as a travel grant recipient.

The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage
2021-09-08 19:00
The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage
Sasha Issenberg
September 8, 2021 | 7 p.m.
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional, making same-sex unions legal across the United States. However, the road to that historic decision was much longer than many realize. Nationally recognized political journalist Sasha Issenberg will return to the Institute to guide us through the issue’s journey from unimaginable to inevitable as he discusses his latest book, “The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage,” based in part on research he conducted in the Dole Archives as a travel grant recipient.
This program includes a book sale and signing with the author.

2021 CONSTITUTION DAY | The Constitution and COVID-19
2021-09-16 00:00
As we continue to go through the worst pandemic in more than a century, there has been increased debate on whether the State can enforce health mandates — such as masking, distancing, and vaccine injections — as a legal matter. In observation of Constitution Day, KU Law Professor Lou Mulligan will lead a panel of legal experts in a discussion of the constitutionality of such mandates. The panel will consist of Governor Kelly’s General Counsel Clay Britton, ACLU of Kansas’s Legal Director Sharon Brett, and Solicitor General of Kansas Brant Laue.

2021 Constitution Day program: The Constitution and COVID-19
2021-09-16 19:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
2021 Constitution Day program: The Constitution and COVID-19
Lou Mulligan, Sharon Brett, Clay Britton, Brant Laue
September 16, 2021 | 7 p.m.
As we continue to go through the worst pandemic in more than a century, there has been increased debate on whether the State can enforce health mandates — such as masking, distancing, and vaccine injections — as a legal matter. In observation of Constitution Day, KU Law Professor Lou Mulligan will lead a panel of legal experts in a discussion of the constitutionality of such mandates. The panel will consist of Governor Kelly’s General Counsel Clay Britton, ACLU of Kansas’s Legal Director Sharon Brett, and Solicitor General of Kansas Brant Laue.

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
Read more about Dole Fellows >>
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

Bring Your Own Chair
2021-10-04 - 2022-01-30 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
-Shirley Chisholm
The Bring Your Own Chair project is inspired by Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s words and lifetime of work to promote a more inclusive democracy. Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968 and the first black candidate to run for the presidential nomination of a majority party. Chisholm was a force for change and a champion of legislation that would improve the quality of life for women, children, people of color, and the poor.
What matters to you? What do you bring to the table?
Design a chair for the installation celebrating our democracy’s diverse perspectives. An activity for all ages.
This interactive installation was created in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate.

Bob Dole: A Life in Public Service
2021-10-06 19:00 - 21:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
2021 Journalism & Politics Lecture
Bob Dole: A Life in Public Service
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 | 7 p.m.
This year marks 25 years since Senator Bob Dole left the United States Senate. In honor of this important milestone, the University Daily Kansan is releasing a multi-page feature on Senator Dole and his life in public service. Join us to hear from student journalists who led the project.
Stef Manchen, UDK editor; Carly Johnson, UDK managing editor; and Blake Ullmann, UDK news editor, will engage in a panel discussion about the project highlighting Senator Dole. Copies of the special edition UDK will be available at the event.
Join us in person or livestream the event on our YouTube channel. Event cosponsored by KU’s William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications.

Pre-World War I French Military Doctrine and its Consequences
2021-10-07 15:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Ft. Leavenworth: Pre-World War I French Military Doctrine and its Consequences
Richard Faulkner
October 7, 2021 | 3 p.m.
In the years prior to World War I, the French military wrestled with how to defend itself against a larger, more industrialized foe. Like the Great War’s other major combatants, the French pre-war doctrine proved to be ill-suited to meet the realities of the 1914 battlefield. This lecture will examine the factors that influenced the French Army’s pre-war doctrine, how the army envisioned fighting “the next great war,” and how it adapted its tactical strategy from 1915 to 1918, after its peacetime doctrine failed to secure France’s hope for victory in 1914.
The Ft. Leavenworth Series
The Ft. Leavenworth Series is an annual roster of lectures focusing on significant historical events, usually with an emphasis on military history. Each lecture is presented by faculty from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Established by General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1881, the CGSC is the graduate college for U.S. Army and sister service officers. The esteemed faculty and guests of the CGSC provide unique and captivating insights into the history of military conflict from the ancient to the modern ages at the Dole Institute of Politics.
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 U.S. Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.

Laughing at Myself: My Education in Congress, on the Farm, and at the Movies
2021-10-14 19:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman returns to the Institute to discuss his autobiography, “Laughing at Myself: My Education in Congress, on the Farm, and at the Movies,” based on his fascinating career path, which took him from Kansas to D.C. and Hollywood. Glickman served as the Secretary of Agriculture for six years under President Clinton and represented Kansas’s 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years. Glickman served as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government from 2002 to 2004 and served as chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America Inc. from 2004 to 2010. He is also a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and the former vice president of the Aspen Institute.
This event is cosponsored by KU’s Department of Film & Media Studies.

