Finalists of Fraser Speaking Competition are focused on community improvement

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Brian Lamb School of Communication will host the final phase of the inaugural Fraser Speaking Competition on Dec. 6.

Presentations from the four finalists and a subsequent awards ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Class of 1950 Lecture Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Entrants in the competition are groups from Communication 114 classes who are working on their final group project, which focuses on addressing community challenges and issues by proposing hypothetical solutions that are pitched in a persuasive presentation.

“One of the most exciting parts of the final project is that it gets every student in COM 114 – more than 4,000 each year – thinking about how they can make the world around them a better place,” says Dr. Jennifer Hall, Director of COM 114. “The Fraser Speaking Competition takes it to the next level by providing the opportunity for a group to see their creative solution come to life, all while encouraging effective and engaging public speaking.”

The winning team of students will see their solution to a local problem become reality, benefitting the Greater Lafayette area. The Fraser Speaking Competition will award cash prizes to the top teams and will fund the winning solution up to $3,000. A student group, COM Cares, will implement the winning team’s solution in the semester following the competition.

The Fraser Speaking Competition was established by an anonymous donor to honor William Fraser, a former Lafayette Jefferson High School teacher and communication instructor at Purdue. More information about the competition is available online.

The Brian Lamb School of Communication in the Purdue University College of Liberal Arts continues the university’s more than 100-year tradition of communication scholarship and leadership, providing excellent graduate and undergraduate education. The Lamb School is named for Purdue communication alumnus and C-SPAN founder, Brian Lamb. The School’s faculty and students strive to uphold Lamb’s commitments to openness in communication and public affairs, incorporating diverse perspectives and innovative practices in the study and teaching of communication as a discipline. Learn more at www.cla.purdue.edu/communication. 

Writer: Kelsey Schnieders Lefever, kschnied@purdue.edu

Media contact: Joe Paul, paul102@purdue.edu

Sources: Jennifer Hall, jgibb@purdue.edu, Rachel Ravellette, rmrose@purdue.edu