President Sanford J. Ungar addressed a standing-room-only crowd, explaining that Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia had inserted a clause in the 2005 federal omnibus spending bill requiring every educational institution receiving federal funds to recognize September 17 as Constitution Day. The esteemed panel, moderated by President Ungar, included United States Senator Paul Sarbanes and Goucher professors Dr. Marianne Githens and Dr. Jean Baker.

The focus of most of the discussion was on the Senate's advise-and-consent role, especially as it relates to Supreme Court appointments. Senator Sarbanes noted that Presidential nominations require deference to the Senate. The role for members of the Senate is much broader with regard to judicial appointments, which, in the case of the Supreme Court, are lifetime appointments. Panelists reminded the audience that other Supreme Court nominees have been rejected—25 of 108, in fact—dating back to the days of George Washington. “Good process leads to good decisions,” stated Sarbanes. “Democracy is all about the process. The Chief Justice of the United States, not the Supreme Court, assigns opinions. There is no criteria in the Constitution regarding judicial nominees. How do we adjust the Constitution 200 years later to meet the needs of a people who are very different now?”

Other topics discussed by the panel included the politicizing of appointments, the fate of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen, the role of money in politics, the focus of media in politics, the disproportionate emphasis placed by politicians on getting elected rather than on performance in office, the abridgment of freedom of speech, and United Nations Ambassador John Bolton. The program ended with an audience question-and-answer session.

When asked for his thoughts about the program, President Ungar had the following comments:

"It was gratifying to have Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes as our inaugural Constitution Day speaker at Goucher College. Given the fact that the confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States were coming to a close at the time of the Senator's visit, it was both timely and relevant that he and the other panelists—Marianne Githens, professor of political science, and Jean Baker, professor of history, both from Goucher—spoke of the Senate's advise-and-consent role as outlined in the Constitution. The panel addressed a packed audience in our Alumnae/i House; many Goucher students attended and asked thoughtful and politically savvy questions. All in all, I think our first Constitution Day was a great success."

As a reminder, each participant received a bookmark with a facsimile of the first page of the Constitution printed on it.

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