Dole Institute gifted Elizabeth Dole papers, launches lecture series

LAWRENCE – The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas is pleased to announce that former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has gifted her career papers to the Dole Institute Archive and Special Collections.

The Dole Institute is also excited to announce the creation of the Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership Lecture in her honor. The inaugural lecture will be delivered by Dole herself in a program at the Dole Institute at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 30. The program will be free and open to the public with doors opening at 2:30 p.m. A free live stream will be available at www.doleinstitute.org.  

The signature series will take place in the fall semester beginning in 2018 and will feature women who break barriers, make significant contributions to their fields and reach positions of leadership. Guest speakers will be leaders who exemplify perseverance, motivation, innovative thinking and the ability to overcome challenges.

“The creation of the Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership Lecture fulfills a longstanding strategic objective of the Dole Institute,” said director Bill Lacy. “We are thrilled to launch this new series and thankful for Senator Dole’s generous gift of her papers to our archive.”

“I am so pleased that my papers will be housed at the Dole Institute,” said Dole. “The Institute has received outstanding support from the University of Kansas and has established itself as one of the nation’s foremost centers for political learning and research. We hope this will be a valuable resource for researchers, educators and scholars around the world.”

The papers span Dole’s long career in public service, including her years as commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Secretary of Labor, president of the American Red Cross and a U.S. senator representing the state of North Carolina.

In 2012, she founded the Elizabeth Dole Foundation to increase services and support for America’s 5.5 million military and veteran caregivers – the spouses, mothers, dads and other loved ones providing voluntary care for wounded warriors at home.  The Foundation recently launched the Hidden Heroes Campaign, chaired by Tom Hanks, to bring vital attention to the untold stories of military caregivers and to galvanize communities across America to their side.

The gift of Dole’s papers represents a new chapter in the life of the Dole Archive and Special collections, which already houses the career papers of former U.S. Sen. Robert J. Dole. By combining the papers of both public servants, the Dole Archives will offer a robust selection of information and knowledge for visiting researchers.

A fundraising challenge is currently underway to complete the endowment for the Elizabeth Dole Women in Leadership Lecture. For more information on the challenge, please visit www.launchku.org/dole. 

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation as well as civil discourse in a bipartisan, philosophically balanced manner. It is located on KU’s West Campus and also houses the Dole Archive and Special Collections. Through its robust public programming, congressional archive and museum, the Dole Institute strives to celebrate public service and the legacy of former U.S. Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole. 

More information on all programs, as well as ongoing additions to the schedule, can be found on the Dole Institute’s website, www.doleinstitute.org.