About the Presidential Lecture Series

The annual "Presidential Lecture Series" is one of three signature events at the Institute. Each February, the Institute presents a series of lectures that focus exclusively on the U.S. Presidency, present and past, to include presidential campaigns.

Nationally known individuals – office holders, historians, top strategists, award-winning journalists and political operatives – have contributed to the success of this recognized series.

2010 Presidential Lecture Series

Bob Dole: 50 Years of Leadership & Bipartisanship
Western Kansas voters first elected Bob Dole to Congress in 1960. Dole continued to serve in the House of Representatives until he won a U.S. Senate seat in 1968. From 1985 until his retirement in 1996, Bob Dole served as Republican Leader in the Senate; earning him the title of the longest-running Republican Leader in the Senate since the practice began in 1920. Dole had an overall record as a fiscal hawk and conservative, yet he built with key Democratic progressives like Ted Kennedy, George McGovern, Tom Harkin and Pat Moynihan. Working on critical legislation with each, their collaborations addressed disability rights, Civil Rights, nutrition and social security, among others. Please join us for an exclusive look at this extraordinary legacy of leadership.
All events are free and at the Dole Institute.

Tuesday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Writing the Life of a Leader
Featuring Dole’s biographer Jake Thompson
Thompson, author of Bob Dole: the Republicans’ Man For All Seasons, provides an inside look at Dole’s lifetime of public service. Thompson first came to know then-Senator Dole as Washington correspondent for the Kansas City Star. Currently, Thompson is Communications Director for Senator Ben Nelson (D-Neb.).

Tuesday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Legislation that Changed America
A conversation with 2 former Dole staffers
Sheila Burke and Rod DeArment will discuss the Senator’s leadership style and major accomplishments, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security reform, Women and Infant Children nutrition program (WIC), and food stamps. Burke was Chief of Staff to Senator Dole from 1986-1996 and is currently an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. DeArment served as a senior advisor to Senator Dole from 1979 to 1986, including time as Chief of Staff. DeArment is currently a partner at Covington & Burling law firm.

Tuesday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.
The World’s Greatest Deliberative Body?
 Featuring former Senate Historian Richard A. Baker
Baker will discuss some of the U.S. Senate’s hallmark personalities, achievements and limitations. He will also provide historical perspective on the chamber’s role in the success of the U.S. political system. Baker, who served as Senate Historian from 1975-2009, joins the Dole Institute as the inaugural Dole Archive Visiting Fellow on Monday, March 1 through Wednesday, March 3.

Wednesday, March 10 at 5:30 p.m.
Conversation with a Colleague
Featuring Senator Jack Danforth
Danforth (R) served as U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1976 to 1995. Dole’s close political ally, Danforth nominated Dole to his first term as Majority Leader in 1985. Former Senator Danforth will discuss Dole's interaction with senators and the style that led him to be selected Leader by his colleagues more than any other Republican in history.

Thursday, March 24 from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. &
Friday, March 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Changing the Slow Institution: The U.S. Senate 1960-2010
This academic conference has invited presenters from across the country to examine the traditions and changes of the U.S. Senate. It is co-sponsored by the University of Kansas Department of Political Science and organized by Professor Burdett Loomis. The public is invited to attend the presentations.
PRESS RELEASE with details

 

 

CLICK HERE for the Presidential Lecture Series Archive

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