12C THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ON THE HILL
MONDAY,AUGUST 16,2004
Christopher Drake,
12, is silhouetted
by the stained
glass American
flag in the Dole
Institute of Politics.
The flag is the
largest in the
world. Drake
toured the institute
while visiting town
and said he
enjoyed everything
he had seen.
Dole Institute serves many functions
By John Scheirman
jscheirman@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Most University of Kansas students probably know something about former U.S. Senator Bob Dole (R-Kan.). He ran for president eight years ago, and introduced his opponent in that race, former president Bill Clinton, to an audience of 12,000 for a lecture at Allen Fieldhouse last spring. But many people may not know a lot about the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, located on West Campus.
Courtnev Kuhlen/KANSAM
The institute performs three primary roles according to Richard Konzem, deputy director for administration — it houses Dole's congressional archives, serves as a visitor's hall and sponsors a variety of lectures and programs.
The archives are the largest such collection in the country. They will eventually be made available to scholars for research.
As a visitor's hall, the center displays memorabilia from Dole's youth in Russell, his service and
The lectures and other programs throughout the year focus on public policy and public service.
injury in World War II and his long career in politics and government.
"It's an enormously valuable research tool for anyone looking at American politics in the latter half of the 20th century," said Jean Bischoff, archivist. "It covers everything from the Kennedy era to the Clinton era."
The first major event planned at the institute this fall will be the awarding of the Dole Leadership Prize, an honor that the institute will give to former U.S. Senator George McGovern (D-S.D.). He shares the distinction with Dole of being a defeated presidential nominee. McGovern ran in 1972.
"Dole selects someone who has displayed great leadership in public service." Konzem said.
He pointed to the selection of McGovern, along with Clinton's appearance in April, as evidence that the institute is not driven by partisan politics.
Republican and leader of the Republican Party," Konzem said. "Bob Dole is one of the great compromisers in reaching across the aisle to get things done in Washington. He has friends that are in the other party."
Another program scheduled at the institute in the coming months is a lecture series to be held on three Sunday nights in November at the Lied Center. This year's program will deal with the subject of political humor, Konzem said. The program will feature some contemporary humorists, he said, but the institute will not announce their names until contractual arrangements have been made.
"Bob Dole is a pretty strong
Dole is well-known for his wit and humor, having made appearances on television programs such as the David Letterman and Jay Leno shows.
The third major event at the Dole Institute in the coming yearly cycle will be the Dole Lecture, which Clinton appeared at last spring. The event ideally occurs on or around April 14, Konzem said. April 14, 1945 is the date that Dole was seriously wounded in Italy during World War II.
The initial plan is that Dole will be the speaker in the spring of 2005, Konzem said. The former senator is working on a book about his military service and what he went through recovering from his wounds, and will talk about that if he serves as the speaker at the lecture as planned.
"I think the Leadership Prize is always going to be of interest to students — it's going to be a very distinguished person," said Steve McAllister, law dean and interim director of the Dole Institute. The annual spring lecture should also be of interest to students at the University, he said.
McAllister said the Institute will hold a number of smaller events throughout the year in conjunction with the history and political science departments and others.
"They come to us with programs, and we try to accommodate them," he said.
- Edited by Marc Ingber
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