The Dole Institute of Politics

Address
2350 Petefish Drive
Lawrence, KS 66045 United States Get Directions

The mission of the Dole Institute of Politics is to promote political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bi-partisan, balanced manner.

By providing a forum for discussion of political and economic issues, fostering public service leadership and encouraging participation in the political process, we emphasize that politics is an honorable profession and that only through political and civic participation can citizens redirect the course of our nation. While the objective is to accomplish this mission on a broad scale, our location at the University of Kansas provides a unique opportunity for outreach to young people and students.

We utilize the three distinct components of the Dole Institute to accomplish this mission: unique displays that tell the compelling story of Bob Dole’s life in the context of Kansas and The Greatest Generation; one of the largest congressional archives in existence which houses all of the Senator’s congressional papers; and finally, the vigorous public programming conducted by the Dole Institute.

Events at this venue

Today

  • America at 250 Special Exhibits

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States

    Commemorate America at 250 with three special exhibits highlighting the Declaration of Independence, Kansas, and the last major commemoration of America’s founding. Experience these special exhibits starting Feb. 16, on display in the Elizabeth Dole Gallery & Reading Room. Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy uses primary sources to illustrate how Americans and people […]

  • Featured

    Inside the Electorate: A Bipartisan Look Ahead to the 2026 Midterms

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    The nation enters a critical midterm election year with voters trying to come to grips with economic anxieties, international disruptions, and ongoing debates about the nation’s culture. The Wall Street Journal’s new bipartisan polling team, Democrat John Anzalone and Republican Adam Geller, will join Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib for their first public appearance […]

  • The Case for Limited War: European Military Treatises through Machiavelli

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    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    Warfare in the European Middle Ages (c. 500-1500) can be broadly characterized as limited: limited objectives, limited budgets, and limited size of armies. Despite medieval society having an overall martial culture, these factors conspired to make warfare episodic, defensively oriented, and positional in character. This lecture will explore the intellectual underpinnings of medieval limited war […]

  • Featured

    Spring 2026 Dole Forum Programming

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    The full roster for our Spring 2026 Dole Forum Programming is coming soon. Save the date to join us at the Dole Institute of Politics for this program on Thursday, Mar. 5 at 7 p.m. All events will be available to stream live on our YouTube channel.

  • Featured

    Liberty In a Pluralistic Society

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    Liberty is America’s founding ideal, bursting from our shores and spreading to nations far and near. But, our own story is rife with contradictions and presents challenges even today as we balance the desires of a changing society. How do we balance competing ideas of liberty in a pluralistic country? How can we secure this […]

  • The Maginot Line

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    The Maginot Line has assumed a mythical status as the height of French interwar doctrinal stagnation. The reality, however, is that the Maginot Line represented a potential solution to the difficult French strategic position. Dr. Cameron Zinsou of the Command and General Staff College shows how its development, manning, and the debates about the Line […]

  • Featured

    The 2026 Easter Egg Roll with Dole

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    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States

    Come one, come all, for the Dole Institute’s Easter Egg Roll with Dole! Join us on Saturday, April 19, for a morning of family fun, including a White House-style egg roll race, egg hunt, games, crafts, and more. The event is free and open to the public, and will go on rain or shine. Learn more […]

  • Featured

    A Republic, If You Can Keep It

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    Ben Franklin promised us unparalleled freedom with burdens to uphold it, never before placed upon a citizenry. What was this novel form of government bestowed on our young nation and what have we, as a free people, done to keep it? What burdens do we share, what challenges do we face, and what actions must […]

  • Featured

    The Counselors

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    More information about the Spring 2026 edition of The Counselors is coming soon. Save the date to join us at the Dole Institute on Thursday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. This event will be available to stream live on our YouTube channel.   Join Dole Institute Visiting Fellows and attorneys Ed Duckers and Pedro Irigonegaray for the […]

  • Featured

    The Pursuit of Happiness: Is America Still the Land of Opportunity?

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    We live in a land of unprecedented wealth and success. Yet, America is plagued with economic disparities and despair – a place where our “happiness” ranks only 24th among developed nations. Our Founding Fathers built a land of remarkable opportunity that elevated the lives of billions globally. Is the American dream alive today? What does […]

  • The Operational Perspective: American Observations of the Franco-Prussian War

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    This presentation examines the experiences of American military and political figures who were present in France for the Prussian victory in 1870-71 over Napoleon III, as well as the observations of newspaper editors and columnists in the United States opining on military events overseas. Some of these observers were veterans of the American Civil War. […]

  • Napoleon: The Man and the Method

    Event Category:
    The Dole Institute of Politics 2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS, United States
    Hybrid Event

    Napoleon remains a character of endless fascination, even more than two centuries after his death.  The God of War, as one biographer identified him, conquered much of Europe before his ultimate downfall, and is often counted with Alexander the Great and Caesar as one of the greatest military minds in human history.  This talk will […]