More than 300 students, faculty, staff and community members filled the new John Tulloch Auditorium on November 7 for a public lecture by , president of the National Constitution Center and one of the country’s leading authorities on constitutional law. Hosted by the ҹɫÊÓƵ’s new Center for Constitutional Law (College of Liberal Arts), this event underscored the growing appetite for thoughtful, nonpartisan civic dialogue.
Rosen opened by emphasizing the urgency of returning to the nation’s founding texts. “It is urgently important to study the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It is the principles of the Constitution that have prevented us from descending into violence,” he said.
Drawing on the example of the founders, he reminded the audience that “Jefferson thought of Hamilton not as a hated enemy to be destroyed, but as a respected opponent to be engaged with. That is the spirit of civility and thoughtfulness we must get back to.”
A particularly resonant moment came when Rosen addressed the role of students and young people in preserving the nation’s constitutional heritage. He spoke directly to the mission of the new Center and its founding director: “That’s why this University’s Center for Constitutional Law that Rick Trachok has created, this amazing institute, is so important. It inspires our kids to keep these ideals, or we will lose them. And for those of us who are no longer kids, it is urgently important to study them ourselves. Unless we read deeply, learn and wrestle with these complicated and fascinating arguments, we will lose the republic.”
Students played a major role in the success of the evening, with many attending through their courses and many others arriving independently. The strong turnout from the broader Reno community was equally notable, reflecting what Rosen described as a national “hunger for civics and history.” He encouraged attendees to step back from immediacy and embrace more reflective habits of mind: “Just by inviting people to take time to think before they speak, to learn something before forming an opinion, we strengthen civic dialogue.”
For the Center for Constitutional Law, which launched earlier this year, this event marked a defining moment. The turnout and engagement affirmed the Center’s emerging role as a platform for constitutional literacy, civil discourse and community-facing education in Northern Nevada.
The Center will continue its distinguished speaker series on Jan. 30, 2026, as it welcomes Burt Neuborne, a leading scholar of civil liberties and professor of law at NYU. .
Rosen closed the evening with a call-to-action fitting for both students and community members: civic understanding is not inherited - it is renewed, defended and practiced. And inside a packed auditorium at the ҹɫÊÓƵ, the practice was unmistakably alive.
