While the 2024 U.S. presidential election is nearly a year away, the commonwealth is once again preparing to play a part in the debate process once again. The Commission on Presidential Debates announced that Virginia State University will host the Oct. 1 debate.
Located 20 minutes outside of Richmond, VSU was founded in 1882 and is a public university for more than 5,100 students. It is also the first historically Black college or university, or HBCU, selected to host a general election U.S. presidential debate.
VSU President Makola Abdullah said in a November news release that hosting the debate is a historic moment not for just the university, but for other HBCUs around the country.
The debate will be the second of three presidential debates scheduled for the general election. The other two venues selected were Texas State University and the University of Utah.
This is the third time a Virginian university was chosen by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Here’s what it took for others to earn the honor:
The University of Richmond: 1992 presidential debate
The University of Richmond hosted the second presidential debate in 1992 between then-President George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and H. Ross Perot. It was the first time a townhall style debate was introduced as a debate template.
Getting the debate wasn’t an easy process for UR. When the venues were first announced, Bush rejected the initial schedule planned by the commission. For a few weeks, the dates changed, and it was uncertain if UR would be able to make it work.
Longtime UR public relations director Randy Fitzgerald talked about the decision process in a 1992 article for the University of Richmond Magazine. He said it took two visits before the commission decided on the university’s campus — as well as a phone pitch to Janet Brown, who was currently serving as the commission’s executive director and ultimate decider in the debates’ locations.
There was also a hefty price tag: $500,000. Thanks to donor donations, UR was able to raise the money and it hosted the debate on Sept. 29. It was one of more than 70 institutions who applied.
The debate left quite an impact on students, according to The Collegian, UR’s student-run newspaper. In the Oct. 23, 1992, edition of the paper, students’ reactions ranged from funny to irritated to confidence in their intended choice for president.
Several students complained about the fact that only about 200 people were allowed to attend the event. The small crowd was made up of lucky UR students and donors who had raised the funds for the $500,000 price tag.
One was more interested in the federal agents.
“I thought the [Secret Service] men were really good-looking,” said junior Jenn Leffler.
Longwood University: 2016 vice presidential debate
In early October, more than 2,000 reporters descended onto Longwood University’s campus as candidates Vice President Mike Pence and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine took the stage in Willet Hall for the only vice presidential debate.
It took two years to prepare and more than 700 student volunteers to pull it off.
“It can be a positive way to get your university’s name out there,” said Justin Pope, Longwood’s vice president and chief of staff, when asked if applying as a debate host is worth it. “It’s a source of pride and a once in a lifetime experience.”
According to Pope, there are a few questions any university or college should ask themselves before considering their campus as a venue: Is your campus committed? What about personnel and staff? Do you have the finances and resources for thousands of people?
For Longwood, it was a yes. But it wasn’t an overnight process.
Like UR, the Farmville university had to put in its bid by submitting a proposal. After site surveys, consultations with federal law enforcement and reporters, and checking for scheduling debates such as major holidays and events, the Commission of Presidential Debates makes its decision. The CPD has held all but three of its debates on college and university campuses to encourage student participation in the production process.
Pope said Longwood students participated in nearly all aspects of the hosting process.
“It’s not every day that you get to show Wolf Blitzer around campus,” he said.
Longwood made sure that if it was going to host the debate, it wanted to aim high. During the fall 2016 semester, 30 special courses were introduced to prepare. About 1,000 students took classes such as history, political science, photography, conceptual physics and bookbinding.
Communication students were even paired with major television networks to assist with the production process.
Pope said hosting the debate in Willet Hall was strategic. With the building being in the center of campus, it was easy for students to feel like they were immersed in the process.
“So many people stepped up and did things that were beyond their role,” he said. “That’s what really made the event successful. It showed us that we could do anything.”
Before the debate, neither Farmville nor Longwood had hosted large-scale events. While they had graduation ceremonies, prominent speakers and even a young Taylor Swift well before the Eras Tour, nothing had compared to hosting thousands of journalists, law enforcement and campaign members.
“It’s surreal when you hear a moderator of a vice presidential debate say Farmville, Virginia,” Pope said. “You have the world watching you.”
Pope says he’s excited to see the debate hosted once again by another Virginia university and believes it will be a great experience for VSU.
Kaine also shared his excitement on social media about the announcement back in November.
“I am excited for Virginia State University to make history as the first HBCU to host a general election presidential debate — which will bring together students, educators, and the Petersburg community to have meaningful conversations about the future of our country,” Kaine said via email earlier this month. “This debate is a huge economic win for our region and recognizes HBCUs’ critical role in the civic process.”