September 14, 20060 - The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will host “Celebration in Learning” on Monday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. – noon in honor of Constitution Day. Events for the day will include Sharon Priest, mayor of Little Rock from 1991-92, as keynote speaker, as well as focus groups and roundtable presentations.

The U.S. Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia.

Priest now serves as the executive director of The Downtown Partnership in Little Rock, which has placed economic development as the center of its efforts. Priest was elected and later elected for a second term, as the first woman to be Arkansas Secretary of State. She has testified before the U.S. House and Senate Committees on election reform. Born in Montreal, Canada, she now considers herself an Arkansan.

Priest’s talk, “Civic Duty: Responsible Citizenship in the Global Age,” will be followed by two roundtables from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. addressing voting and the 2008 presidential election. Participants may also attend focus groups looking at various issues confronting voters in the 21st century as well as voters’ understanding of basic information about our democratic system.

All of the events for “Celebration in Learning” will be held on the third floor of the Student Union. The public is encouraged to join students, faculty and staff, and selected high school students for Constitution Day on the ASU campus.

Constitution Day is a federal observance that marks the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. This marks the 219th anniversary of the signing of the document. For more details, contact Dr. Ruth Owens, acting associate dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, at 870-972-3973