Schools
Dominican Hoping To Host 2012 Presidential Debate
San Rafael university is among 12 applicants to host a showdown between President Obama and the next Republican candidate.
Dominican University is one of two Bay Area contenders to host a presidential or vice presidential debate for the upcoming 2012 election.
St. Mary's College in Moraga is also among the 12 schools that applied to the Commission on Presidential Debates, commission Executive Director Janet Brown said.
The commission determines the locations for the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate, as well as two alternate sites, during election years.
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Proposals were due Thursday, and sites had to meet certain requirements in order to be eligible, Brown said.
The qualifications include an air-conditioned debate hall of at least 17,000 square feet, a media filing center near the debate hall that is at least 20,000 square feet, and an availability of 3,000 hotel rooms within 30 minutes of the site's location.
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Sites that fulfilled the prerequisites were given a complete list of more detailed qualifications before filing a proposal.
Both St. Mary's College and Dominican University are familiar with hosting large-scale political debates.
Sen. Barbara Boxer and challenger Carly Fiorina squared off at a senatorial debate at St. Mary's College on Sept. 1, 2010, and Dominican University hosted the final gubernatorial debate between Meg Whitman and Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 12, 2010.
A spokesman for Dominican University said the students' response to the gubernatorial debate was a contributing factor in the school's decision to apply to host a 2012 event.
Administrators at St. Mary's also believe their school's curriculum, which revolves around collegiate seminars designed for students to engage in civil dialogue, makes it an ideal host, college spokesman Michael Beseda said.
St. Mary's will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2012, so being chosen to host a presidential or vice presidential debate would be the ultimate present, Beseda said.
Both schools also recognized the financial and recruiting benefits of hosting the debates.
— Bay City News
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