Dartmouth will host two presidential primary debates, one Democratic and Republican, on consecutive days during Fall term. Tim Russert, host of NBC's Meet the Press and Washington Bureau Chief for NBC news, will act as moderator for the events.
New England Cable News, which will produce the event, contacted Dartmouth last month about serving as the host because of Dartmouth's New Hampshire location, its willingness to help with the logistics of the debate and its prestige, which NECN hopes will entice candidates to participate, Executive Editor of NECN Iris Adler said.
Dartmouth's primary role will be to manage the logistics of the event and to coordinate media relations and security. The College will manage such concerns as establishing a press room, creating a control area for the media and ensuring that there are enough telephone lines for media use.
Dartmouth will also help plan the debate itself.
According to Roland Adams, director of media relations for the College, Dartmouth's willingness to host the debates was predicated on the requirement that students have the opportunity to become involved.
"Whenever we've hosted debates, they've been a great educational opportunity for Dartmouth students," Adams said. "Events like this ... give Dartmouth students a front row seat on the presidential election process."
The kind of access students will have to candidates, the number of students who will watch the debates and the method for deciding which students will be able to attend, however, have yet to be determined.
Student political organizations on campus will likely also be included in managing the event, although the exact manner of their involvement remains undecided, Adams said.
Adams said the College also hopes that hosting the debates will enhance Dartmouth's visibility.
While the exact venue for the debates has yet to be determined, in the past the College has used Spaulding Auditorium and Moore Theater for such events.
Over 200 members of the media alone are expected to attend the event, Adler said. Dartmouth will work with the Hanover Police department to minimize potential town and campus disruption caused by the large influx of people involved with the debates.
"Experience in the past has indicated that it's a very exciting time because these things do draw a lot of news organizations and a lot of media, as well as the campaigns," Adams said. "It can be managed in a way that has minimal logistical impact on the community."
The unusually large number of candidates who could potentially participate in the debates could pose organizational challenges, but may also increase public interest in watching the debates, according to Adler.
Adams said the large number of states who are changing when they hold their primaries introduces an additional element of uncertainty.
Because New Hampshire has the first presidential primary in the nation, presidential candidates routinely visit the College. Dartmouth has hosted presidential debates in 2004, 1988 and 1984, and a primary debate in 1999.
"It kind of fits in with the idea of what's called 'retail politics' in New Hampshire in which candidates that want to do well in the first in the national primary find that they have to go to various locations in the state and actually meet the voters and make their case," Adams said. "It's not a matter of simply buying advertising."
The debates -- which will be broadcasted live on MSNBC, NECN and New Hampshire Public Radio -- will be 90 minutes long to encourage candidates to give substantive, in-depth responses, according to Adler.
NBC News, NECN and NHPR will co-sponsor the event.
