17^th annual Constitution Day attendance counts toward Purdue’s Civic Literacy Proficiency

The College of Education’s James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship is hosting the 17^th annual Constitution Day on Friday, Sept. 16, at the Purdue Memorial Union Great Hall from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Purdue’s Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, by 39 of the original 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The date also coincides with the federally declared “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” signed into law by Congress in 2004. The law requires that “each education institution that receives federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an education program” about the Constitution annually on or near that date.

“Purdue’s 17^th annual Constitution Day celebration is one of only a few approved Civics Literacy Proficiency (CLP) events in Purdue’s civics literacy graduation requirement,” said Phillip J. VanFossen, interim dean of the College of Education and director of the Ackerman Center. “That means students who choose the civic events pathway to fulfill their Civic Literacy Proficiency requirement will be able to count Constitution Day as a civics event.”

Highlights of the event will include different activities, including a Student Quiz Off at 11:30 a.m. followed by a local Celebrities Quiz Off at 12:30 p.m.

“Even with so many references to the Constitution in our public discourse, many of us don’t really have a working knowledge of the Constitution and what it contains,” said Anne Murphy-Kline, assistant director of the Ackerman Center. “Constitution Day is an opportunity to learn more about the relevance of our founding document while having fun and eating cookies. What could be better?”

The Ackerman Center has programs and resources for K-12 and community educators to implement powerful citizenship education that promotes active involvement in schools and communities.

Video about the Purdue University Constitution Day: 

Source: Dr. Phillip VanFossen, vanfoss@purdue.edu, 765-494-2367