NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – The University of Oklahoma welcomed constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar for its fall Presidential Speakers Series dinner on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History. Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, delivered a talk titled "The Constitution and the Presidency."
OU President Joseph Harroz opened the evening with remarks on the role of public universities in preparing informed, engaged citizens to sustain democracy.
“This idea of being together in a shared intellectual enterprise is truly important,” said Harroz. “We get together to think and to talk and to discuss ideas, and to consider our place in it.”
Following his keynote address, Amar participated in a question-and-answer session with pre-submitted questions read by Crimson Club students Jhanvi Patel and Jordan Hickman.
Amar has written more than 100 law review articles and several books, including "The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840" and its recently released sequel, "Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840-1920." He also hosts the podcast "Amarica's Constitution." At Yale, he has earned what is often called the university’s “triple crown”: the Sterling Chair for scholarship, the DeVane Medal for teaching and the Lamar Award for alumni service.
Attendees received a copy of Amar's latest book as they departed the event.
This marked Amar's return to OU, having previously visited in 2012 for the university's inaugural Teach-In and as a Constitution Day speaker that same year.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
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