A Conversation on Race Part IV: The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor, America’s First Black Sports Hero
2021-10-19 19:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Investigative political reporter and author Michael Kranish will join us for our fourth installment of our A Conversation on Race series. He will discuss the life, tribulations, and career of Major Taylor, the first American-born Black world champion in any sport, fifty years before Jackie Robinson became a Major League baseball player. Kranish spent years collecting thousands of articles written about Taylor for his book, “The World’s Fastest Man: The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor, America’s First Black Sports Hero,” in which he tells the story of how Taylor overcame insurmountable odds to become a world-class athlete during the Jim Crow era. Taylor’s trailblazing accomplishments had widespread impact across society and are relevant to conversations we are having about African American athletes today.
This program includes a book sale and signing with the author.

Vo Nguyen Giap and Le Duan: Vietnam’s Victors
2021-11-04 15:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Ft. Leavenworth: Vo Nguyen Giap and Le Duan: Vietnam’s Victors
Martin Clemis
November 4, 2021 | 3 p.m.
Between 1945 and 1975, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam fought and won two major conflicts against tremendous odds: one against France and the other against the U.S. and its South Vietnamese ally. The architects of these incredible victories were General Vo Nguyen Giap, the commander of the North Vietnamese Army, and Le Duan, the General Secretary of the Vietnam Worker’s Party. Although they both utilized a hybrid politico-military approach that synthesized conventional war, guerrilla warfare, and mass politics, they each pursued a unique variation of communist revolutionary warfare. In this lecture, Clemis will discuss how these men and their theories of war carried the communists to victory in Vietnam, and in doing so, brought the most far reaching and consequential conflict of the Cold War to a conclusion.
The Ft. Leavenworth Series
The Ft. Leavenworth Series is an annual roster of lectures focusing on significant historical events, usually with an emphasis on military history. Each lecture is presented by faculty from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Established by General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1881, the CGSC is the graduate college for U.S. Army and sister service officers. The esteemed faculty and guests of the CGSC provide unique and captivating insights into the history of military conflict from the ancient to the modern ages at the Dole Institute of Politics.
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 U.S. Senators Bob Dole and Elizabeth Dole.

Kansas Veterans Virtual Memory Wall Veterans Day Open House
2021-11-11 12:00 - 16:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
Thursday, November 11, 2021
12-4 p.m.
Join us for a public open house debut of our Kansas Veterans Virtual Memory Wall. Guests will have opportunities to interact with the virtual exhibit, submit new veteran profiles, and enjoy music while honoring Kansas veterans and their families.
Special thanks to these project contributors:
Bernhard Mueller-Anderson, Quatrefoil Associates
Jennifer Kubina, Quatrefoil Associates
Craig Coleman
Marla Schleuder
Skye Conley
Oliva Korte
Amber Wood
Mark Nace
Grant Hayes
Greg Barry
Thanks to these major donors and supporters:
Marcie Adler
Maynard & Sarah Oliverius
Humanities Kansas
Senator Robert J. Dole
Julia & Dennis Meyer
Susan Morris
Gary & Sue Padgett
Ronald A. Marks III
Larry & Jacqueline Gadt
Ned & Jan Riss
Don & Kay Brada
Ric & Darlene Knorr
Don Dale
Sue Anschutz-Rodgers
Eleanor A. Woodyard
Chuck & Diane Frickey
The Hon. Lewis M. Eisenberg
Jeff & Mary Weinberg
Bruce & Margie Johnson
Charles & Lynne Crabtree
Ed & Marie Meyen
Elizabeth L. Harrison
Janet L. Sena
Linda A. Murphy Tavlarios
Martha L. Jenkins
Michael & Mary McCormick
The Hon. Sam A. Crow
Richard & Barbara Meidinger
Dr. Barbara Mason & Prof. Ronald Christ
Debra A. Corkhill
Jim & Sandy Cooper
Nancy & Larry Stoppel
Thomas & Sarah Habiger
Zachary & Melissa Holland
Benedict T. Palen, Jr. & Leslie Hammer-Palen
Sheri & Steve Hauck
Bernie & Judith Kish
Beverly Smith Billings
Bill French
Caprice Maxey Thompson & Todd Thompson
Deb & Ron Teeter
Debhora J. Thompson
Diana Bartelli Carlin & Joe Pierron
Judy Biviano Lloyd
Larry & Rosemary Schroeder
Marc B. Langston
Martin & Shari Albrecht
Maureen P. West-Gannon
Rex B. Wackerle
Richard D. Lipsey Jr.
Sheri & Alex Hamilton
Spring T. Unes
William M. Nolte
Adam T. Steinhilber

Careers in Public Service
2021-11-16 15:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
The Dole Institute of Politics invites you to join us for an online panel discussion on careers in public service featuring four former Dole Student Advisory Board members.

