Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics
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The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics is a facility at the University of Kansas. It was founded by former Kansas Senator Robert J. Dole. Opened on July 22, 2003, the $11 Million, 28,000 square-foot facility, houses Dole's papers and hosts frequent political events. The Institute is officially non-partisan and has sponsored on-campus programs featuring prominent politicians of both parties. Among the Institute's many public programs are: The Dole Lecture, which is given in April, hosts a nationally prominent figure who will address some aspect of contemporary politics or policy. It also awards the annual Dole Prize for Leadership each September, which includes a $25,000 cash award. Finally, The Presidential Lecture Series features the nation's leading presidential scholars, historians, journalists, as well as others including former Presidents, Cabinet officers, and White House staff members who will discuss the nation's highest office in ways that combine scholarly rigor with popular access.
Currently, the Director of the Institute is Bill Lacy. Lacy worked as a strategist on Senator Dole's 1988 and 1996 presidential campaigns and his 1992 senatorial campaign. Prior to Lacy's arrival in 2004, Steve McAllister, the former Dean of the University of Kansas Law School, served as interim director from October, 2003 to September, 2004. Richard Norton Smith, a presidential historial, was the first director and held the position for two years.
