The University, which hosted the Oct. 12, 2010 debate between California gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, has been placed on a list of 12 potential debate sites by the CPD, a nonprofit organization that sponsors and produces the contests.

      “Dominican University of California is enthusiastic about the possibility of hosting a 2012 Presidential Debate,” said Dominican President Joseph R. Fink. “We believe that our experience hosting the 2010 California Governor's Debate and other high-profile events, coupled with the combined resources of a campus community that embraces full participation in the democratic process, makes Dominican eminently qualified to host an event of this magnitude.”

     Dominican hosted the third and final debate in the California Governor’s race last year. The event was moderated by veteran NBC television journalist Tom Brokaw and attracted a capacity crowd and a statewide television audience to Angelico Hall. It was an educational experience for the entire institution, giving Dominican students unique access to the political process.

     “Californians are critical to the outcome of the next presidential election. Dominican and our students represent the best that the state has to offer,” Dr. Fink said. “Our students are as diverse, talented, and determined as Californians everywhere, and they are challenging themselves to make a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities. It would be a tremendous responsibility, and one that our institution would wholly embrace, to host a national discourse on the pressing issues that impact our students.”