Arkansas Tech University will mark Constitution Day 2015 with a series of events on Thursday, Sept. 17. Commemorative activities will begin at noon with a public reading of the United States Constitution at Hindsman Tower. Russellville Mayor Randy Horton will serve as the first reader. There will be a second reading at 7 p.m. in the Doc Bryan Student Services Center Lecture Hall. Speakers will include State Senator Greg Standridge and Arkansas Tech faculty members Dr. Jeff Pearson and Dr. Michael Rogers. Both readings are open to the public. Other Constitution Day activities will include Arkansas Tech students visiting Crawford Elementary School and Dwight Elementary School in Russellville to teach children about the document that shaped the United States. Volunteers will be stationed on the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville to test the public’s knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and pass out souvenir pocket versions. The U.S. Constitution was adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sept. 17, 1787. In 2004, Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia championed a new law that designated Sept. 17 of each year (or an adjacent weekday should Sept. 17 fall on a weekend) as Constitution Day. Public schools and institutions of higher learning across the United States are required to provide educational programs about the document on Constitution Day each year. For more information about Constitution Day at Arkansas Tech, send e-mail to jpearson9@atu.edu or mrogers6@atu.edu.
