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Dole Institute announces spring semester programs
LAWRENCE — The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced the continuation of its 20th programming year with a new slate of events for spring 2023. Visitors and lecturers include Juana Summers, co-host of “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio, and Atifete Jahjaga, former president of the Republic of Kosovo.
New immersive learning program will explore the culture, environment and diversity of Kansas
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Environmental Studies Program has announced Kansas Abroad, a new, immersive study-away program that will take students on a two-week journey across Kansas to gain firsthand experience with experts who explore the diversity, contradictions and contributions of the state to the country and the world. The program plans stops in several cities, including Colby, Dodge City, Greensburg, Humboldt, Lucas, Nicodemus and Wallace. Kansas participants include students from Kansas City, Olathe, Overland Park, Tecumseh and Wichita.
Law Journal Symposium to explore the barriers formerly incarcerated people face for successful reentry
LAWRENCE – The 2023 Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy Symposium will host a discussion Feb. 10 to provide ideas on how to reduce U.S. recidivism rates by helping formerly incarcerated individuals to find success with employment, housing and other critical needs. Several prominent legal scholars will participate in the symposium, which is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Full stories below.
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Contact: Maria Fisher, Dole Institute of Politics, 785-864-4900, [email protected], @DoleInstitute
Dole Institute announces spring semester programs
LAWRENCE — The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced the continuation of its 20th programming year with a new slate of events for the spring semester. These programs are part of the Dole Institute’s 20th anniversary and in honor of the late Senator Bob Dole’s centenary in July.
“Our 20th programming year continues this spring emphasizing overlooked elements essential to a civil society: women’s leadership and the building blocks of democracy,” said Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman. “We’re excited to host guests representing leadership at the highest levels, both nationally and internationally.”
This semester’s programs begin Feb. 1 with the first installment of the Presidential Lecture Series: First Ladies as Presidential Partners. This series underscores the two-person nature of the presidency and the influence first ladies have on their husbands’ administrations, women’s issues and U.S. culture.
The series is moderated by Diana Carlin, professor emerita of communication at St. Louis University, where she taught a course on women in politics that included first ladies, and a retired professor of communication studies at KU. She is a founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE), the presenting partner of this series. The series programs, which all begin at 7 p.m., are as follows:
1. Feb. 1: “Evolution of the Modern First Lady — How We Got from Lady Washington to Dr. Biden” with Michael LaRosa, press secretary to Jill Biden, and Laura McBride, chief of staff to Laura Bush
2. Feb. 9: “First Ladies and Power — Influential First Ladies You Might Not Know Much About” with Rebecca Roberts, author; Katherine Sibley, first ladies scholar, and Teri Finneman, KU associate professor and author
3. March 9: “First Ladies, Women’s Rights and Suffrage” with Nancy Kegan Smith, first ladies scholar, and Stacy Cordery, historian and biographer
4. March 23: “First Ladies, the ERA and Beyond” with Myra Gutin, president of FLARE, and Bob Bostock, consultant to the Nixon Presidential Library Foundation
This spring’s Dole Fellow is Qëndrim Gashi, associate professor at the University of Prishtina and Kosovo’s Ambassador to France from 2016 until 2021. He has served on supervisory boards of various private and state institutions and think tanks and has won a number of scholarships, awards and honors, including receiving the insignia of Commander of the French Legion of Honor in 2022. In Gashi’s role as Dole Fellow, he will be in residence for three weeks to lead a Dole Discussion Group series examining the topic of building democracy in Europe’s youngest country, the Republic of Kosovo.
The program on Feb. 22 will feature Atifete Jahjaga, the first woman president of the Republic of Kosovo, the first female head of state in modern Balkans and the youngest female world leader to be elected to the highest office.
