Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Winfield C. Cook Constitution Day Program
Freedom is Made Safe … Through Character and Learning
Jane E. Calvert, The John Dickinson Writings Project
Jeffrey Rosen, George Washington University Law School
The Clarke Forum and the Department of Music present Jane Calvert (author of Penman of the Founding: A Biography of John Dickinson) and Jeff Rosen (CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center) for an evening of conversation and performance celebrating Constitution Day. Organized by Dickinson Professor of Music, Jennifer Blyth, readings from Calvert’s book form the basis of a discussion that will be complemented by performed versions of “The Liberty Song,” and some original compositions from Jeff Rosen’s podcast on “The Pursuit of Happiness.”
The program is presented by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and the Department of Music. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s annual theme, Revolutions.
Biographies (provided by the speakers)
Jane E. Calvert (biography forthcoming)
Jeffrey Rosen is the CEO emeritus of the National Constitution Center, a senior fellow at FIRE, a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. Rosen is the author of nine books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Pursuit of Happiness and Conversations with RBG. His new book is The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America. He wrote the music and lyrics for two song cycles, “The Golden Mean: Songs for the Pursuit of Happiness” and “Twelve Titans: Songs of the Greek Gods and Goddesses,” which were arranged by Greg Strohman and performed in 2025 by Jennifer Blythe and James Martin of the Dickinson College Music Department at the American Philosophical Society, where is an elected member.
Winfield C. Cook Constitution Day Program
The annual program is endowed through the generosity of Winfield C. Cook, former Dickinson Trustee. Each year the Clarke Forum invites prominent public figures to campus to speak on a contemporary issue related to the Constitution. The event celebrates the signing of the United States Constitution (September 17, 1787) and commemorates Dickinson’s connection to that document, through John Dickinson’s participation as an original signer. Previous speakers have included Kenneth Starr, Ira Glasser, Lowell Weicker, Marjorie Rendell, Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Ibram X. Kendi.