Dole Institute announces 20th anniversary programming

July 19, 2022 - News

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas announces the start of its 20^th programming year with a slate of signature events featuring world-class leaders, including two KU alumni. Announcement of these signature programs comes in honor of the late Senator Bob Dole’s birthday on July 22. The Senator, who passed away last December, would have turned 99.

Dole Fellow and Discussion Groups

Starts September 14, 2022

4 p.m.

Gerald F. Seib, veteran journalist from The Wall Street Journal

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. 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.

Dole Leadership Prize

September 20, 2022

Time TBD

Juan Manuel Santos, Former President of Colombia

The Dole Leadership Prize is a bipartisan award presented annually to an individual who demonstrates the importance of involvement in political and civic affairs. Santos was identified for recognition by the late Senator Bob Dole in honor of his successful efforts to bring peace to Colombia.

Santos graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Economics and Administration and completed post-graduate studies at the London School of Economics and Harvard University.

He served two terms as President of Colombia from 2010-2018, with one of the cornerstones of his administration being his work on a peace process with FARC, the Colombian guerilla organization. As a result of his commitment to achieve peace in Colombia, he was the sole recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 for “his resolute efforts to bring the country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end,” according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The Dole Leadership prize carries a $25,000 award, to be directed by Santos to the charity of his choice.

Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership Lecture

October 5, 2022

Time TBD

Sherrie Rollins Westin, President of Sesame Workshop

Rollins Westin will deliver the fifth Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership, which features women who break barriers, make significant contributions to their fields, and reach positions of leadership. Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. Rollins Westin leads the organization’s efforts to serve vulnerable children through mass media and targeted initiatives in the United States and around the world. In her career, Rollins Westin also served in U.S. government roles as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs for President George H.W. Bush and Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Post-Election Conference

December 7-8, 2022

Time TBD

Bill Lacy, Dole Institute Director Emeritus

On December 7 and 8, Lacy will moderate this comprehensive biennial conference, which follows each national election, will feature political experts, including state and national strategists, pollsters, journalists, and campaign officials who analyze how and why elections were won and lost, and what that will mean for the next two years.

For more information, see KU Today