Thursday, March 17, 2022

Motlow to Stage First-Ever ‘Debbie Zimmerman Oratorical Contest’

SMYRNA -- The Smyrna Entertainment, Arts and Media Club and Motlow Humanities program are teaming up to stage the first-ever “Debbie Zimmerman Oratorical Contest” in April 2022.

The contest, which is named in honor of Professor Emeritus Debbie Zimmerman, is open to students from all four campuses who have already completed the COMM 2025 Fundamentals of Communication course, including dual-enrollment students. The registration deadline is April 1 (Friday).

Students who wish to participate in this activity will be asked to prepare and deliver a 10 to 15-minute persuasive speech on a topic of their choosing. Presentations may revolve around societal issues, medical topics, political topics, or topics dealing with other important issues or concepts. The participants will be eligible to receive award certificates and prizes. The overall contest winner will receive an engraved trophy.

Students can enter the contest by e-mailing Professor Robert Davenport at rdavenport@mscc.edu or by calling his office at (615) 220-7963 between now and April 1. They should provide their name, the Motlow campus where they attend, and the semester and year they completed the speech course (COMM 2025). Speech requirements will be e-mailed to students promptly after their contest registration is confirmed.

“Debbie Zimmerman was a longtime Motlow communication professor who was instrumental in building the speech curriculum at the College,” said Davenport, event coordinator and assistant professor of speech. “She is thrilled to have her name placed on the title of this contest and honored to be involved with this opportunity for students.”

The speech contest will feature one semifinal round on the Moore County campus on April 11 (for Moore County and Fayetteville students) and another semifinal round on the Smyrna campus on April 12 (for Smyrna and McMinnville students). The top five speakers from the semifinal rounds will advance to the final round on the Smyrna campus on April 18. 

The Dean of Students Office will help promote the event with flyers and announcements in their shell on D2L. Feel free to submit any questions or comments to Professor Davenport at rdavenport@mscc.edu




“This will be a great opportunity for Motlow students to gain more public speaking experience,” Davenport continued. “It is something they can include on resumes and applications for college and potential jobs.”

Davenport added that the plan is to make the “Debbie Zimmerman Oratorial Contest” an annual event for Motlow students. The SEAM Club and Humanities program are encouraging students to help Motlow make history by supporting this historic event. 


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