KU News Release

Dole Institute welcomes a variety of speakers for the fall semester

LAWRENCE — The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas today announced five new programs for the fall semester featuring three Pulitzer Prize winners, the former president of NBC News and two highly regarded conservative scholars.

“We are very proud of this lineup,” said Bill Lacy, director of the institute. “All of these programs will be outstanding, but we are especially pleased to present Richard Ben Cramer, author of What It Takes. Cramer’s book features Bob Dole and is arguably the best book ever written on the character of presidential candidates ... plus it made the Top 100 works of journalism in the U.S. in the 20th century. It will be a fascinating night.”

The Dole Institute’s lineup of new programs for the fall semester is:

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, Dole Institute

Richard A. Epstein on “Walking the Line: When and How Should Courts Override Legislatures.” Epstein is an author, legal scholar and professor of law at the University of Chicago, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is widely considered one of the preeminent conservative legal scholars in America.

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, Dole Institute

The Muncy Journalism and Politics Lecture with Neal Shapiro, former president of NBC News. Shapiro joined NBC News in 1993 after 13 years as a producer and executive at ABC News. At NBC, he was director of news operations of MSNBC, where he helped to shape its cable programming and innovative Web site. He was named president of NBC News in 2001, a post he held until September 2005. The lecture series has been endowed by Martha E. “Betty” Muncy, the retired owner, publisher and editor of the Dodge City Daily Globe.

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, Dole Institute

Richard Ben Cramer, author of What It Takes. Cramer is an award-winning journalist and author of numerous books, including What It Takes, about the 1988 presidential election. Cramer’s coverage of Sen. Dole’s campaign during that election is considered among the most insightful and comprehensive. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for coverage on the Middle East.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, Dole Institute

Edward Humes, author of Over Here, The GI Bill. Two days before Veterans Day, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Humes will discuss the sweeping impact of the GI bill. Humes is the Dole Institute’s third Pulitzer Prize winner of the semester, following Leonard Pitts Jr. and Richard Ben Cramer.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, Dole Institute

Darryl Hart on “The Last Dance: Why the Romance Between the Religious Right and American Conservatism May Be Over.” Hart is director of Partnered Projects at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Previously, he was dean of academic affairs and professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary in California, where he remains an adjunct member of the faculty. Hart is the author of many books, including ISI Books A Student’s Guide to Religious Studies.

REMINDER: The location has changed for the Oct. 5 lecture by Leonard Pitts Jr. The event will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center.

The Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to the mission of promoting public service, civic engagement and politics. For more information, visit the Dole Institute Web site or call (785) 864-4900.

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