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OU Constitution Day Program to Feature Pulitzer Finalist

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OU Constitution Day Program to Feature Pulitzer Finalist

Rogers Smith.

By

Date

Sept. 10, 2025

NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma’s Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage will host its annual Constitution Day program on Wednesday, Sept. 17, featuring a lecture by Rogers M. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and leading scholar of American constitutional history.

Smith will present “America’s Conflicting Constitutional Visions: The Quest for Common Ground” from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art on OU’s Norman campus. The event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are appreciated.

Author of Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History, a Pulitzer finalist that earned six book prizes, Smith has written nine books and numerous articles on constitutional issues and citizenship. He previously taught at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, where he founded the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy. He retired in 2022 as the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science.

Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Each year, the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences and the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage host programs that promote discussion on constitutional history and relevance.

OU’s Constitution Day is named after J. Rufus Fears, a Professor of Classics and Letters. The lecture is made possible by a gift from alumni Roger and Patti Clapp.

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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 ou.edu.

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