Dr. David Bailey to serve as national president of Pi Kappa Delta

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Charlotte Marsch, Director of Marketing and Communications

(417) 328-1803 / cmarsch@sbuniv.edu

Dr. David Bailey to serve as national president of Pi Kappa Delta

BOLIVAR, Mo. — At the 2013 Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament, Southwest Baptist University’s Speaking Bearcats made a strong showing by capturing Superior (top 10 percent) rankings in all major sweepstakes categories (individual events, debate, combined) and finished with the third-highest ranking.

In addition to this accomplishment, Dr. David Bailey, SBU’s Director of Forensics and Chair of the Bob R. Derryberry School of Communication Arts, was elected to serve as the 47^th national president of Pi Kappa Delta.

“I was deeply honored to have been elected to serve,” Dr. Bailey said. “To me, Pi Kappa Delta encapsulates the highest objectives of forensics excellence better than any other national forensics organization. In PKD, we don’t just care about running an outstanding comprehensive national tournament, we are deeply interested in maximizing the educational and career networking benefits of intercollegiate forensics. This is a trajectory that needs to continue and that is why I am excited to have a major role in the leadership of the organization in the coming years.”

Presidents and National Council members of Pi Kappa Delta are voted in by the membership at the National Tournament and Convention that is held in the spring of odd-numbered years. Dr. Bailey will serve as president-elect for the next two years (2013-2015) and president from 2015-2017.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

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Pi Kappa Delta presents student awards

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Charlotte Marsch, Director of Marketing and Communications

(417) 328-1803 / cmarsch@sbuniv.edu

Pi Kappa Delta presents student awards

BOLIVAR, Mo. — Five members of Southwest Baptist University’s Heartland Sigma Chapter of Pi Kappa Delta, the nation’s oldest collegiate forensic organization, received scholarships and awards during the chapter’s annual banquet May 4.

Students receiving awards are:

• Kaila Todd, a sophomore communication major and the daughter of Patricia Todd of Buffalo, received the D.J. Nabors Service Award. It is presented annually to a member of the squad who is judged by fellow team members to represent a Christian example in work and competition. Todd encourages others and contributes to SBU team cohesiveness and spirit. Todd also is secretary of the Heartland Sigma chapter of PKD.

• Meg Burns, a sophomore communication major from Buffalo and the daughter of Kathleen Hilmer of Buffalo and Stephen Burns of Springfield, received two awards. The Stephen E. Kilmus Scholarship is provided by the family and friends of Stephen and Marilyn Kulmus in memory of Stephen. A charter member of the Missouri Sigma Chapter of PKD, Stephen was a strong supporter of speech competition as an educational activity for developing scholars-speakers. The award is given annually to a student who deserves encouragement in forensics.

Burns also received the the Bob & Joyce Derryberry Tradition of Excellence Scholarship that is provided by Bob & Joyce Derryberry and Friends of the Forensics Program. The recipient must be an active team member who has competed for at least one year. The recipient shall demonstrate a Christ-like attitude, prove dedication to the forensics team, show a willingness to learn and consistently sacrifice for others. Burns also is vice president of the Heartland Sigma chapter of PKD.

• Hannah Larino, a junior management major and the daughter of Paul and Cathy Larino of Nixa, received the Claud J. & Ruth K. Mustain Scholarship that is provided by Paul A. and Carolyn Mustain Mott and family and friends. The award recognizes an outstanding forensics team member who demonstrates cooperation, a competitive spirit and the SBU Mission Statement. The Mustain scholarship represents qualities that are essential in the ideal competitor. Larino also is historian of the Heartland Sigma chapter of PKD.

• Maggie Thomas, a sophomore elementary education and middle school language arts major, is the daughter of Matt and Jill Thomas of Warrensburg. She received the Dunnegan Memorial Speech Scholarship that was established by the Dunnegan family in recognition of the centennial year of the Polk County Bank. The Dunnegan family's deep interest and involvement in the arts has served as the stimulus for providing this scholarship.

• Nikolas Fischer, a junior religion and philosophy major and the son of Terry and Priscilla Fischer of Maryland Heights, received the Alex Winston Moore Forensics Scholarship that is provided by Dr. and Mrs. Bill Little in memory of their grandson. Recipients are active forensics competitors who are committed Christians and support the SBU mission statement. Fischer also is president of the Heartland Sigma chapter of PKD.

The SBU forensics teams ended its season by winning third-place Overall Sweepstakes at the PKD Nationals. The remainder of the season included two first-place Debate Sweepstakes victories, three first-place Overall Sweepstakes victories and two second-place Overall Sweepstakes finishes. The team won overall sweepstakes at the Missouri Association of Forensics Activities state tournament.

