SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame announced Monday that is has withdrawn as a host site for the presidential debate.
After talks with the St. Joseph County deputy health officer, and with the unanimous support of the Executive Committee of the University’s Board of Trustees, Father Jenkins made what he called “this difficult decision because the necessary health precautions would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.”
Notre Dame had been scheduled to host the first 2020 presidential debate on Sept. 29.
Father Jenkins said in part:
“I am grateful to the many members of the University community who have devoted countless hours planning this event, and to the Commission on Presidential Debates leadership for their professionalism and understanding. But in the end, the constraints the coronavirus pandemic put on the event — as understandable and necessary as they are — have led us to withdraw.”
The University said it has hosted six presidents at commencement ceremonies through the years – more than any other university in the U.S. – but this would have been the university’s first presidential debate.