Julia Groblacher: Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
After graduating from KU in 2010, Julia received her Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard JFK School of Government. Since entering the Foreign Service in 2012, Julia has served domestically on the Syria and Afghanistan desks, and overseas at the U.S. embassies in Moscow, Baghdad, and Kabul. She most recently served as a member of Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman’s staff, responsible for the Middle East, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and tech. She will soon depart for U.S. Embassy Beirut.
Marc Langston: Attorney, Strategic Team Advising Research, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Marc Langston is a Wichita native and KU alumnus (’08) with bachelors degrees in political science and art history. He attended law school at Wake Forest University and spent the last decade working as an attorney in Washington, DC. Marc’s legal experience includes a variety of positions in both the public and private sectors.
Eric Pahls: VP, Big Dog Strategies
Eric Pahls is a proud native Kansan who served as Campaign Manager for Dr. Roger Marshall’s successful 2020 U.S. Senate Campaign. Prior to 2020, he served as businesswoman Carly Fiorina’s Communications Director, and as the youngest Press Secretary on Capitol Hill after working on Dr. Marshall’s successful 2016 Congressional campaign, which notably unseated the incumbent in a primary. Eric is a graduate of the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and lives in Kansas City, Kansas.
Adam Steinhilber: Judicial Law Clerk to Justice Mark S. Massa, Indiana Supreme Court
Adam Steinhilber is an attorney and law clerk to the Honorable Mark S. Massa of the Indiana Supreme Court. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kansas, where he proudly served as the Events Student Assistant at the Dole Institute of Politics.

THE COUNSELORS | Resolved: Cash bail will not be required for individuals who are not a flight risk or dangerous
2021-11-17 18:00 | The Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66045, United States
On Nov. 17, the Dole Institute of Politics will debut The Counselors, an engaging series featuring two advocates arguing either side of an important national issue. In a cross between a courtroom trial and a debate, the two counselors will present their opposing arguments and call two expert witnesses each to help build their case.
Focusing on criminal justice reform, the theme for our November program is “Resolved: Cash bail will not be required for individuals who are not a flight risk or dangerous.”
The counselors for “Resolved” will be Edward C. Duckers, partner at Stoel Rives LLP and head of the firm’s Litigation Practice, and Pedro L. Irigonegaray, attorney and partner at Irigonegaray, Turney, & Revenaugh.
Today in the United States, six out of every 10 people in jail are currently awaiting trial without having actually been convicted of a crime. In 2018, the bipartisan FIRST STEP Act was signed into law, creating legislation that would improve fairness in sentencing of federal crimes, reduce recidivism and promote public safety.
At a time when a range of experts are calling for additional criminal justice reform, The Counselors fall program aims to educate on both sides of the argument.
Join us 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, for the inaugural event followed by an open house reception.
The Counselors series is consistent with the mission of the Dole Institute of Politics – to promote political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bi-partisan, balanced manner – and is made possible through a grant from the Koch Family Foundation.
This program is cosponsored by KU Debate and the University of Kansas School of Law.

EXHIBIT – Remembering Service, Sacrifice, Unity, and Victory: A National Memorial to World War II
2021-11-30 - 2022-01-30 | Elizabeth Dole Gallery & Reading Room, 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, 66045, United States
Remembering Service, Sacrifice, Unity, and Victory:
A National Memorial to World War II
November 30, 2021-January 30, 2022
Exhibit on display in the Elizabeth Dole Gallery & Reading Room
The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941: The tragedy that prompted US entrance into World War II, calling a whole generation into service, both abroad and at home.
Marking 80 years since that dark day, D.C. comes to the Dole Institute with this original concept model of the WWII Memorial presented in partnership with the Friends of the National World War II Memorial.
Bob Dole was one of 16 million Americans who served in uniform during World War II. Senator Dole brought his commitment to veterans to his 35 years of service in the US Congress and beyond. In retirement, Senator Dole served as national chairman of the fundraising campaign to build the National World War II Memorial, which opened on the National Mall in 2004, and has greeted veterans weekly on-site for 15 years.

The Modern History of Kosovo: Past, Present, and Future
2021-12-01 11:00 | https://youtu.be/EZsAc1yT-CU
The modern history of Kosovo is defined by transformative powers that have left an indelible mark on Southeast Europe and around the globe. Please join us for an event centered on the difficulties and optimism that have shaped Kosovo’s past, present, and future. These presenters will bring expertise and personal stories of resilience to a discussion about the division and collapse of Yugoslavia, Kosovo’s road to independence and peace with its neighbors, Senator Dole’s resolute support for Kosovo, the quest to become a member of the European Union, and the new generation of leadership and outlook for this dynamic country, among other issues.
This program was made possible by the Jim Xhema Opportunity Fund.
This program is cosponsored by the Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies and the European Studies and Global & International Studies departments at the University of Kansas.
