Another possible factor, considering that the debate is about foreign policy, is the international makeup of Lynn’s student population—foreign nationals from more than 80 countries comprise 24 percent of the school’s 2,200 students. The idea to apply for the debate first arose after the school was turned down for the Rick Scott-Alex Sink gubernatorial debate, which went to the University of South Florida. “We were crestfallen… but we did get the congressional debate between Allen West and Ron Klein and it was a barn-burner,” recalls Dr. Jason Walton, chief of staff and liaison to the board of trustees, who oversaw the application process. “We had protesters out front. It energized the campus and opened our eyes. We thought maybe we should consider going after the big one.” And go after it they did. Another advantage was the letter of endorsement the school received from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Florida Sen. Bob Graham, the entire Florida cabinet, includ-
ing Gov. Rick Scott, and the entire Florida congressional delegation. “That was an amazing letter with 28 signatures,” Dr. Walton says. Landing the debate is a huge coup not just for Lynn, but for Boca Raton, reiterates Dr. Ross. “We’re working with the chamber, city, county—everyone has put in an effort to showcase all the great elements of Boca.” The event is expected to generate several million dollars into the local economy, according to presidential historian and Lynn University American Studies professor Dr. Robert Watson, with political staffers, Secret Service employees and journalists flying in. Consider that the GOP presidential debate this past January in Myrtle Beach, S.C. had an estimated $14.5-million impact on that city. The impact study, which was conducted by the BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development, Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University, included in its breakdown a
$11.5 million value in advertising from print and broadcast exposure; $823,000 spent on associated nondebate activities; $504,790 attributed to room revenue; $734,410 spent by visitors in addition to room nights; $520,000 for debate site preparation; $298,000 revenue for food and beverage business and a total local tax revenue of $87,710 (included in the above figures). Joshua Glanzer, Lynn’s director of public relations, notes that the 2004 vice presidential debate between incumbent Dick Cheney
“The candidates and their handlers are aware that all it takes is one bad sentence or one good sentence to resolve an election… Everybody knows what’s at stake.” – Jim Lehrer, author, former anchor of PBS’s “NewsHour,” host of this year’s Colorado debate, and past moderator of 11 presidential and vice presidential debates
and John Edwards at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio had a $20 million-plus economic impact on that city. “We believe the presidential debate will have a larger impact on Boca Raton because of the larger contingent of people in town and because the presidential debate is a bigger event,” he says, adding that Lynn University will do an economic study following the debate. Of course, for an event this hot, tickets aren’t easy to come by. They’re not even available to the public. Obama’s staff gets a third of the tickets, Romney gets a third, and the election commission and Lynn each get one-sixth, with all of Lynn’s tickets going to students through a lottery system. Even Dr. Ross will have to watch the debate outdoors on the campus’ big screen. “My ticket will be given to a student. I won’t even be in the auditorium,” he says. “Anyone who wants a ticket will have to go through President Obama’s staff or Romney’s office.”
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