Presidential debate brings prestige to UNLV

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas was dealt a big victory this week when it was chosen to host the final presidential debate before next year's general election, an effort aimed at thrusting UNLV into the national spotlight as it strives to become a better-recognized research institution.

School officials expect to reap big benefits from becoming a debate site, including positive publicity from national media outlets and the opportunity to engage students directly in the political process. The undertaking was fervently pursued by first-year President Len Jessup, who hopes the exposure will bring UNLV an air of prestige as it develops a decade-long plan to become one of the most highly ranked research universities in the nation as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a Stanford-based education research center.

"We're so excited about this," Jessup said. "The presidential debate commission won't accept a bid that's weak, and they won't accept a university that's weak. They're very careful about who they choose, and so there's a bit of a feel of approval that goes along with being picked. That's valuable to us."

UNLV was notified by the Commission on Presidential Debates early Wednesday that its request to be one of four sites for a presidential debate and a vice-presidential debate was accepted. UNLV had partnered with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in March to make the bid — it was one of 16 applicants considered by the commission, which picks sites based partly on their capacity to accommodate thousands of visiting reporters.

Free and positive publicity

Funded through the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the $4 million endeavor is estimated to lure about 800 delegates and 3,500 journalists to the city for the Oct. 19, 2016 debate at the Thomas & Mack Center. That means the debate should yield lots of good press for the university — LVCVA officials have estimated it will generate as much as $50 million in publicity for the community.

Election experts say that will showcase Las Vegas' political maturity and develop UNLV's reputation as an academically focused institution. Nevada is expected to be a swing state in next year's election, and it will play a key role during the 2016 election as the first Western state in the nomination process. Las Vegas — the state's biggest and most ethnically diverse city — is already hosting debates for Democratic and Republican candidates later this year.

"Institutions often get in the news for sports or bad things," said Eric Herzik, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. "But this is very positive exposure because it links to academics."

A more engaged community

Jessup, who will co-chair a committee to organize the event along with LVCVA President Rossi Ralenkotter, said in a statement this week that the event will also "allow students to experience the political process first-hand."

That won't just be through the debate itself — other political events will precede and follow next year's debate, and school officials hope they will engage the student body and reinforce UNLV's ties to the local community.

"The wheels are now turning on campus," Jessup said. "I've been hearing from a lot of students and faculty who have ideas for things they could do leading up to it and that they could do during and after the debate."

National priority for UNLV

UNLV — rated this month as one of the nation's top five most diverse universities by U.S. News & World Report — will be an ideal backdrop as candidates square off on issues tied strongly to the nation's shifting demographic landscape.

The event will portray Las Vegas as more than just a tourism destination, but a cultural melting pot whose challenges and goals mirror those of America.

"It doesn't get any realer than Vegas,'" said Rob Lang, director of the think tank Brookings Mountain West at UNLV. "You're holding this debate in the future of America, and making this school perform better and lifting it as a research university lifts America."

Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Find her on Twitter @la__ley