The Truman State University speech and debate team returned from the National Forensic Association Championship Tournament in late April with a national championship title in Lincoln-Douglas debate team sweepstakes. The team also earned sixth place in individual events team sweepstakes in Division II.

To win the debate title, Truman State University brought down the reigning champion Western Kentucky University who has won the last eight championships. This year marks the first time Truman has won the National Championship at the National Forensic Association tournament.

Sophomore Myra Milam (Elkland, MO) and freshman Maddie Ebert (Omaha, NE) both advanced to the semifinal round of Lincoln-Douglas debate, out of a pool of 75 debaters. This puts each competitor in the top four in the nation.

Additionally, Milam earned the fourth place speaker award, while Ebert took home the eighth place speaker award. These awards are given to debaters who show talent in public speaking and argumentation skills and are separate from win/loss records. 

Sophomore Kristen Wright (Liberty, MO) also took home a speaker award, earning fifth place. Both Wright and sophomore John Carney (Overland Park, KS) broke into the first round of single elimination—but did not advance past the double-octofinal round. This puts them both in the top 32 in the field of debaters.

The individual events team earned sixth place overall in Division II. The nine individual events competitors from Truman filled 22 event slots at the tournament. Junior Jessica Petrie (Millstadt, IL) advanced to the semifinal round of impromptu speaking. There were a total of 168 competitors in this event, and a semifinal round finish puts Petrie in the top 12 in the nation.

Student newspaper, The Index, was named Best in State by the Missouri College Media Association.  …more

The National Communication Association Student Club, Truman State chapter, recently helped spread awareness and funds for improverished children in need of shoes. …more 

Truman State students won three first place and two honorable mention awards in the 2012 Missouri Broadcast Educators Association student media contest. The awards were accepted by students who accompanied Dr. Mark Smith (MBEA Vice President) to an MBEA conference/ceremony at Missouri State in late March.

First place
-Sam Sherman and Geoffrey Woehlk: Sports Play-by-Play (KTRM).
-Sam Spencer: Audio News Feature (Media Writing).
-Paul Bischoff, Patrick Gross, Andrea Hewitt, Faith Martin, and Jessica Scheetz: Website (Truman Media Network–News36, The Index, KTRM, Detours)

Honorable Mention
-Natalie Turney: Audio News Feature (Media Writing).
-Brian Wells, Geoffrey Woehlk: Dramatic Script (KTRM)

The Truman State Media Board has hired student media managers for members of the Truman Media Network. The new managers will assume their duties in the 2012-2013 school year.

Jessica Scheetz will begin her second year as editor of Detours magazine. Kathleen Barbosa has been named Editor in Chief of The Index; Geoffrey Woehlk will manage KTRM radio; and Tim Weeks will be Executive Producer of News36. Congratulations to the new media managers!

The Truman State Forensics Squad snagged seven Missouri State championship titles during the competition at TSU. The Truman individual events team won FIRST place overall, and the Debate team won SECOND place overall.

Jessica Petrie, a Communication major, won first in Oratory (persuasion), which earns her a place in the oldest forensics competition still in existence—the Intrastate oratorical contest. This is the first time in several years that Truman State has a student representing the university at that contest.

Communication faculty judges included Don Krause, Jay Self, Elizabeth Clark, Diane Johnson, Mark Smith and Tamara Frost.

It was a special night for several Communication students at Truman State. On February 6th nine new members were inducted into Lambda Pi Eta: the Communication Honors Society. Dr. Diane Johnson was the guest speaker for the evening. Her topic: honor. She explained what it meant to her and how students and faculty should engage in the opportunity to display this quality that is a fundamental aspect of LPE. The organization surprised her with flowers and kind words to show LPE’s  appreciation for all she has done for the communication department. Dr. Johnson’s recent emeritus status sparked the surprise ceremony. LPE also thanks those professors who attended and continue to show us their support. Congratulations to the newly inducted members of the Nu Chapter of LPE: Laura Miller, Chris Zempel, Alex Witt, Jared McNett, Anastasia Crites, Spencer Thomas, Meredith Kusky, Evan Richardson, and Hannah Rickman.

The Truman State University speech and debate team returned from Ohio in early December with an overall team trophy and multiple individual awards. The weekend consisted of two separate tournaments at the Ohio State University and Otterbein University.  …more

A group of students in the Communication department’s Survey of Rhetoric class have taken learning to YouTube as part of coursework at Truman State.  Students launched a video this fall that features a “conversation” with Socrates.

For the fourth time in six years, Dr. Mark Smith presented a paper in October at the Great Plains Radio History Symposium. The theme of the sixth annual Symposium, held at Kansas State University, was “Remembering Radio’s Live Music Era.”

Smith’s paper, “With Joy and Gladness: Local Radio Entertainment on WJAG, Norfolk, NE, 1922-1934”, focused on live entertainment in the formative years of radio broadcasting on a Nebraska station that is still operated by same family since 1922.

In spring 2011, Smith co-authored an article with Larry Walklin that was published in Nebraska History journal: “The Early Years of Talk Radio: WJAG, Norfolk, Nebraska.”