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

  • The State of Education in Kansas

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

    Join the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board for the spring Student Advisory Board Program, “The State of Education in Kansas.” SAB coordinator Kenna McNally will be joined by experts to discuss K-12 education policy in Kansas.     Kenna McNally serves as the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board Coordinator, in addition to her role as […]

  • Preparing for the Unthinkable: The U.S. Navy, SLBMS, and the TRANSIT Satellites

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

    In April 1960 the US Navy launched the first experimental navigation satellite.  This highly classified and cutting-edge technology found in the TRANSIT satellites were designed to provide the Navy’s submarines armed with the new POLARIS ballistic missile with more precise navigation fixes as a means to improve their accuracy, if and when they had to […]

  • Dole & Dr. K: A Story of Loss and Recovery Turned Advocacy for Armenia

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

    This special exhibit will be closing on February 1, 2026, to prepare for a new special exhibit. Make plans to visit the Dole Institute's Museum & Galleries, open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., by visiting our website. Can't make it to see this exhibit? View the online exhibit on Dole Collections […]

  • Federalism in Action: The President and the States

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

    The relationship between the federal government and the states is unique when compared to other nations. This discussion will look at how the states have limited the power of the presidency through our federalist system, in addition to touching on the ways in which states distanced themselves from the federal government.     Matt Beat […]

  • The President and the Judiciary

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

    No constitutional power has proven to be greater in American history than that of judicial review. This discussion will focus on how the United States Supreme Court has used this unique power to limit the power of the president by highlighting specific cases, in addition to exploring the president’s role in judicial appointments.     […]

  • Robert Fulton: Submarines, Mines, and Torpedoes

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

    Robert Fulton is best known for the first commercially successful steamboats plying the Hudson River.  However, he did considerable work inventing and developing weapons of naval warfare: workable submarines, underwater mines, underwater cannons, and skiff-propelled torpedoes.  Perhaps his crowning contribution to naval warfare was the Demologus (Voice of the People) – the world's first steam-powered warship with […]

  • The President and Congress

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

    As the nation’s lawmaking authority, the United States Congress has taken steps to limit the power of the president by denying appointments, overriding vetoes to pass legislation, limiting how much money is appropriated, and even impeaching the president. This session will look at the steps Congress has taken over the years in addition to exploring […]

  • The American Presidency: An Introduction

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

    This event has been moved online due to inclement weather. Due to inclement weather, the Dole Institute will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 19. This event will only be held virtually at 4 p.m. CST. You can stream this program live, for free, from this page or the Dole Institute's YouTube channel. What does the American […]

  • SPRING 2025 | Exactly How Much Power Does an American President Have?

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

    Dole Fellow Matt Beat examines how the exercise of presidential power has evolved since the ratification of the Constitution and how it is shared with each branch of government, the states, and citizens themselves. Learn more about his Discussion Groups series by visiting his Fellow profile.

  • G-Planes, R-Planes, and Zeppelins: Germany’s Strategic Bombing Campaign in the First World War

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

    The Nazis’ attempt to bomb Great Britain into submission in 1940 and 1941 represented Hitler’s most destructive method of forcing Britain out of the Second World War, but it was not the first time London and other cities had experienced such attacks. From 1915 to 1918, aircraft from Imperial Germany’s army and navy sought to […]

  • Discover with Dole: Celebrating Kansas Day

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

    Celebrate Kansas Day all week long at the Dole Institute! Join us Friday, January 24 through Sunday, February 2 for a Kansas Day-themed Discover with Dole. Learn about Kansas by making your own special Kansas postcard using historical examples from the Dole Archives, playing Tic-Tac-Dole, signing a special birthday card for Kansas, and exploring the […]

  • The Arc of Kansas Politics

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

    The history of Kansas is unlike any other state in the Union. Inspired by the recent book Reform and Reaction: The Arc of Kansas Politics (University Press of Kansas, 2024), Philadelphia Inquirer politics and government reporter Katie Bernard sits with former Kansas governors Kathleen Sebelius (D) and Mike Hayden (R) to discuss the complex story […]