PRESS RELEASE from Saint Mary's College of California
April 01, 2011
Saint Mary's
Named One of 12 Colleges Under Consideration to Host Presidential Debate
MORAGA, Calif. ( April 1, 2011) — The Commission on Presidential Debates
(CPD)
has announced that Saint Mary’s College of California is one of 12
applicants under consideration to host a 2012 general election
presidential debate. Saint Mary’s submitted an application to host the
debate to commemorate the College’s 150th anniversary during the
2012-13 academic year.
“Saint Mary’s College of California is enthusiastic about the
possibility of hosting a 2012 Presidential Debate as a cornerstone
event in our Sesquicentennial Celebration,” said Brother President
Ronald Gallagher.
Hosting a 2012 presidential debate would continue the tradition of
great conversations at Saint Mary's. The College promotes civil and
respectful dialogue about the most pressing and controversial concerns
we face as a society, such as with the hosting of the September 2010
senatorial debate between Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer and her then
Republican challenger Carly Fiorina. Fostering conversations among
students and professors about significant issues facing our society is
a hallmark of the Saint Mary’s academic experience and is reflected in
the College’s Great Books and seminar programs.
To host the debate, Saint Mary’s would utilize the McKeon Pavilion as a
debate hall, dedicate academic facilities, offices and green spaces to
serve the needs of CPD, and provide state of the art work spaces for an
estimated 3,000 media representatives who would cover the event. A
video from the College's application to the CPD is available for
viewing at
stmarys-ca.edu/debate.
The leadership of Saint Mary’s is confident in the team assigned to the
task of coordinating the debate for the College, and the infrastructure
to support an undertaking such as a presidential debate already exists
at Saint Mary’s. Each May, the College bestows undergraduate degrees to
approximately 550 seniors, graduate degrees to around 150 candidates
and provides logistical coordination for more than 3,000 visitors
during commencement.
The College has received broad public support for a presidential
debate, including resolutions of support from many Contra Costa County
cities, letters of support from Senators Dianne Feinstein, Barbara
Boxer, Congressional Representatives John Garamendi and George Miller,
State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblywomen Susan Bonilla and Nancy
Skinner, and 1988 Democratic Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis,
among others. The College has also received editorial support from the
Bay Area News Group, including the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland
Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) was established in 1987 to
ensure that debates, as a permanent part of every general election,
provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners. Its
primary purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the United States
presidential and vice presidential candidates and to undertake research
and educational activities relating to the debates.
The list of the higher educations institutions the CPD is considering
debate applications from includes Belmont University (Nashville, TN),
Centre College (Danville, KY), Dominican University of California (San
Rafael, CA), Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, KY), Hofstra
University (Hempstead, NY), Indiana University (Bloomington, IN), Lynn
University (Boca Raton, FL), The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
(Pomona, NJ), University of Denver (Denver, CO), Wake Forest University
(Winston-Salem, NC) and Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis,
MO).
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The Saint Mary’s College of California experience inspires learning
that lasts a lifetime. For nearly 150 years, the College has provided
students with a rigorous education that engages their intellect and
spirit, and awakens a desire to transform society. Guided by the
Christian Brothers, the Catholic Church’s oldest order dedicated
exclusively to teaching, the College enrolls more than 3,800 students
in undergraduate and graduate liberal arts and business programs. For
more information visit Saint Mary’s College at
stmarys-ca.edu
and just 23 miles east of San Francisco.
Contact:
Michael McAlpin
Director of Media Relations