Dole Institute Fall 2025 programming features Kansas Court of Appeals oral arguments; Dole Fellow Joni Wickham, former chief of staff to Kansas City, MO Mayor Sly James

August 13, 2025 - News

The Dole Institute’s fall programming, events, and exhibits will feature discussions on a mix of politics, public service, and civics across the political spectrum. Photo by KU Marketing.

LAWRENCE, KS – The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas today announced a slate of events, exhibits, and programs during Fall 2025, featuring a mix of politics, public service, and civics across the political spectrum. Highlights include events in honor of Constitution Day; a series of discussions moderated by Dole Fellow Joni Wickham, political consultant and former deputy to Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James; and several Fellows-led programs on a variety of timely topics related to policy and political culture.

“We are excited to invite the public to engage in timely conversations on various topics relating to contemporary politics, service, and civics – the building blocks of a healthy political culture,” said Dole Institute director Audrey Coleman. “Our forum continues to provide a much-needed space for thoughtful, civil, and bipartisan discussion.”

Constitution Day

In honor of Constitution Day, the Kansas Court of Appeals will be hearing oral arguments in two cases at the Dole Institute on Tuesday, September 16 at 10 a.m. Commemorated annually throughout the nation, Constitution Day celebrates the anniversary of the adoption of the United States Constitution in September 1787. The Court of Appeals, the state’s intermediate court, will hear cases that involve a constitutional issue at both the Dole Institute and the KU School of Law. Docket and case information can be found on the Kansas Court of Appeals website.

Later this fall, the Dole Institute will commemorate Constitution Day with a special program on Wednesday, October 15 at 7 p.m. Featuring distinguished speakers, scholars, and public officials, the event encourages civic engagement and thoughtful discussion on constitutional issues past and present. “The 2025 Constitution Day Program: Healthcare in the U.S. Constitution” will feature associate director Dr. Barbara Ballard, and attorney and Student Advisory Board alum Jesse Burbank in conversation with I. Glenn Cohen, the James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS), about the intersection of healthcare policy and the Constitution. Professor Cohen serves as a deputy dean of HLS, and helps lead the school’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology & Bioethics.

Forum Programming

Bestselling author and political consultant Joni Wickham will serve as the Fall 2025 Dole Fellow. Her series, “Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Public Service,” will focus on topics in local governance, including mayoral and representative leadership, public advocacy, and local policymaking. Her series includes:

• “Transformational Leadership: Exhausting and Exhilarating,” featuring former Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James on Wednesday, September 10 at 4 p.m.
• “Turning Research, Policy Solutions and Civic Engagement into Results for Kansas Women,” featuring United WE CEO Wendy Doyle on Wednesday, September 24 at 4 p.m.

Additional programs will take place on Wednesday October 8, 22, and November 12 at 4 p.m.

A former chief of staff to Mayor James, Wickham previously worked with the American Federation of Teachers, the Missouri Department of Transportation, and in the office of Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. A recipient of the 2019 University of Missouri Truman School of Public Affairs Mel Carnahan Public Service Award, she was also named to the Kansas City Business Journal’s prestigious Class of 2023 Women Who Mean Business.

Additionally, former Executive Washington Editor of the Wall Street Journal and Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib will moderate “Church and State,” a discussion on Catholicism and its influence on today’s politics and leadership on Thursday, September 4 at 7 p.m. He will be joined by James Grimaldi, Pulitzer Prize-winning executive editor of the National Catholic Reporter, and Ashley McGuire, senior fellow at The Catholic Association.

Attorneys and Dole Institute Visiting Fellows Ed Duckers and Pedro Irigonegaray will return to the Institute for the fall edition of The Counselors on Thursday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m. The popular program, a cross between a mock trial and a debate, “Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?” will feature Duckers and Irigonegaray and a panel of expert witnesses.

Additional Dole Forum programming, including programs moderated by former Dole Fellows Karen Willey and Qëndrim Gashi, will be announced later this fall.

Featured Partnerships

The Dole Institute will partner with the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to host a program on October 21 at 10 a.m. on housing affordability. “Affordable Housing in America” will feature insight from BPC policy experts Michael Kelley, a former senior staffer at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Andy Winkler, managing director of housing and infrastructure at BPC.

In collaboration with the Department of Military History at the Command and General Staff College, the Ft. Leavenworth Series continues this fall with lectures exploring topics related to “Technology and Innovation in War.” These free, monthly lectures are presented by world-class military historians, and are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. Fall 2025 programs include:

• “The Musket Problem: Technology and Military Innovation in the French Army, 1700-1815,” with Dr. Jonathan Abel on Wednesday, September 3
• “Tanks and Trenches: Armored Warfare in WWI,” with Dr. Sean Faulkner on Wednesday, October 1
• “Integrating the U.S. Army in the Early 20^th Century,” with Dr. Amanda Nagel on Wednesday, November 5
• “Desert Storm: High-Tech Wonders, or Ingenuity and Elbow Grease?” with Dr. Mark Gerges on Wednesday, December 3

Tribute to Veterans Gala

On Sunday, November 9, the Institute will host its annual celebration of our nation’s veterans and their families: the Tribute to Veterans Gala. The evening will feature live music by the Moonlight Serenade Orchestra and a special “Salute to Veterans” presented by students from the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs. While free and open to the public, reservations are required to attend. Doors open at 5 p.m., with programming beginning at 6 p.m.

Fall Special Exhibits

The Dole Institute’s current special exhibit, Dole & Dr. K, is on view throughout the fall in the Elizabeth Dole Gallery & Reading Room. Curated by the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives and Special Collections, the exhibit examines the profound relationship between Senator Bob Dole and Dr. Hampar Kelikian, the Armenian surgeon who performed multiple operations on Dole following his severe injuries in World War II. Their connection played a pivotal role in shaping Dole’s path to recovery, public service, and eventual advocacy for Armenia in the U.S. Senate—including his efforts to secure official recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which Dr. Kelikian survived. The exhibit is informed by original research conducted by Dole Archives Fellow for Armenian Advocacy Michael Bobelian and Dole Archives Travel Grant recipient Julien Zarifian.

The Dole Institute will also be displaying a special memorial poster exhibit, “September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World,” from September 2 to 14 in commemoration of the September 11 terror attacks. The exhibit, developed by the 9/11 Memorial Museum with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, reviews the events of the day, highlights individual experiences, and invites reflections from all patrons. Guests can also view the Institute’s permanent September 11 Memorial in Hansen Hall, featuring two original beams from World Trade Center Tower 1. The Dole Institute’s Museum & Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Detailed information on all these events, programs, and exhibits can be found at doleinstitute.org. All programs, which are free and open to the public, will take place at the Dole Institute and can be streamed live on the Institute’s website and YouTube channel. Members of the media wishing to attend any of these programs are asked to contact Jackson DeAndrea at jackson.deandrea@ku.edu to make arrangements.

About the Dole Institute
Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.

For More Information:
Jackson DeAndrea, Dole Institute of Politics
jackson.deandrea@ku.edu
(785) 864-4900