Centre News

Centre College is often the place where important debates and
political forums occur. In 2000, the College was the home of the
sole vice-presidental debate between Joe Lieberman and Dick
Cheney.

Centre College continues to be a place where important conversations occur: local political candidates recently came together on campus for a forum on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Newlin Hall of the College’s Norton Center of the Arts. The forum, which was free and open to the public, occured one week before Election Day.

Candidates for the offices of city commissioner, mayor and judge executive participated in the forum.

Each candidate was given a minute to introduce him/herself and explain why he/she is running for office. The moderator of the forum, Centre economics professor Bruce Johnson, posed questions to the groups of candidates and allow each individual 60-90 seconds to respond. Unlike a debate format, in this forum there was not be time for rebuttals or commentary on the answers from other candidates, unless they wanted to use some of their allotted time to do so.

“At Centre, we’re committed to a holistic learning experience, and helping our students learn the value of civic engagement is part of that education,” says Patrick Noltemeyer, associate dean and director of community service and The Bonner Program. “It’s our hope that students will develop a habit of voting and actively participating in issues of government locally, nationally and across the world. By hosting forums with local candidates, Centre continues in its tradition of bringing important conversations to campus.”