Dole Institute of Politics announces fall 2025 programming
LAWRENCE — The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced a slate of events, exhibits and programs during fall 2025, featuring a mix of politics, public service and civics across the political spectrum. Highlights include events in honor of Constitution Day; a series of discussions moderated by Dole Fellow Joni Wickham, political consultant and former deputy to Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James; and several fellows-led programs on a variety of timely topics related to policy and political culture.
“We are excited to invite the public to engage in timely conversations on various topics relating to contemporary politics, service and civics — the building blocks of a healthy political culture,” said Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman. “Our forum continues to provide a much needed space for thoughtful, civil and bipartisan discussion.”
Constitution Day
In honor of Constitution Day, the Kansas Court of Appeals will be hearing oral arguments in two cases at the Dole Institute at 10 a.m. Sept. 16. Commemorated annually throughout the nation, Constitution Day celebrates the anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in September 1787. The Court of Appeals, the state’s intermediate court, will hear cases that involve a constitutional issue at both the Dole Institute and the KU School of Law. Docket and case information can be found on the Kansas Court of Appeals website.
Later this fall, the Dole Institute will commemorate Constitution Day with a special program at 7 p.m. Oct. 15. Featuring distinguished speakers, scholars and public officials, the event encourages civic engagement and thoughtful discussion on constitutional issues past and present. “The 2025 Constitution Day Program: Healthcare in the U.S. Constitution” will feature associate director Barbara Ballard and attorney and Student Advisory Board alum Jesse Burbank in conversation with I. Glenn Cohen, the James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS), about the intersection of health care policy and the Constitution. Cohen serves as a deputy dean of HLS and helps lead the school’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology & Bioethics.
Forum Programming
Bestselling author and political consultant Joni Wickham will serve as the Fall 2025 Dole Fellow. Her series, “Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of Public Service,” will focus on topics in local governance, including mayoral and representative leadership, public advocacy and local policymaking. Her series includes:
- “Transformational Leadership: Exhausting and Exhilarating,” featuring former Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James, at 4 p.m. Sept. 10.
- “Turning Research, Policy Solutions and Civic Engagement into Results for Kansas Women,” featuring United WE CEO Wendy Doyle, 4 p.m. Sept. 24.
- Additional programs will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesdays on Oct. 8 and 22 and Nov. 12.
A former chief of staff to James, Wickham previously worked with the American Federation of Teachers, the Missouri Department of Transportation and in the office of Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. A recipient of the 2019 University of Missouri Truman School of Public Affairs Mel Carnahan Public Service Award, she was also named to the Kansas City Business Journal’s prestigious Class of 2023 Women Who Mean Business.
Additionally, Jerry Seib, former executive Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal and Dole Institute Visiting Fellow, will moderate “Church and State,” a discussion on Catholicism and its influence on today’s politics and leadership, at 7 p.m. Sept. 4. He will be joined by James Grimaldi, Pulitzer Prize-winning executive editor of the National Catholic Reporter, and Ashley McGuire, senior fellow at The Catholic Association.
Attorneys and Dole Institute Visiting Fellows Ed Duckers and Pedro Irigonegaray will return to the Dole Institute for the fall edition of The Counselors at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 20. The popular program, a cross between a mock trial and a debate, “Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?” will feature Duckers and Irigonegaray and a panel of expert witnesses.
Additional Dole Forum programming, including programs moderated by former Dole Fellows Karen Willey and Qëndrim Gashi, will be announced later this fall.
Featured Partnerships
The Dole Institute will partner with the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to host a program at 10 a.m. Oct. 21 on housing affordability. “Affordable Housing in America” will feature insight from BPC policy experts Michael Kelley, a former senior staffer at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Andy Winkler, managing director of housing and infrastructure at BPC.
In collaboration with the Department of Military History at the Command and General Staff College, the Fort Leavenworth Series continues this fall with lectures exploring topics related to “Technology and Innovation in War.” These free, monthly lectures are presented by world-class military historians and are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. Fall 2025 programs include:
- “The Musket Problem: Technology and Military Innovation in the French Army, 1700-1815,” with Jonathan Abel, Sept. 3.
- “Tanks and Trenches: Armored Warfare in WWI,” with Sean Faulkner, Oct. 1.
- “Integrating the U.S. Army in the Early 20th Century,” with Amanda Nagel, Nov. 5.
- “Desert Storm: High-Tech Wonders, or Ingenuity and Elbow Grease?” with Mark Gerges, Dec. 3.
Tribute to Veterans Gala
On Nov. 9, the Dole Institute will host its annual celebration of the nation’s veterans and their families: the Tribute to Veterans Gala. The evening will feature live music by the Moonlight Serenade Orchestra and a special “Salute to Veterans” presented by students from the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs. While free and open to the public, reservations are required to attend. Doors open at 5 p.m., with programming beginning at 6 p.m.
Fall Special Exhibits
The Dole Institute’s current special exhibit, “Dole & Dr. K,” is on view throughout the fall in the Elizabeth Dole Gallery & Reading Room. Curated by the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives and Special Collections, the exhibit examines the profound relationship between the late former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and Dr. Hampar Kelikian, the Armenian surgeon who performed multiple operations on Dole following his severe injuries in World War II. Their connection played a pivotal role in shaping Dole’s path to recovery, public service and eventual advocacy for Armenia in the U.S. Senate — including his efforts to secure official recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which Kelikian survived. The exhibit is informed by original research conducted by Michael Bobelian, Dole Archives Fellow for Armenian Advocacy, and Julien Zarifian, Dole Archives Travel Grant recipient.
The Dole Institute will also be displaying a special memorial poster exhibit, “September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World,” from Sept. 2 to 14 in commemoration of the 9/11 terror attacks. The exhibit, developed by the 9/11 Memorial Museum with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, reviews the events of the day, highlights individual experiences and invites reflections from all patrons. Guests can also view the institute’s permanent September 11 Memorial in Hansen Hall, featuring two original beams from World Trade Center Tower 1. The Dole Institute’s Museum & Galleries are open noon-4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Detailed information on all these events, programs and exhibits can be found at the Dole Institute website. All programs, which are free and open to the public, will take place at the Dole Institute and can be streamed live on the institute’s website and YouTube channel. Members of the media wishing to attend any of these programs are asked to contact Jackson DeAndrea at jackson.deandrea@ku.edu to make arrangements.
About the Dole Institute
Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.