Dates and guests are as follows, with all programming starting at 4 p.m.:
1. Feb. 15: “Building Democracy in the 21st Century: Kosovo’s Path to Independence and Democracy” with Pëllumb Kelmendi, political scientist and board member for the Society for Albanian Studies
2. Feb. 22: “Building Democracy in the 21st Century: Inclusiveness in Forming a Democracy” with Atifete Jahjaga, former president of the Republic of Kosovo (2011-2016)
3. March 1: “Building Democracy in the 21st Century: The Road Ahead to Maintaining a Democracy” with Enver Hasani, former president of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo (2011-2016)
This spring’s Discussion Group series will be presented in two parts, first examining democracy abroad, and then in late spring, the Dole Institute will welcome Dole Fellow Gerald Seib, retired Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal, back to discuss democracy at home.
The Discussion Group series focuses on a specific topic or issue and features guest experts in that field. They provide unique opportunities for KU students and the wider public to interact directly with the guests. The Discussion Group programs are made possible by Newman’s Own Foundation. This spring’s series is presented in partnership with the Kosovo American Education Fund. Gashi’s residency is made possible by the Jim Xhema Opportunity Fund.
For the Journalism and Politics Lecture, the Dole Institute is partnering with Kansas Public Radio to bring NPR’s Juana Summers to Lawrence in celebration of the Dole Institute’s 20th anniversary and KPR’s 70th anniversary. “An Evening with Juana Summers” will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 21. This program will feature a discussion on her remarkable career, her experiences covering race and politics in today’s climate, and the future of journalism.
Summers is a co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” alongside Ailsa Chang, Ari Shapiro and Mary Louise Kelly. She joined the program in June 2022. Summers previously spent more than a decade covering national politics, most recently as NPR’s political correspondent covering race, justice and politics.
The Dole Institute will also continue its partnership with the General Staff College Department at Fort Leavenworth to host the Fort Leavenworth Series. The series provides free historical lectures to the public facilitated by the world-class military history professors. Lectures are scheduled the first Thursday of each month, starting Feb. 2 at 3 p.m.
The 2023 theme is “military invasions.” Invasions play an important role in military history, often precipitating significant conflicts with important ramifications. The series will discuss invasions from the medieval period through the present, detailing their aspects and their legacies, especially in the current environment of world politics. The schedule:
1. Feb. 2: “Brittany to the Elbe: 9th Army’s Invasion of Europe in World War II” with Bill Nance
2. March 2: “The Union Invasion of Mississippi in 1863” with Angela Riotto
3. April 6: “Inchon 1950: The U.S. Amphibious Invasion in the Korean War” with Lou DiMarco
4. May 4: “The Invasions That Weren’t: French Efforts to Invade England 1740-1805,” with Jonathan Abel.
Detailed information on programs can be found at doleinstitute.org. All programs will take place in-person at the Dole Institute and be livestreamed on the website. Additional spring programing will be announced in the coming weeks.
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New immersive learning program will explore the culture, environment and diversity of Kansas
LAWRENCE — There is much more to Kansas than meets the eye. The state of Kansas is a fascinating mix of environmental landscapes, rural and urban cultures, energy sources, and business and entrepreneurship, and this summer the University of Kansas Environmental Studies Program is turning the state into a “living research laboratory” with Kansas Abroad.
Kansas Abroad is a new, immersive study-away program that will take students on a two-week journey across Kansas to gain firsthand experience with experts who explore the diversity, contradictions and contributions of the state to the country and the world.
“Kansas Abroad is a chance to explore both the unfamiliar and the taken-for-granted nature of this incredible state,” said Paul Stock, program director and associate professor of sociology and environmental studies. “Our students are going to do that by talking to the local people and visiting the places and projects working to shape a positive future for Kansas.”
During the two-week program, students will explore themes such as water use and conservation; traditional and alternative energy production; agriculture, food production and the Kansas environment; rural economic development; and the role of the arts in Kansas history and culture.
