KU's Dole Institute names 2 associate directors, to begin duties in December

LAWRENCE --Stephen McAllister, dean of the School of Law and interim director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas, today named two associate directors to assist him with the ongoing work of the institute.

"The Dole Institute is both a program and a building," said McAllister. "To be effective and contribute to public debate on important policy topics, we need someone to help build the academic component of the institute, as well as someone to manage the building and provide logistical support for the many activities we envision. I'm pleased to have found two talented individuals who have these skills at a time when we need them most."

Starting Dec. 1, Jonathan Earle, KU assistant professor of history, will be associate director for academic programming. He will hold the new position on a quarter-time basis, with the rest of his appointment in the Department of History.

Richard Konzem will serve full time as interim associate director for administration. His assignment is effective Dec. 22 and will continue until a new director is named and a search for a permanent associate director is completed. That process is expected to conclude by the end of June.

Konzem succeeds Erik Nelson, who is leaving the Dole Institute Dec. 19 to take a position at the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Ill.

"Erik did a tremendous job, along with founding Director Richard Norton Smith, of completing the building, holding the dedication events and getting the institute up and running," said McAllister. "The whole university is grateful to both of them. We intend to build on the work they started while a search takes place for a permanent director of the institute."

Earle joined the KU faculty in 1997. He is an expert on the early American republic and the period leading up to the Civil War. He wrote "The Routledge Atlas of African American History" (2000) and a forthcoming book, "The Undaunted Democracy: Jacksonian Antislavery and Free Soil, 1828-1854." Earle's background includes a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and master's and doctoral degrees from Princeton University. He was a visiting fellow at the Huntington Library during 1999-2000 and has received major fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Konzem joined the university in 1981 as assistant director of the Williams Educational Fund, the development program for KU athletics. Over the years, he held a series of increasingly responsible administrative positions in athletics, eventually serving as senior associate athletic director. In that role, he oversaw the sports of football, basketball and baseball; the Williams Fund; the ticket office; events; and facilities. Konzem received a bachelor's degree in business administration from KU and a master's degree in sports administration from the University of Southern California.

Earle's role, said McAllister, "is to connect the Dole Institute to the greater university, to engage KU faculty and students in the mission of the institute, and to develop sustainable academic programming that furthers the mission of the institute." Konzem will be responsible for the exhibit and museum aspects of the building. The archival staff will continue to report to the director.

In announcing the two appointments, McAllister noted that he expects to add an associate director for civic programming at a later time. That person's role, he said, "will be to involve the Dole Institute in public service to the nation and the state of Kansas."

For more information about the Dole Institute and its programs, please visit www.doleinstitute.org.