Friday will be Penn's time to shine as the Annenberg Public Policy Center unveils a nationwide satellite broadcast in honor of the first-ever Constitution Day.
The school has embraced the new national holiday --which was created by Congress last year in an effort spearheaded by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.).
Under the rules of the legislation, educational institutions receiving federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on Sept. 17 of each year.
The date was chosen to commemorate the Sept. 17, 1787, signing of the Constitution. Because the date is a Saturday this year, Constitution Day will be on Sept. 16.
The broadcast will include filmed discussions of the Constitution and its importance from U.S. Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer.
During the broadcast, the justices will talk with students from the Philadelphia area about federalism and many current issues that involve the Constitution.
Kathryn Kolbert -- a lead sponsor of the Annenberg Center's program -- said that the aim of the broadcast will be to bring the Constitution "out of the drawer" and demonstrate how it affects all Americans.
"One of the missions is to really bring the Constitution to life and make it relevant to young people's lives," Kolbert said. "I think we were lucky to receive funding from the Annenberg Foundation to put towards Constitution Day."
Penn's involvement with Constitution Day will not end with the broadcast. In addition to meeting its own requirement, Penn has already agreed to help at least 1,350 other schools comply.
"We have distributed a curriculum to other schools trying to satisfy their requirement," Kolbert said. "I suspect by the end of the week we'll probably be close to 1,500" schools.
Part of that curriculum will include visits to courthouses around the country to talk with federal judges about the issues raised in the broadcast.
While Kolbert sees Constitution Day as more of an opportunity than an obligation, the holiday's creation has not been without controversy.
When the bill was first passed, National School Boards Association Director of Federal Programs Dan Fuller was quoted as calling Constitution Day "another invasive federal mandate telling [schools] what to teach or when."
Rogers Smith, the chairman of Penn's Political Science Department said that he could not see Constitution Day as "in any way threatening or pernicious."
"My view is that this is certainly within the power of Congress," Smith said. "The Constitution makes no reference to education, and it does not establish that it is a state or local right."
Smith also called into question the notion that American students graduate with an inadequate knowledge of the Constitution, citing Penn as an example.
"I think here at Penn, every day is Constitution Day," Smith said.
