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Speech & Debate
About Us
At Midland University, we take the position that Speech and Debate is more than just a co-curricular activity that allows students to compete in speaking events and debate tournaments; it is also a participative laboratory experience where students are exposed and experiment with interdisciplinary ideas, concepts, and literature.
We believe forensics represents a high-impact learning experience that allows the educational practices we teach to be actively engaged by our students both within and outside the classroom. Through collaboration with teammates, peers at other institutions, judges, and coaches, our students receive feedback, which opens up opportunities to understand, explore, and pursue the limits of one’s potential.
Ultimately, we believe that forensics is an activity that is central to the University’s mission to inspire students to learn and lead in the world with purpose. We will continuously and unapologetically push our students to be better – better students, better competitors, better citizens, better people.
Why Speech and Debate at Midland?
- Enter a community where passionate discourse is not only accepted, but encouraged!
- Travel with zero fees for food, travel, and tournament registration.
- Have the ability to compete in all 11 individual events (speech).
- Pursue argumentation and debate skills through parliamentary debate.
- Learn and actively practice communication skills that today’s employers seek.
- Enjoy the opportunity to test your ideas and thoughts against your peers throughout the country.
- Join a forensics family where you will be forever supported as you grow and change as a student and scholar!
Scholarships
Participation in the Speech and Debate team can help you pay for college! Consider applying for one of our Speech and Debate scholarships, renewable for all four years of your Midland career!
To get started, simply apply for admission to Midland University.
To learn more about how financial aid works at Midland, click here or submit your scholarship interview using the link below.
Submit Your Scholarship InterviewFAQs
While some events on the high school level do have collegiate counterparts, many events are slightly different in focus and mission. Regardless, the skills and talents that you learned in high school will serve you well regardless of which events you choose in college.
No problem. Whether you competed in Speech and Debate at the highest levels in high school or just looking to sharpen your communication skills, the Speech and Debate team at Midland is open to all backgrounds.
This largely depends on the level of commitment from the competitor. Some students compete in the same 2-3 events all year, while veteran competitors can compete in up to six events during the course of the year!
Of course! Like any other competitive activity, students who participate in forensics have talents and passions that range from music and theatre to student government and campus political organizations. If you did theatre and one-act in high school, you should consider applying for our hybrid scholarship, which allows you to perform on stage and compete in speech all under one scholarship!
The competitive forensics season runs from the end of September to the first weekend in April. During this time the team will travel to 5-7 tournaments a semester. No student is expected to travel to every tournament every semester, but most do travel to 3-4 weekends!
As a co-curricular organization, the primary goal of participation in forensics is to actually make you a better student regardless of your major. In addition to learning vital interdisciplinary research and writing skills, students who participate in Speech and Debate enjoy 4 years of guidance and mentoring from the coaching staff and their peers.
Common Schedule
| Date | Tournament | School | Location |
| Early October | Jackrabbit Joust | South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD |
| Mid October | Bulldog Swing | Concordia University | Seward, NE |
| Mid October | Schnoor Invitational | Minnesota State Mankato | Mankato, MN |
| Late October | Vocal Viking | Bethany Lutheran University | Mankato, MN |
| Early November | Harvest Festival | University of Nebraska | Lincoln, NE |
| Early November | LE Norton | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| Mid November | Broncolope | Hastings College | Hastings, NE |
| Early December | Final Stage | Doane University | Crete, NE |
| Early January | High School Workshop | On-Campus | ————— |
| Early January | Hell Froze Over | University of Texas –or- Bradley University | Austin, TX -or- Peoria, IL |
| Mid January | Sleet & Snow | Concordia University | Seward, NE |
| Late January | Neb & KS | Kansas State University –or-University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Manhattan, KS -or- Lincoln, NE |
| Early February | Work Weekend | On-Campus | ————— |
| Mid February | Neb State Tournament | Rotating NIFA Locations | |
| Late February | Bronco Bash | Hastings College | Hastings, NE |
| Late February/Early March | Battle for the Capital | University of Nebraska-Omaha | Omaha, NE |
Contact Us
Dr. Adam Knowlton
Associate Professor/Director of Forensics
Knowlton@midlandu.edu
402-941-6381
