Centre College named host of 2012 Vice Presidential Debate on October 11, 2012 at Newlin Hall in the Norton Center for the Arts

Centre College named host of 2012 Vice Presidential Debate

Centre has been selected to host the Vice Presidential debate on  Oct. 11, 2012. The debate will take place in Newlin Hall in the  Norton Center for the Arts, the same venue as the VP debate Centre hosted in 2000.

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced today that Centre College has been selected to host the Vice Presidential debate on Oct. 11, 2012. This will be the second of four general election debates.

In a news release announcing the host sites, Commission Executive Director Janet Brown said that Centre’s selection was based on several factors. “First, Centre did an outstanding job of hosting the 2000 Vice Presidential debate. Second, Centre’s principal players from that debate are still at the College, and we value that experience. Finally, Centre’s facilities, as good as they were in 2000, are vastly improved now.”

Centre President John A. Roush said that the College is deeply honored to host a general election debate once again. “Selecting the President and Vice President of the United States is, arguably, the most important political exercise in the world. We are grateful for this opportunity to serve our nation.” Roush continued, “When we hosted the 2000 Vice Presidential debate, Centre and Danville were by far the smallest college and town to host a general election debate, but by all accounts we set a new standard. We are proud of the confidence that the Commission has again expressed in Centre and Danville.”

Roush also looked forward to the experiences that hosting the Vice Presidential debate will provide to Centre’s students. “Of all the good things that came from our efforts in 2000, the most important and pleasing to me was the great educational opportunities provided to our students, and I look forward to an even more exciting time for Centre students in 2012.”

Centre Board of Trustees Chair Bob Brockman, of Houston, Texas, said, “Hosting the debate in 2000 energized the entire Centre community — students, faculty and staff, and trustees alike — and gave us an even greater sense that, together, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish. On behalf of the entire Centre family, I thank the Commission for this honor.”

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges, at 42nd in the nation, and ranks 27th for best value among national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 34th among all the nation’s colleges and universities and has named Centre in the top five among all institutions of higher education in the South for three years in a row. The 2010 Open Doors Report, published by the Institute for International Educational, ranks the College second in the nation for percentage of students who study abroad.

A highly residential liberal arts college, Centre enrolls more than 1,300 students on a park-like 160-acre campus located in Danville, Ky., in the heart of the Bluegrass region of Kentucky.

The Commission on Presidential Debates website is available at www.debates.org.

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 24th among all the nation's colleges and universities and has named Centre No. 1 among all institutions of higher education in the South for two years in a row. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices.