Thomas E. Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, will discuss the U.S. Constitution and the impact it continues to have on our country and government during a Constitution Day 2025 lecture on Del Mar’s Heritage Campus.

Serving as the structure of the United States, the Constitution outlines the principles of the federal government, and the rights reserved for citizens, which are still standing today. 

To pay tribute to the signing of this document, and its lasting effect, Constitution Day was pronounced a federal observance by Congress in 2004. The commemoration occurs every year on Sept. 17, in honor of the day in 1787 when the Founding Fathers signed the final draft. 

Patterson is a nationally recognized expert on media, public opinion and democratic governance and will discuss how presidents have pushed the boundaries of power and presidential authority through the decades.

The event begins at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 19 in Wolfe Recital Hall on Heritage Campus. For more information, contact Dr. Adrian Clark, DMC Professor of Government and Political Sciences, at 361-698-1639 or aclark14@delmar.edu or to the DMC Social Sciences Department at 361-698-1228.