Being subject to the political whims of the campaigns (such as the Republican candidate's declaration two days earlier that he wanted to postpone the debate to deal with an escalating economic crisis) is just one risk for campuses that raise millions of dollars and endure an array of logistical complexities to play host to presidential or vice-presidential debates, as four colleges are doing this election season. Many colleges that have pursued the role of debate host have done so in part to raise their national profiles. The University of Mississippi, which is seared in the national consciousness as the location of a pivotal struggle in the civil-rights movement, wanted not just to raise its reputation but to transform it. This article describes the day of the first presidential debate at the University of Mississippi.