A few days before Thanksgiving, the University received the best news it could have gotten from the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Not only was the University chosen to host a presidential debate, but the final presidential debate of 2008, the debate that will push undecided voters over the edge.
The last time a debate took place in New York state was 1960, between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Further than that, the frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, have both served New York in office. And on top of those factors that must have made the state attractive to the commission, Hofstra has something unique. The University has held 11 presidential conferences, each focusing on a different presidency. The most recent conference was in 2005, when scholars reviewed and analyzed the Clinton Administration along with many of Bill Clinton's colleagues and the former president himself.
With all this and more on the University's side, Vegas odds should have shown Hofstra as a safe bet to host one of the three presidential debates. There were still skeptics. The fact that the commission took a few more weeks than expected to declare the debate sites only added to the anticipation and frustration.
For those University seniors who are excited about the commission's choice, it is rather bittersweet. One one hand, Hofstra has this prestigious honor. On the other, they will not be around for the event. Only the class of 2009 will be lucky enough to leave the University with both the Clinton conference and the debate under its belt. This year's juniors are envied.