For the two presidential candidates and their supporters, the hope for the third and final presidential debate Wednesday night at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) will be to make the most favorable impression upon the millions of people who watch the political spectacle.
But for UNLV President Len Jessup, the hope will be for the university to make a favorable impression upon the families of future college students.
“I hope people come away saying, ‘I didn’t realize how beautiful that UNLV campus is and how great that university is,’” Jessup said in a recent interview with UNLV Magazine.
“‘I knew they had a basketball team and a top hotel program,’” he said, continuing with what he hopes viewers come away thinking. “‘I had no idea about their creative writing program and that they’re launching a medical school.’
“It might influence somebody to think, ‘I might have my son or daughter apply for school there.”
If history is any indicator, it’s a sure bet that applications will go up at UNLV as a result of hosting Wednesday night’s presidential debate.
“We did some digging,” Jessup told the college magazine. “Universities that had hosted before had calculated $50-$60 million dollars worth of earned media — basically free publicity to the university and the city.
