Dr. Michael Blouin, Associate Professor of English and Humanities, has been newly minted as Milligan’s first Director of the Debate Team. As of next semester students will be able to join the team to compete at a collegiate level in parliamentary debate.
“I was interested in starting a debate team because it felt to me as though the time was right, I think in today’s climate, it’s more important than ever that a student learn how to participate in civil discourse, learn how to make arguments in a respectful and loving way.”
As well as developing interpersonal skills, the debate team also offers instruction in other areas that would help students be prepared for their future careers.
“The skills that someone learns on a debate team are at this point extremely marketable skills across many different disciplines, learning to speak well publicly, being able to organize your thoughts, use sources correctly, and think through problems with multiple points of view, these are all real world skills that Milligan students will need, and we want to cultivate those skills.”
Scholarships are attached to the debate team and tryouts will be in the first week of September 2021.
For more information or to request a tryout, email Michael Blouin at mjblouin@milligan.edu.
Headline photo: Debate team graphic. Illustration from Pixabay.