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William Paterson University, along with its media partners, WCBS broadcast affiliates in New York and Philadelphia and The Record/USA Today Network, have been selected by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) to sponsor one of the ELEC-authorized gubernatorial election debates to be held this fall. The proposal was selected in a competitive process that included 11 other proposals vying for two gubernatorial debates and one lieutenant governor’s debate. The debate will be held on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 7 p.m. in the Shea Center for Performing Arts on campus.
“This is a great honor for our University,” says President Kathleen Waldron. “Our participation in this important event for the fourth time, having hosting gubernatorial debates in 2013, 2009, and 1997, underscores our long institutional commitment to civic engagement. We are pleased to again play a significant role in our state’s electoral public affairs.”
Media partners will provide coverage via television, radio, print, web and social media throughout New Jersey. The debate will be broadcast live by WCBS-TV (New York), KYW-TV (Philadelphia), WCBS Radio (New York), WINS Radio (New York), and KYW Radio (Philadelphia) and the CBS broadcast will be streamed on Facebook Live and via the websites of The Record and its sister Gannett New Jersey newspaper sites across the state. The broadcast will be simulcast in Spanish on CBS affiliates and an SAP option will also be available for viewers.
The debate will be moderated by Kristine Johnson, co-anchor of WCBS-TV in New York, who also moderated the debate in 2013. The media panel will also include Jessica Dean, co-anchor of WKYW-TV in Philadelphia, and Alfred Doblin, the editorial page editor for The Record, who also served on the media panels in 2013 and 2009.
The University will also work with media partners to conduct digital town hall events which will help to develop themes and ideas for debate questions in the weeks leading to the debate.
William Paterson University has a strong commitment to civic engagement. The University is one of the founding members of Campus Compact New Jersey, the statewide affiliate of the national Campus Compact that promotes public and community service to develop students' citizenship skills. The institution is also a member of the American Democracy Project, a multi-campus initiative that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding of civic engagement for undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). In addition, William Paterson is the first public New Jersey college or university that requires new undergraduate students to take a course in civic engagement. During the 2016-17 academic year, students contributed more than 9,400 hours to community service projects.
