KU classes tour and learn from the Dole Archives

November 17, 2023 - Features

by Julie Clover | Public Education Manager

Students from KU Professor Marc Greenberg’s class pose for a photograph with Public Education Manager Julie Clover in the stacks at the Dole Institute.

This semester, the Dole Institute has hosted many classes from the University of Kansas under the instruction of public education manager Julie Clover. One of those classes was a first-time partnership between Professor Marc L. Greenberg from the Department of Slavic, German & Eurasian Studies. Dr. Greenberg brought his freshman seminar class on adult language learning to the Dole Institute for a customized Dole Archives class. Read about their visit below with insights from both Dr. Greenberg and his students:

KU Professor Marc Greenberg speaks with his students in the Simons Media Room at the Dole Institute of Politics.

“We truly found it an edifying and enjoyable experience and it exceeded our expectations,” said Dr. Greenberg. “The First Year Experience (freshman seminar) class on adult language learning has been focusing on learning Russian this semester. This week we are concentrating on context in language learning: what speakers know about the world in addition to what they are uttering at the moment. This topic fit perfectly with a visit to the Dole Institute, in which the students learned about Senator Dole’s extraordinary life journey, which took him from Russell, Kansas to many parts of the world and to interactions with world leaders.”

KU Professor Marc Greenberg speaks with some students about an archival object in the Simons Media Room at the Dole Institute of Politics.

“We came into contact not just with the artifacts of the senator, but also with Dole’s life in public service nationally and internationally, and even had the rare opportunity to peek into his daily schedule, which on a randomly selected day in spring of 1989 included a meeting with Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin, the Prime Minister of Belize, and King Hussein of Jordan. It was a special treat to see some of the artifacts stored in the archives and not on regular display.”

Students from Dr. Greenberg’s class analyze a manuscript in the stacks of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives and Special Collections.

“We learned that Dr. Hampar Kelikian, who treated Sen. Dole’s wounded arm and is an Armenian man from the Ottoman Empire, inspired Sen. Dole’s lifelong interest in relations with Armenia. Our freshman students aspire to a range of professions, from dentists to diplomats. Just as Sen. Dole aspired to be a physician, but instead became a politician devoted to public service, we never know where life’s journey will take us. We learned from Sen. Dole’s example of how openness to and engagement with the diversity of the world can shape both an individual’s life and that of others. One’s life may start from humble beginnings in Kansas and reach the highest levels of world leadership.”

Public Education Manager Julie Clover opens an oversized manuscript cover for students from Dr. Greenberg’s class to view.

“Sincere thanks to Julie Clover and her team for preparing a wonderful bespoke tour of the Institute and for setting out so many rich and relevant artifacts for us to discuss and learn from,” said Greenberg.

Thank you Professor Greenberg and your First Year Experience students! If you are interested in how you could connect your curriculum with the Dole Archives please reach out to jclover@ku.edu or call 785-864-1420.

Julie Clover serves as the Dole Institute’s Public Education Manager. In her role, Julie leads K-12 and family education programs, including on-site, outreach, and online initiatives. Julie graduated from the University of Kansas with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biological research. Most recently, she was an education specialist at the Natural History Museum of Utah and traveled all over the state teaching outreach education programs to thousands of students every year.

About the Dole Institute
The Dole Institute was dedicated on July 22, 2003, at the University of Kansas on Senator Bob Dole’s 80^th birthday. Home to the personal archives of both Senator Bob and Senator Elizabeth Dole, with a museum facility on par with the U.S. Presidential libraries, the Dole Institute has been a vibrant political forum promoting civil discourse, civic engagement, and idea exchange across the political spectrum for 20 years.