Eleven days from now, Ball State University President Jo Ann Gora will travel to southern Indiana to play a deciding role in the state's future.
Gora was picked to moderate the Sept. 23 gubernatorial debate in Jasper between incumbent Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, Democrat Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian Andy Horning.
Director of University Communications Kevin Burke said Gora is enthusiastic about the opportunity and the visibility it gives Ball State.
The decision to pick the Ball State president was made a week ago said Dennis Ryerson, vice-president of the Indiana debate commission and editor-in-chief of the Indianapolis Star.
"She'll be able to handle the complexity of debate format," Ryerson said. "I've meet with her a few times, and there was no doubt she would fit that bill."
In picking a candidate, the debate commission was looking for gender and racial diversity, which narrowed the field dramatically, Ryerson said.
Gora has been careful to not align herself politically, he said, which was another attractive trait to the commission.
"[Gora] has been very careful to stay above fray," Ryerson said. "[The debate commission] didn't want someone like a journalist moderating or any other kind of organization that could claim the debates. We wanted to avoid any type of situation politically."
The debate commission will give Gora a list of questions, Ryerson said, and the questions have been written to include a variety of topics. Questions by political groups will not be embedded within the lists, so the commission can know what exactly will be asked at each debate.
"We wanted to make sure this is a voters' debate," he said. "The campaigns were not involved in the process in any way."
The Jasper debate is the second of three scheduled debates. Television host Dan Lowery will host the first debate Tuesday in Merrillville, Gora will host the second debate and Tom Cochrun will moderate the final debate Oct. 15 in Bloomington.
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