Although hosting a presidential debate is a huge responsibility, Belmont has invited the challenge once again.
The university is one of six sites currently being considered to host a 2020 presidential debate, according to a press release from Belmont’s Office of Communications on Wednesday.
Belmont hosted a presidential debate once before, in 2008 between Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama. While it is an ambitious undertaking, Belmont President Dr. Robert Fisher is confident that events like these positively impact the university, he said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that national events have played a huge role in Belmont’s growth,” Fisher said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to say, ‘Hey, look at us!’ I think what’s just happened with our men’s and women’s basketball teams is the same kind of thing.”
Since the 2008 debate, the kind of security requirements and resources needed to apply to host the event have gotten much more complex, Fisher said.
Though the schedule for the fall 2020 semester would likely be impacted by the event if Belmont were chosen to host, students should expect to see some exciting opportunities as a result, too.
“If we do it again this year, we’ll build the whole semester’s convo program around that,” Fisher said.
Ultimately, Fisher believes that events like these are great for the university and great for Nashville.
“It’s a big responsibility, it’s a huge opportunity,” Fisher said. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
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This article written by Justin Wagner.