COOKEVILLE –Tennessee Tech’s 15th Annual Nolan Fowler Constitution Day Celebration will be held on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Derryberry Hall.
This year’s speaker will be Drew Westen, Ph.D., of Emory University. Westen is a professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, the founder of Westen Strategies, a strategic messaging firm, and co-founder of Implicit Strategies, a marketing firm that focuses on people’s unconscious responses to ads, brands, and other media.
Constitution Day is a celebration of the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 of the 55 Delegates to the Constitutional Convention on Sept. 17, 1787. The date is also designated Citizenship Day to focus on the rights and responsibilities of citizens under the Constitution.
Constitution Day at Tech is named in honor of Noland Fowler and strives to educate the campus community about the Constitution and citizenship both historically and as they apply to today’s challenges.
Fowler, a retired history professor at Tech, taught constitutional development at the university from 1962 to 1979. This annual event is made possible by his $150,000 commitment to establish the Constitution Day Celebration at Tech.
“The event is one way to honor the legacy of Dr. Fowler, first and foremost,” said Kent Dollar, a History professor at Tech and the chairman of the Constitution Day Committee. “With the speakers that we have, it’s also a way for students to enhance their educational experience by acquiring knowledge about something that may not be taught or talked about on Tennessee Tech’s campus. It’s always a chance to enhance the educational opportunity in college.”
Westen is the author of three books and more than 150 scholarly articles, including “The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation,” which has influenced campaigns and elections around the world. He has been a frequent contributor in political and psychological issues on radio, television, and in print, and in venues such as CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. He has also advised a wide range of organizations and groups including U.S. presidential campaigns, international presidential and prime ministerial campaigns, nonprofits and the Caucuses in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
The event is free and open to the public