Kendall R. Phillips, a 1990 SBU graduate, was the guest speaker for the annual banquet. He is Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University. He currently serves as President-Elect of the Rhetoric Society of America.

For more information about Pi Kappa Delta and the SBU forensic team, contact Dr. David Bailey, Director of Forensics, at (417) 328-1697 or dbailey@sbuniv.edu.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

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Speaking Bearcats finish the year in “Superior” fashion

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Charlotte Marsch, Director of Marketing and Communications

(417) 328-1803 / cmarsch@sbuniv.edu

Speaking Bearcats finish the year in “Superior” fashion

BOLIVAR, Mo. — The Speaking Bearcats from Southwest Baptist University finished the 2012-2013 season in strong fashion, earning “Superior” rankings in each of the three sweepstakes categories — debate, individual events and overall — at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament March 13-16 at Webster University in St. Louis, Mo.

The tournament featured entries from 86 colleges and universities from 36 different states. The Speaking Bearcats finished with the third highest point total in overall sweepstakes, finishing just behind William Carey University and defending champion Boise State University.

“I am very proud of the team,” said Dr. David Bailey the Director of Forensics. “Our students did a tremendous job, especially when you consider that we are still mostly a freshmen and sophomore squad. They fared very well competing against teams that were much larger and more experienced.”

He was quick to add, however, that it is both the educational value of the activity and the sense of team-orientation that will benefit the students most.

“Success is not measured in trophies. The real measure of the success of this year’s team will be the later accomplishments of the team members themselves,” he said. “The things they learned about public policy, argumentation, performance, politics, economics and a host of other fields, combined with all the hours of tedious practice and research it took to hone their performances, will pay dividends for each one of them. That is what makes me proudest of all. I know each one of them will make a difference in the world.”

The team posted a number of strong results in debate including:

·         Nik Fischer and Meg Burns were quarterfinalists in both parliamentary debate and college public forum debate.

·         Julie Strubinger and Maggie Thomas reached the quarterfinals of parliamentary debate.

·         Chad Bryant went undefeated in preliminary rounds of public debate and reached the quarterfinals of that event. His strong preliminary round results enabled him to earn the “Top Superior” in novice public debate.

·         Leah Cleek compiled a strong record in open public debate and narrowly missed advancing to the elimination rounds of the event.

·         Bobby Sterling received an “Excellent” (top 30 percent) award in novice legislative debate.

·         Kaila Todd received an “Excellent” award in discussion.

Squad members also compiled a number of strong results in individual events:

·         Burns earned the “Top Superior” award in communication analysis. She also earned Superiors in “To Honor Pi Kappa Delta” and informative speaking. She earned “Excellent” awards in program of oral interpretation and dramatic interpretation.

·         Fischer earned Superiors in communication analysis and impromptu speaking. Fischer earned Excellent awards in extemporaneous speaking and “To Honor Pi Kappa Delta.”

·         Strubinger earned a Superior in informative speaking. She also earned “Good” ratings in almost all of the rest of her events.

·         Thomas earned a Superior in broadcast journalism. She also earned excellent awards in communication analysis and persuasive speaking.

·         Cleek earned Excellent awards in persuasive speaking and communication analysis.

·         Hannah Larino earned a Good in communication analysis and was a participant in the PKD showcase for that event.

·         Chad Bryant earned an Excellent award in after-dinner speaking.

“We also acknowledge each of the other students who traveled with the team to nationals and assisted us by earning a ‘Good’ in at least one of their respective speech or debate events,” Dr. Bailey said. They are Matt Adams, Catie Lathrop, Micah Jordan and the Reader’s Theatre team of Trevor Parrish, Jessica Palen and Kati Clair.

The tournament was the final team outing for the 2012-2013 season except for Thomas, who will be competing in the Interstate Oratorical Contest in Shreveport, La., April 25-27.

Dr. Bailey noted it was an important year for the SBU Forensics Program.

“This year we reclaimed the overall sweepstakes title at our state tournament and took a significant jump up in our standings at PKD nationals; we finished eighth last year and 18^th the year before that,” he said. “I look forward to the future growth of the SBU Forensics Program.”

For more information about the Bob R. Derryberry School of Communication Arts and the SBU Forensics Program, contact Dr. Bailey at (417) 328-1697 or dbailey@sbuniv.edu.

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Photo cutline: SBU Forensics team members competing at the PKD National Tournament are, from left, front row — Dr. David Bailey, Kaila Todd, Catie Lathrop, Meg Burns, Leah Cleek, Julie Strubinger, Mrs. Rebecca Godsey; back row — Matt Adams, Chad Bryant, Bobby Sterling, Nik Fischer, Maggie Thomas, Micah Jordan, Jessica Palen, Hannah Larino and Kati Clair.

Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

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Speaking Bearcats recapture MAFA title

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Charlotte Marsch, Director of Marketing and Communications

417-328-1803/cmarsch@sbuniv.edu

Speaking Bearcats recapture MAFA title

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Speaking Bearcats placed first in overall sweepstakes against a dozen colleges and universities across the state and region in the Missouri Association of Forensics Activities state tournament Feb. 15 and 16 at SBU.

“Our strong finish at the MAFA tournament was especially nice because it had been several years since the team had captured the top sweepstakes spot at the state tournament,” said Dr. David Bailey, SBU’s director of forensics, noting that the team last won the sweepstakes in 2009. “The intense level of competition we saw at this year’s tournament in both individual events and speech made this an especially satisfying achievement.”

SBU’s team overcame some unexpected challenges on the way to victory.

“A number of the Speaking Bearcats were either sick that weekend or had just gotten over being sick — which, of course, really messed around with our practice time,” Bailey said. “We were determined not to make excuses, but our team illnesses certainly did add to the challenge.”

The Speaking Bearcats finished second place in debate sweepstakes after piling up 18 debate wins in the preliminary rounds of both parliamentary and Lincoln Douglas debate. As has been the case all year, SBU’s first-year competitors fared well for their team.

·       Freshman Micah Jordan was a semi-finalist in novice Lincoln-Douglas debate. He was also the third-place speaker in that event.

·       The freshman team of Bobby Sterling and Micah Jordan was a semifinalist in novice parliamentary debate. Sterling took fifth place speaker in that event, while Micah Jordan finished fourth.

·       The novice team of Julie Strubinger and Maggie Thomas also reached the semi-finals of novice parliamentary debate. Thomas was the top speaker in novice parliamentary debate, while Strubinger took second place speaker.

·       In Open Parliamentary Debate, Meg Burns was the eighth-place speaker.

The team finished in fourth place in individual events sweepstakes behind a number of strong individual performances.

“Sophomore Meg Burns had an impressive tournament with strong finishes, including fourth place informative speaking, third place dramatic interpretation, third place prose interpretation and second place communication analysis,” Bailey said. “These strong results allowed Burns to finish the tournament in third place in pentathlon sweepstakes — essentially meaning she was the third highest individual scorer at the tournament.

Other individual achievements include:

·       Julie Strubinger placed fifth in informative speaking and fourth place and top novice in after-dinner speaking.

·       Freshman Leah Cleek placed sixth in prose interpretation, sixth in impromptu speaking and fifth  place in oratory.

·       Thomas and Sterling were named the top novice team in duo interpretation. Thomas also qualified to represent the state of Missouri at the Interstate Oratorical Competition this April in Shreveport, La., by virtue of her third-place finish in oratory.

·       Freshman Chad Bryant placed fifth in after-dinner speaking.

The MAFA State Championship Tournament was the team’s last competition prior to the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament March 13-17 in St. Louis.

Southwest Baptist University Speaking Bearcats are, from left, front row — Julie Strubinger, Leah Cleek, Kaila Todd, Meg Burns, Catie Lathrop; back row — Mrs. Rebecca Godsey (assistant director of forensics), Chad Bryant, Maggie Thomas, Bobby Sterling, Hannah Larino, Micah Jordan and Dr. David Bailey (director of forensics).

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

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Speaking Bearcats Win First Place at Cameron Christmas Classic

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Office of Marketing and Communications

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BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Speaking Bearcats traveled to Lawton, Okla. to compete against twenty-one schools from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri at the annual Cameron Christmas Classic. SBU earned the coveted nutcracker first place trophy and brought home first place in individual events, first place in debate, and first place in overall sweepstakes.

Team Members Leah Cleek, Kaila Todd, and Julie Strubinger earned first, second, and fifth place respectively in pentathalon - an award given to students who earn high ranks in the three genres through five events. Additionally, Maggie Thomas, Julie Strubinger, Hannah Larino, and Chad Bryant beat out the competition and closes out novice debate.

The Speaking Bearcats earned great individual success in every category. Sophomore Catie Lathrop won first in persuasive speaking, sixth in program of oral interpretation, and was a semi-finalist in novice NPDA. Sophomore Meg Burns earned second in program of oral interpretation, second in informative speaking, fourth in prose interpretation, and fifth in communication analysis. Sophomore Kaila Todd took second in persuasive speaking and fourth in dramatic interpretation. Freshman Leah Cleek brought home third in communication analysis, third in persuasive speaking, and top novice and third in impromptu. Freshman Julie Strubinger earned third in extemporaneous speaking, and top novice, and fifth in after dinner speaking. Freshman Hanna Larino brought home second place in after dinner speaking. Freshman Maggie Thomas won second place in communication analysis. Freshman team Bobby Sterling and Micah Jordan were quarter-finalists in NPDA.

