LSU Shreveport professor and debate coach makes it into the Debate Hall of Fame in Idaho

Meredith G. White, Shreveport Times
Updated ·3 min read

A professor at Louisiana State University Shreveport has been inducted into the Debate Hall of Fame in Boise, Idaho.

Mary Jarzabek was honored for her contributions to the Internation Public Debate Association through her work leading LSUS to one national championship and six individual titles as the debate coach.

Jarzabek is only the third inductee in the organization's 26-year history with the first two inductees being the organization's founders.

"(Jarzabek) is the heart and soul of IPDA debate," said LSUS debate coach AJ Edwards, who was named the IPDA Coach of the Year after steering a young LSUS team to fifth place in the national tournament. "Not only does she contribute to an enormous amount here at LSUS, she keeps the IPDA running. We would not have such a phenomenal organization without her running everything behind the scenes."

Jarzabek serves on the IPDA executive committee and was one of the pioneers of this new debate format that surfaced in the late 1990s and has spread all over the country.

“The fact that (IPDA) would single me out and choose me for doing just what all of us do is very humbling,” said Jarzabek, who also serves as the LSUS Director of General Studies. “I’m very grateful for the recognition … but what means so much to me about this award is that nobody does this by themselves. It’s always a group effort, and LSUS has had great representation in IPDA debate with Trey Gibson and now AJ Edwards. I’ve learned so much from the colleagues I’ve met, and the commitment to teaching and developing skills in the students – that’s what’s been at the forefront.”

Jarzabek had no intention of doing debate at LSUS when she was a student there in the early 1970s. After working in television for 13 years, she returned to her alma mater in 1990 and was told she would be in charge of the debate team.

With virtually no debate experience, Jarzabek would watch Dr. Frank Lower interact with his debaters during her time as a student. That and copious amounts of coaching from debate colleagues.

“The debate organizations and my colleagues brought me up to speed and mentored me into a level of competence to coach, run tournaments and hopefully develop leadership and communication skills in my students,” Jarzabek said. “Debate teaches communication, leadership, problem solving and research skills. It also teaches you how to interact with others and develop appreciation for different cultures and lifestyles.”

The IPDA formed in 1997 centered around a more audience-friendly format using college students as judges. Good debate theory, good argumentation and developing rational arguments to persuade were still in the new format. However, the organizers put more focus on oratory and communication skills.

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“How do you get this complex idea like, say an economic collapse, and explain it to your average freshman communication student," said Jarzabek. "These people are the voters, they are the ones who are sitting on juries. You can have all the debate theory and jargon that you want, but if you can’t explain it to a college communication student, what difference does it make?”

Jarzabek's teams succeeded on the national level, winning a national championship in 2002-2003 with six individuals winning titles in their respective divisions during her decade as head coach.

LSUS professor Mary Jarzabek waves to the crowd during her induction ceremony into the International Public Debate Association Hall of Fame in late March in Boise, Idaho. Jarzabek led LSUS to one national championship and six individual titles as a coach while having a profound impact on the founding and operation of the IPDA since its inception in 1997.

Two of those recognized individuals remained involved in the LSUS debate in AJ Edwards and Trey Gibson.

Gibson's Louisiana Tech teams competed fiercely with LSUS before he succeeded Jarzabek as the LSUS debate coach and added to the national title collection.

"She was a mentor for me, and I learned so much from her,” Gibson said. “I’m so proud of her, and she’s an amazing person that is often the unsung hero at LSUS. I have nothing but love and admiration for her.”

Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: LSUS professor and debate coach inducted into Debate Hall of Fame