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

  • 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 […]

  • Saving the Army: Washington at the Battle of Long Island

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

    Following the Declaration of Independence from Great Britian, the United States’ Continental Army under the leadership of George Washington attempted to defend New York City in August of 1776. During the Battle of Long Island, the leadership and actions of George Washington would save his army from capture and defeat and ultimately preserve the cause […]

  • U.S. Strategy and Sherman’s Savannah Campaign

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

    Perhaps the most memorable campaign that underpinned US Army LTG Ulysses S. Grant’s military strategy of 1864, MG William Tecumseh Sherman’s Savannah Campaign exhausted the Southern Confederacy and hastened an end to the American Civil War. The “March to the Sea” has inspired mixed mythologies of the war: it became synonymous in the Lost Cause […]

  • Clausewitz, Mao, and Operational Art

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

    More information on this Ft. Leavenworth Series program is coming soon. Save the date to join us at the Dole Institute of Politics on the first Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. All events will be available to stream live on our YouTube channel.     Martin G. Clemis is an associate professor in […]

  • Jomini and the Foundations of Modern War

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

    More information on this Ft. Leavenworth Series program is coming soon. Save the date to join us at the Dole Institute of Politics on the first Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. All events will be available to stream live on our YouTube channel.     Dr. Sean N. Kalic is a Cold War historian. […]

  • Soviet Interwar Years Theory and Doctrine

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

    The First World War brought enormous changes to the battlefield that all combatants struggled to master. After the war’s end, military officers began to try to understand what would be needed to succeed in the next war, in the Soviet Union no less than anywhere else. While the Red Army has been often seen as […]