From student-led organization to intercollegiate competition, debate exemplifies vision of the college

The King’s College is pleased to announce the hiring of Katie Teubl as the new head coach of The King’s Debate Society. Teubl is a 2007 graduate of Patrick Henry College and a Master’s student at New York University.

The King’s Debate Society was founded as a student organization in 2008 by current seniors Matthias Clock and Pam Dodge. Managed solely by students and with limited funds, the team began attending tournaments in the Northeast region. They also won the college’s first intercollegiate trophy since the college opened its Empire State Building campus.

The success of the Debate Society eventually caught the eye of President Stan Oakes, who made a commitment to support the student club on an institutional level. As Clock said, “It quickly became difficult for the college to overlook all of the bright students who dedicated their time learning to better advocate and defend truth.”

Provost Marvin Olasky allowed Dodge and Clock to oversee the process of hiring a coach. According to Clock, this included everything from “advertising the position, interviewing candidates, and ultimately selecting our coach.”

Teubl quickly rose to the top as the prime candidate. “She has a strong background in collegiate debate and teaching, as well as a professional attitude that made her a stand-out candidate for this position,” Clock said.

Perhaps most important, he said, is her commitment to the vision of the Debate Society: to train King’s students to better advocate truth in the market place of ideas.

The King’s College seeks to educate students to be effective communicators and strong leaders in the world’s most strategic institutions—government, civil society, media, law, education, business, the arts, and the church. The King’s Debate Society—first as a club with a handful of members, now an expanding and increasingly competitive debate program—supports this goal and will be instrumental in fulfilling the college’s vision.

The King’s College is located in the Empire State Building in New York City.