Dole Institute of Politics announces summer America at 250 programming

LAWRENCE — The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas announced today its summer programming lineup in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence on July 4. All events are free and open to the public.

“The America 250 commemorations and World Cup events together in summer 2026 create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Dole Institute to celebrate with the nation and the world,” said Audrey Coleman, director of the Dole Institute. “As always, we look forward to welcoming visitors from near and far for timely conversations and fun cultural events.”

Former Archivist of the U.S. returns to the Dole Institute

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Beverly Gage will be in conversation with former Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan about Gage’s new book, “This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip through U.S. History,” at 7 p.m. June 29. The program is presented in partnership with the Lawrence Public Library and the Watkins Museum of History.

Gage is the John Lewis Gaddis Professor of History at Yale University. With her book release ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Gage brings the complexity of the nation’s past alive in 13 road trips through 13 key places and moments in American history, including Independence Hall and the birth of the nation, the Battle of the Alamo, Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project, and Disneyland and the Southern California dream. Gage is also the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography “G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century” and “The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in its First Age of Terror.”

Shogan served as the 11th Archivist of the United States — the first woman to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the National Archives and Records Administration. She currently serves as a senior fellow at More Perfect, where she leads In Pursuit, an ambitious history-based nonpartisan civics initiative that is identifying the most insightful and timeless lessons from the past 250 years of American history.

Additional featured events:

• Historian Adam Hodge will present “Kansas 1776: A Dynamic Landscape” on the activities and natural processes that shaped and reshaped Kansas before 1776. Presented in partnership with Humanities Kansas, the event will take place at 3 p.m. June 9.
• Author Tim Bascom will present his new book, “The Boundless Game: Soccer Stories from Across the Street to Around the World,” at 3 p.m. July 14. The event is presented in partnership with University Press of Kansas.
• KPR’s “105 Live” will host family-friendly music featuring Kansas artists every Thursday in June starting at 1 p.m. Food trucks will open and family activities will begin at 11:30 a.m.
• The Dole Institute will host family activities and the Douglas County, KS Public Servants Past & Present Tribute Gallery in partnership with the Watkins Museum of History and the Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture at the 2026 Summerfest Fourth of July Celebration at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on July 4.
• Sunday Jayhawk Jukebox concerts featuring Kansas artists will take place at 2 p.m. July 5 and 12. They are presented in partnership with the Lied Center of Kansas and the KU School of Music.
• The Fort Leavenworth Series, including “Napoleon: The Man and the Method” and “Saving the Army: Washington at the Battle of Long Island,” will take place at 3 p.m. June 3 and Aug. 5. These programs are presented in partnership with the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.

Ongoing programs

The Dole Institute Museum & Galleries will have extended visiting hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday hours remain noon to 4 p.m. America at 250 special exhibits continue to be on display in the Elizabeth Dole Gallery and Reading Room. This collection of exhibits includes “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy” from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; “Kansas in 1776” from Humanities Kansas and “Spirit of ’76” featuring memories and memorabilia from the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations.

The Dole Institute is partnering with the Watkins Museum of History and the City of Lawrence Department of Parks, Recreation, and Culture to honor current and former public servants living or working in Douglas County. The Douglas County, Kansas Public Servants Past & Present Tribute Gallery will debut at the City of Lawrence’s Summerfest Fourth of July event and will feature city and county government workers, public school teachers, first responders, military servicemembers and veterans, university staff and faculty, and additional state and federal employees. Submitters are asked to submit profiles before June 20 to be included in the Tribute Gallery. Full submission guidelines and requirements can be found on the Public Servants Tribute website.

Detailed information on programming and special exhibits can be found on the Dole Institute’s website. Unless otherwise noted, 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

The Dole Institute of Politics promotes 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, inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation.