photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World photo

Violinists Yi Miao Huang and Shing Him Chang play at the Dole Institute of Politics as part of a Veterans Day open house on Nov. 11, 2021.

From an AI energy boom to a banking system bust, a set of speakers at the Dole Institute of Politics will be examining those issues and more as part of the Lawrence center’s fall schedule of events.

Shelia Bair, a University of Kansas alumna and former chair of the FDIC, will be one of the Dole Institute’s featured speakers this season, the center announced this week.

Bair led the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from 2006 to 2011 during a time when financial markets were melting down during the Great Recession. The Dole Center will host “An Evening with Shelia Bair” at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27, where Bair will participate in a moderated conversation about her career and her post-FDIC work to promote financial literacy with children.

Another featured event at the center will focus on the number of artificial intelligence data centers being built across the country, and the demands they are placing on the country’s energy supply. A pair of leaders from the Bipartisan Policy Center — which has been studying and monitoring the issue — will participate in an event titled “The A.I. Boom and the Future of Energy” at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15.

David Hill, executive vice president of the BPC’s Energy Program, and Adam Cowie-Haskell, senior policy analyst for the BPC’s Energy Program, will be on hand to discuss possible bipartisan solutions that may emerge to regulate and address the AI boom.

Leaders of the Dole Institute of Politics, located on KU’s West Campus, also announced several other events for the fall season. They include:

• A three-part series hosted by Colleen Shogan, the former archivist f the United States and the CEO of the nonprofit InPursuit, which has been examining the status of American democracy as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary. On Sept. 16, Shogan will host The White House and Beyond,” featuring More Perfect founder and CEO John Bridgeland, and More Perfect co-chair and senior adviser Cecilia Muñoz. On Oct. 14, she will host “Previewing the Midterm Elections,” featuring National Journal Hotline editor Kirk Bado and Inside Elections deputy editor Jacob Rubashkin. On Nov. 11, she will host “Congress from the Inside,” featuring J.T. Jezierski, chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.). Each program will begin at 4 p.m.

• On Sept. 11, the center will host events remembering the terrorist attacks that occurred 25 years earlier on Sept. 11, 2001. the KU School of Music will provide a special performance at 3 p.m. at the center. The center displays two beams from the World Trade Center Tower One. The beams are a memorial that were presented to Bob Dole and President Bill Clinton for their work establishing the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, a scholarship fund benefiting the children of Sept. 11 victims. The center also will feature a display entitled “September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World,” from Sept. 1 to 20.

• On Sept. 29, the president of the Future Caucus, a group working with Gen Z and millennial legislators, will discuss “What Is the Future of Bipartisanship?” Future Caucus President and CEO Layla Zaidane will be part of a panel that looks at challenges and opportunities surrounding bipartianship. The event is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.

• On Nov. 5, the topic will turn to whether cities should impose rent control strategies to create affordable housing. Dole Institute Visiting Fellows Ed Duckers and Pedro Irigonegaray will argue the issue in a mock trial format. The event is set for 6:30 p.m..

• On Nov. 8, the center will host its annual Tribute to Veterans Gala. The event will feature live music from the Moonlight Serenade Orchestra and a special “Salute to Veterans” presented by students from the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps programs. Doors open at 5 p.m. for the event, which requires reservations.

• On Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 the center will host a multitude of journalists, pollsters and campaign leaders together to analyze results from the November mid-term elections. Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib will moderate the conference’s national panel. Look for more details on panelists and times later this fall.

• Throughout the fall the center will host a special exhibition related to space exploration. The exhibit “Dwell in Possibility: Space Exploration in the Dole Archives” will showcase space-related items from the archives of both former Sen. Bob Dole and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole. The exhibit will available for viewing during the center’s gallery hours, which are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays.