Gubernatorial candidates debate at Centre

RELEASED: October 29, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—Centre College, in partnership with WKYT Channel 27 in Lexington, hosted a gubernatorial debate on Sunday, Oct. 28. The debate was held at Centre's Norton Center for the Arts.

The debate aired live on WKYT 27 and on WKYT's affiliates in Louisville, Bowling Green, Ky., Hazard, Ky., and Huntington, WV.

Bill Bryant, WKYT anchor, moderated the debate between Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Republican gubernatorial candidate, and Steve Beshear, Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

A panel asked the candidates questions during the hour-long event. Members of the panel were: Randy Yohe from WSAZ in Huntington; Gene Birk from WBKO in Bowling Green; Neil Middleton from WYMT in Hazard; Vicki Dortch from WLKY in Louisville; and student representative Jake Hill, a Centre senior from Owensboro, Ky. Hill is the editor of The Cento, Centre's student-produced newspaper.

Patrick Noltemeyer, who coordinated the on-campus efforts to host the event as part of his work as director of volunteer service and the Bonnor Program at Centre, says the gubernatorial debate is a great opportunity for the College.

"The Bonner Program at Centre is committed to raising the level of civic engagement on campus, and one of the best ways I can think to do that is to bring the debate between the candidates for the governor's office to our campus," Noltemeyer says. The national Bonner Foundation, established in 1991, is a leading organization in providing service curriculum and support for students at more 50 colleges and universities.

"Centre College is a place where important conversations take place, and the October 28 gubernatorial debate promises to be one of the most important of the fall," Noltemeyer says.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.