Although both of its teams were defeated in the quarterfinals of the National College Debate Tournament, the Dartmouth Forensic Union had yet another wildly successful season under the guidance of coach Ken Strange.
Strange has been at the helm of one of the country's strongest programs since 1980. In the past 15 years, the team has won national championships in 1984, 1988 and 1993 and placed in the final four places 12 times. Strange was named Coach of the Decade for the 1980s.
"I think everyone would agree that Ken is by far and away the best debate coach in the country," team member Marc Wilson '96 said. "Since he has taken over, our team has been universally known as one of the best debate teams in the country."
Despite the championships and the accolades showered on him by team members, Strange downplayed his success, attributing the team's success to several other factors.
"The quality of the school attracts good debaters, and the support that we get at tournaments helps," Strange said. "Also, through the summer program on high school debate topics, we attract some of the best debaters."
Strange said the most rewarding aspect of coaching debate at Dartmouth is his students' successes. He said he views his biggest accomplishment as "the quality of the program and having sustained it for 15 years."
Strange attended Northwestern University as an undergraduate. Ironically, Northwestern beat one of Dartmouth's teams in the national championships and went on to win the title.
The Dartmouth forensic team does recruit, but not heavily, Strange said.
"Being a member of the forensic team is like taking a few extra courses," Strange said. "Most of the work is research, and the top teams spend 20 to 40 hours per week preparing for debates."