“While we hear a lot about the ongoing and looming catastrophes related to the environment, rural areas and Kansas, our goal is to survey the advancements being made in our state around conservation, energy and food production, and creative solutions for Kansas’ environmental future,” Stock said.
Throughout the program students will develop research questions around themes on urban and rural relationships, the story of how soil and water lead to wealth in Kansas, and the future of Kansas’ environment. In the fall students will select a specific environmental theme explored during the program to research for the semester and concluding with a research piece and public presentation.
The inaugural Kansas Abroad cohort of students spoke passionately and with concern for the future of the state, excited about exploring where they live and becoming stewards of change for the Midwest.
“As we continue to see the devastating effects of climate change and global warming, we need innovative solutions that can sustainably feed the people and the land,” said Maya Kaustinen, environmental studies major and program participant. “I believe that if I want to make these changes in the future, the best place to start is where I have always been. A state rich with agricultural history that I have called home and become comfortably unfamiliar with.”
The itinerary is still being finalized, but the group will make stops in the following cities: Humboldt, Pittsburg, Matfield Green, Wichita, Hutchinson, Greensburg, Dodge City, Moscow, Garden City, Wallace, Colby, St. Francis, Nicodemus, Hays, Russell, Great Bend, Lucas, Lindsborg, Salina and Manhattan.
Visits along the route may include organic farms and ranches (such as cattle, dairy, bison, wheat, cotton, hemp); energy production facilities (such as oil, gas, biodiesel, wind, solar); NGOs and centers focused on rural economic development and/or environmental issues; geological sites of interest; and museums, artistic sites and commercial vendors specific to Kansas, its history and the environment.
The following students were selected to participate in the first Kansas Abroad program:
1. Amaya Dajani, junior in environmental studies, Kansas City, Kansas
2. Sydney Drinkwater, junior in environmental studies, Wichita
3. Kameron Goff, junior in environmental studies, Neosho, Missouri
4. Maya Kaustinen, sophomore in environmental studies, Overland Park
5. Liz Peacock, junior in environmental studies, Olathe
6. Chase Perkins, senior in ecology & evolutionary biology, environmental studies, Tecumseh
7. Morgan Phelps, junior in environmental studies and urban planning, Lake Mary, Florida
8. Calvin Spilker, sophomore in environmental studies, Yokosuka, Japan.
Stock is an environmental and rural sociologist with a primary interest in family farmers. Specifically, how do farmers respond to changes in the international economy? This work is also related to interests in environmental ethics, justice and agriculture, agricultural social movements, and the culture and symbolism of farming as it relates to policy.
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Law Journal Symposium to explore the barriers formerly incarcerated people face for successful reentry
LAWRENCE – The United States continues to have one of the highest recidivism rates in the world. How can formerly incarcerated people successfully reenter society when so many barriers have been put in place against them?
On Feb. 10, the 2023 Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy Symposium will host a discussion to provide ideas on how to reform the current system.
“This year’s symposium will host academics, legal scholars and reentry court graduates to discuss the most prominent barriers preventing a successful reentry for formerly incarcerated persons,” Symposium Editor Lauren Lindell said.
“Re-entry into Society: Examining the Barriers Formerly Incarcerated People Face for Successful Re-entry” will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of Kansas School of Law in Green Hall. Breakfast and a social hour will open at 8:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Register and preview the complete symposium schedule.
Speakers include:
1. Judge Stephen Bough, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Missouri
2. Mike Fonkert, Kansas Appleseed
3. Lucius Couloute, assistant professor of sociology & criminal justice, Suffolk University
4. Emily Salisbury, associate professor, College of Social Work, University of Utah and director, Utah Criminal Justice Center
5. Chidi Umez-Rowley, deputy program director, Counsel of State Governments Justice Center
Speakers will discuss current issues surrounding housing access, employment, fines and fees, and financial marginalization.
Scholarship associated with the symposium will be published in an upcoming issue of the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy. For more information, contact Lauren Lindell at [email protected].
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