Becoming a Stop on the Road to the White House: Using a University Protocol to Govern Candidate Visits

Winthrop University capitalized upon South Carolina's early presidential primary to bring 10 US Presidential candidates to campus between August 2015 and February 2016. These events are part of Winthrop University's intentional commitment to civic engagement. This essay describes and analyzes how Winthrop University developed a campus-wide protocol for hosting visits by public officials and candidates. It also provides best practices that campuses may emulate in future election cycles.