Drake University enjoying debate spotlight

Drake University's name will be splashed across the airwaves and social media Saturday night, the culmination of hundreds of hours of staff time to prep for the Democratic presidential debate.

But does all that work and the publicity tsunami pay off for Drake?

Students at the private university in Des Moines have the opportunity to watch history unfold at the debate, participate in campus events and behind-the-scenes organization, and network with national media and political party operatives, said Rachel Paine Caufield, professor of political science. Forty prospective students were also invited to Drake to enjoy the weekend debate festivities.

“We have not done a study on the monetary benefits,” said Caufield, but she considers the event significant to students’ education, the university’s reputation and recruitment.

“The benefits are so numerous it would be impossible to measure," she said. "Our banner is going to be flying on all these broadcasts.”

Catch up on coverage at DesMoinesRegister.com/DMdemdebate

Watch a livestream of the debate online at DesMoinesRegister.com/DemDebate

Weighing the costs and benefits of hosting presidential debates has become a talking point on some campuses.

When the University of Colorado Boulder held a Republican presidential debate Oct. 28, questions arose among some faculty and students about whether it was worth it. Some colleges have reported that presidential debate expenses, especially for the general election, can run into seven figures.

UC Boulder officials say hosting the debate was worth the “hundreds of thousands” in cost for the exposure, having its campus beamed across the globe on a beautiful day in a mountain setting.

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“We need to do a cost analysis and what was the earned media equivalent” before deciding whether the university would host one again, said Ryan Huff, a UC spokesman.

Drake officials said they couldn’t estimate the university's costs, but Caufield said the expense is primarily in staff time.

The University of Denver, host to a general election debate in 2012, tallied its estimated benefit in publicity at $56 million.

“Those numbers are crazy,” said Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at The College of the Holy Cross who studies the value of large-scale national events. “They decide these numbers by impressions — how much you would have to pay in advertising dollars for media publicity. There are problems with that.”

He said continually seeing or hearing “Drake University” over the course of the debate has diminishing returns with each mention, “which is why Budweiser doesn’t buy every commercial during the Super Bowl.” And the appearance of the school’s name doesn’t come with a message of what Drake stands for, “which is why Budweiser features cute dogs.”

Drake President Earl "Marty" Martin said he has heard from other university presidents that the costs can climb to $3 million for general election debates, organized through the Commission on Presidential Debates, which requires colleges to pick up more cost.

Martin said major public universities often don't host debates because of complications regarding using public employees' time.

“We have greater flexibility than the public schools,” he said.

CBS picks up much of the debate’s production cost, Caufield said, partnering with Drake, KCCI-TV, The Des Moines Register, Twitter and the Democratic party.

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The debate also fits into a Drake strategy in the past decade of touting itself as a mecca for politics. Drake is holding its fourth presidential debate in eight years and is host to the Iowa Brown & Black Forum and campaign events throughout the Iowa caucus cycle. The university launched the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement 2½ years ago.

When Caufield came to Drake from Washington, D.C., in 2004, she pushed for even more university involvement in political events to heighten community engagement and student experiences.

“Our goal is to see as many students involved as possible,” she said.

Drake enrolls a total of about 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Staff and students were invited to participate in a lottery for debate tickets. Of 1,200 requests, roughly 1,000 were from students, she said.

Some students learn firsthand about the caucus process in classes or as writers chronicle the caucus campaigns on the school’s Iowa Caucus Project website devoted to it. Some have gone on to work on candidate campaigns.

Kevin Maisto, a Drake senior and student body president, is helping CBS set up for the debate and has assisted with a Politics and Pancakes event to be held Saturday morning on campus.

“We get this opportunity to be a part of selecting the next president,” he said. “It’s incredible for us.”

The city as well as Drake has benefited from positive publicity stemming from huge national campaign events that have become more common since the 1980s, said Greg Edwards, president of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau.

One recent example he cited was the New York Times feature on the East Village last weekend. He doesn't know whether that idea resulted directly from reporters covering the caucuses or this weekend's debate, but surmises it did.

When Drake President Martin first arrived on campus earlier this year from Washington state, he looked out the front window and was surprised to see “PBS Newshour” anchor Gwen Ifill standing on the lawn taping a segment. “Does anybody know that Gwen Ifill is here?” he asked others in the office.

He said he quickly learned: “It’s what happens at Drake.”

Martin emphasized that the university is nonpartisan. It has hosted two debates from each party, and the Harkin Institute is nonpartisan.

“We host all comers, regardless of political affiliation,” he said. “We are a forum for conversation and engagement. If a candidate asks us to come on campus, our answer will be yes.”

If Donald Trump wants to come to Drake, he said: “We will help him land his helicopter.”

Streets closed

Drake officials say some parking lots and buildings were off-limits starting Friday afternoon. Some streets around Drake, including segments of University Avenue and 25th Street, will be closed Saturday.