The team will be preparing for the next tournament: The Gorlock Tournament in St. Louis, Mo. on Jan. 25-27.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

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Speaking Bearcats Bring Home Second Place Overall at Mahaffey Tournament

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Office of Marketing and Communications

417-328-1803

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Speaking Bearcats represented Southwest Baptist University very well in their recent trip to compete at one of the oldest tournaments, the Mahaffey Tournament, in Linfield, Oregon. The team brought home second place overall, despite only competing in one half of the tournament.

Team president Nik Fischer notes, “It was a great experience being in an unfamiliar and competitive area and made the success we had mean more because we had to come together to win.” The November tournament earned high rankings for the team thanks to the success of individual team members. Team vice-president Meg Burns shares, “Going to Portland helped us grow as a team and yielded wonderful victories.”

Sophomore Nik Fischer won first place in open impromptu speaking, third in open communication analysis, and fifth in open extemporaneous speaking. Sophomore Meg Burns earned second place in open dramatic interpretation, third in open program of oral interpretation, and fifth in open informative speaking. Sophomore Kaila Todd brought home second place in novice prose, third in novice persuade, and fifth in junior dramatic interpretation. Sophomore Catie Lathrop took home second place in novice persuasive speaking.

Though new this semester, all the speaking bearcat freshmen showed off their hard work with many individual successes. Leah Cleek won first place in novice prose, second place in open communication analysis, fourth in novice impromptu speaking, fifth in open program of oral interpretation, and sixth in novice persuasive speaking. Hannah Larino earned second in junior communication analysis, fourth in novice persuasive speaking, fifth in junior after dinner speaking, and sixth in open communication analysis. Maggie Thomas won first place in novice persuasive speaking, third in novice prose, and third in novice duo interpretation. Julie Strubinger brought home second place in novice impromptu speaking, second place in novice informative speaking, and third in junior after dinner speaking. Chad Bryant earned second place in junior after dinner speaking. Bobby Sterling took third in novice informative speaking and third in novice duo interpretation.

The Speaking Bearcats are preparing for their final tournament of the semester, the Cameron Christmas Classic in Lawton, Oklahoma on November 30 - December 2.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

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Speaking Bearcats Post Strong Results in Busy October

Southwest Baptist University News Release

Contact: Office of Marketing and Communications

417-328-1803

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The SBU Speaking Bearcats earned top ranks during their busy October schedule as they travelled back to back to University of Central Missouri’s Mule Tournament, October 19-21 and Longview’s Central States Swing Tournament, October 26-27.

At the Mule Tournament, the Bearcats earned third place in debate, bringing home numerous individual awards both in debate and individual event fields. Novice debaters Kaila Todd, Julie Strubinger, Maggie Thomas, Bobby Sterling, Catie Lathrop, and Micah Jordan closed out the novice competition in parliamentary debate. Open debate competitors Nik Fischer and Leah Cleek were parliamentary debate quarterfinalists.

In the first half of the Mule Tournament, freshmen Leah Cleek took home second place and top novice in persuasive speaking and second and top novice in communication analysis. Sophomore Nik Fischer earned fourth place in communication analysis and fifth in extemporaneous speaking. Sophomore Kaila Todd placed sixth in persuasive speaking.

In the second half of the Mule Tournament, Leah Cleek picked up third place and top novice in persuade, fourth and top novice in communication analysis, and fifth and top novice in impromptu speaking. Nik Fischer took sixth place in communication analysis and fourth in extemporaneous speaking.

At the Central States Swing, the Bearcats overcame the competition and brought home first place overall for the first half of the tournament. The Speaking Bearcats again posted strong results in parliamentary debate. In fact every one of SBU’s parliamentary debate teams reached elimination rounds. Nik Fischer and Meg Burns reached quarterfinals in open parliamentary debate. Chad Bryant and Hannah Larino reached quarterfinals in novice parliamentary debate. Maggie Thomas and Julie Strubinger reached the semifinals of novice parliamentary debate, while Kaila Todd and Leah Cleek finished in second place in the event.

In individual events, the SBU team members earned great success. Sophomore Meg Burns won first place in informative speaking, second in prose, and third in program of oral interpretation. Leah Cleek won first place in impromptu speaking and third in communication analysis. Freshmen Julie Strubinger brought home second place in informative speaking and sixth in impromptu speaking. Nik Fischer picked up second place in communication analysis and fifth in informative speaking. Kaila Todd took fifth place in impromptu speaking. Freshmen Hannah Larino and Chad Bryant broke into after dinner speaking, earning fourth and fifth place respectively.

The SBU Speaking Bearcats will be traveling to compete at the nation’s oldest multiple-event tournament, the 82^nd Mahaffey Memorial Tournament hosted by Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, November 9-11.

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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.

www.Twitter.com/SBUniv

www.Twitter.com/SBUbearcats