CCS Projects and Research

Current Projects

The Quill Project

Quill Project Logo
The Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University (CCS) has worked closely with Dr. Nicholas Cole and the Quill Project (Quill) at Pembroke College (Oxford University since its inception, and formalized this relationship when CCS became a strategic partner with Quill in 2018. In this ongoing process, CCS has assisted with most aspects of the Quill Project, including student engagement in digitalizing and analyzing materials relevant to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the 13th-15th and 19th Amendments of the United States Constitution, and a growing number of state constitutional conventions. As a result of this work, students have engaged in inspiring archival and historical work and related scholarship regarding the negotiation of the constitutional documents.
Learn More

The Federalism Index

Capitol Building
The American federal-state relationship is one of the unique and essential innovations of our Constitution, and it is essential for the proper functioning of our government. To make good use of that system, Americans need to understand it, but federalism remains one of the least understood components of our Constitution. The Federalism Index Project at Utah Valley University is the first attempt to both collect the information we need to gain this understanding, and also curate the information so that any American can apply it in their own sphere.
Learn More

Constitutional Literacy Institute

The School of Athens painting
CLI is a week-long summer professional development program for K-12 teachers. Participants learn constitutional history and theory from leading scholars and jurists. Experienced teachers and school of education faculty then provide customized pedagogical training. Each day culminates in a collaborative workshop to translate the constitutional and pedagogical information for classroom use. Additionally, participants will be trained on the University of Oxford-developed Quill Project—an award winning software platform for the study of constitutional conventions and legislative debates.
Learn More

Past Projects and Initiatives

Foundations Student Publication

Foundations logo
Aenean auctor diam nec ipsum vehicula ultrices. Fusce sodales eros vitae posuere congue. Maecenas ante velit.
Learn More

First Amendment Essay Contest

Religious Liberty Essay Contest logo
Nunc ex eros, bibendum id nibh sed, volutpat dapibus nisi. Suspendisse potenti. Vestibulum aliquet purus quis odio hendrerit, nec ultricies orci condimentum.
Learn More

Current Projects

Quill Project Logo

The Quill Project

The Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University (CCS) has worked closely with Dr. Nicholas Cole and the Quill Project (Quill) at Pembroke College (Oxford University since its inception, and formalized this relationship when CCS became a strategic partner with Quill in 2018. In this ongoing process, CCS has assisted with most aspects of the Quill Project, including student engagement in digitalizing and analyzing materials relevant to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the 13th-15th and 19th Amendments of the United States Constitution, and a growing number of state constitutional conventions. As a result of this work, students have engaged in inspiring archival and historical work and related scholarship regarding the negotiation of the constitutional documents.

Learn More