The University of New Mexico joins colleges and universities across the United States to celebrate America's first Constitution Day on Friday, Sept. 16. This day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.
This past year Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia succeeded in passing a law designating Sept. 17 Constitution Day and requiring all higher education institutions receiving federal funds to hold educational programs on the Constitution on this day. Since Sept. 17 falls on a Saturday this year, the events will be held on Friday, Sept. 16.
UNM Political Science Lecturer Peter Kierst will deliver, “The Constitution and the Idea of America,” a brown bag presentation at noon in the Student Union Building Acoma Room.
Also in SUB Acoma Rooms A & B, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., individuals can pick up a free copy of a pocket-sized book, “American Legacy: The United States Constitution and other Essential Documents of American Democracy.”
“We have ordered 1,000 free copies of ‘American Legacy,' a collection that includes not only the full text of the Constitution but also excerpts from ‘The Emancipation Proclamation,' Sojourner Truth's ‘Ain't I a Woman,' Learned Hand's ‘The Spirit of Liberty,' and Martin Luther King Jr.'s ‘I Have a Dream,'” said Vera Norwood, interim dean, UNM College of Arts and Sciences.
“The significance of Constitution Day is to remind us that democratic republics require active and informed citizens. We encourage students to drop by to meet and talk with faculty and other students with a passion for understanding basic concepts of constitutional government such as justice, authority, privacy and responsibility,” Norwood said.
Pre-Law advisor Ellen Grigsby will be available with materials on law school applications and admissions. Students from the Political Science Honor Society and UNM's Pre-Law Honor Society will also participate. Videos related to key moments in American democracy, including the award-winning series, “Eyes on the Prize,” will be screened throughout the event. Faculty teaching courses in constitutional history and law have been invited to provide copies of course syllabi and to meet interested students.
An informational follow-up event, “Speaking Law to Terrorism,” a law school conference, is scheduled Friday, Oct. 7. National speakers will address U.S. constitutional law, as well as international law applications, in the context of the war on terrorism.
“Constitution Day provides students a high quality venue to consider critical current issues with regard to the interpretation of the Constitution as a living document. Our events on Sept. 16 are meant to provide direct knowledge of the Constitution and its connection to other historic documents that encompass essential ideas of American democracy,” Norwood said.
This event is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Law School, the Provost's Office and the President's Office.
Contact: Caronlyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920
Posted by scarr at September 13, 2005 03:31 PM