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Lindsey Wilson University

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Lindsey Wilson University to Celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 17

Roundtable to feature discussion with professors from criminal justice, history and political science.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (09/15/2026) — The Lindsey Wilson University community will celebrate America's living document on Sept. 17 with a roundtable discussion of the U.S. Constitution. The roundtable will be followed by a special bell-ringing ceremony to celebrate the oldest government blueprint still in use in the world.

At the roundtable, a trio of Lindsey Wilson professors will discuss the Constitution, each bringing the perspective of their respective academic discipline to the discussion: criminal justice professor Casey McGowan '14, political science professor Mattew Powers and history professor Lucas Somers.

The roundtable will be held at 3 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 17, in the Thomas D. Clark Reading Room of the Katie A. Murrell Library. The event is sponsored by the Lindsey Wilson History Club in partnership with the Jane Lampton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Columbia. It is free and open to the public.

Following the roundtable discussion, a bell-ringing ceremony will be held at the Alumni Victory Bell on the Campus Quadrangle, celebrating the day the Constitution was signed in 1787 by 39 delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The document was ratified by the states the following year, and it took effect in 1789.

Officially designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day by the federal government since 2004, Sept. 17 is a federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens.

Somers said he hopes that Lindsey Wilson's celebration of Constitution Day will help people appreciate some of the document's nuances as well as clear up misconceptions about it.

"I want them to take away from the roundtable discussion what the Constitution is and what it isn't," said Somers. "I also hope that people will be able to better understand what the Constitution means to them."

Other events being held on campus to celebrate the Constitution include a voter-registration drive and a display about the Constitution in the Katie A. Murrell Library, which is located in the Holloway Building.

Because 2026 is a celebration of the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, the Lindsey Wilson event on Sept. 17 will also remind people of the differences between the two documents, both of which serve as a cornerstone of the republic.

"We want students to distinguish between the two," said Somers.

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

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