UM will host the first 2004 presidential debate

The University of Miami will host the first presidential debate, to be held on September 30, 2004 in the UM Convocation Center, on the Coral Gables campus. UM was one of only 14 sites across the country under consideration to host one of the four debates.

The announcement was made today by The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a non-partisan, non-profit corporation that has sponsored all presidential and vice presidential debates since 1988.

The other sites selected as hosts for presidential debates are:

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Second presidential debate, October 8

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Third presidential debate, October 13

The CPD also announced two back-up sites, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY and the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. All debates will start at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The proposal submited by UM to the Commission on Presidential Debates detailed the university plans to build an academic program around the event, such as a panel discussion on health policy at the School of Medicine and a concert of presidential music presented by the School of Music.

[Sources: University of Miami website: 1, 2]