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Larry Weiss coaches Mesa College's debate team to lob the winning shot. Verbal Volleys Twenty years is a long time to go without a good, healthy argument. That’s how long Mesa College went without a debate team, though, before they hired Larry Weiss to organize and coach a squad that now competes regularly against some of the top debate teams in the region, including those from major four-year universities. Weiss was the man for the job. After all, this is a fellow who grew up as one of 12 –– count ’em, 12 –– children in a large, happy, boisterous Wisconsin home. “Growing up in that large of a household, there’s something to be said about understanding the value of communication,” Weiss said, laughing. “When you are one of 12, you get to know about the value of organization and making a case for yourself. You develop leadership skills, otherwise you become one of the many followers.” Weiss engaged in debate competition growing up in Wisconsin, before earning his bachelor’s degree in speech from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. That degree was followed by a master’s degree in communications arts and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. For more than 20 years Weiss served as a teacher of speech, communications and theater at the elementary, high school and college levels, and also has 10 years of experience as a school administrator. New challenges beckoned when Weiss moved to San Diego, first to teach part-time at the University of San Diego, then when he made the move to Mesa College in 2001. “I had visited San Diego for an event, and it immediately became my favorite warm-weather city,” Weiss said. Past teams coached by Weiss regularly landed in the Top 10-ranked college debate programs, and he has also coached a few individual national champions. His many years honing his own skills as a communicator no doubt helped. Weiss, frequently hired as a public speaker himself, wrote the instructor’s manual for the first edition of The Art of Public Speaking, one of the most popular speaking-related books in the country. Weiss was raised in a part of the country where high school pride was plentiful and local folks truly cared what happened with the local speech team. “Speech events were huge economics and other social factors, just as there are now,” Weiss said. The work ethic also remains intense, and students are asked to give all. “We work the entire year,” Weiss said. “We had a big tournament in January in Point Loma, and now we’re gearing up for the nationals, heading to Portland in mid-April.” The decision by Mesa College administrators to renew the debate team after so many years was worthy, Weiss says. Such teams are a recipe for self esteem as they push students not only to explore oratory skills, but also gain added confidence. “It’s always exciting to see if what we teach in the classroom can be practiced at a more in-depth level,” he said. “It’s also exciting as a community college to take on Berkeley and UCLA and other top schools. We jumped through the curriculum hoops, developed a budget for the first time and began a foundation to benefit the program. Everything is in place now, and we’ve really started recruiting.” One of the biggest challenges a community college team faces, Weiss says, is the limited time a student team member is enrolled. “At four-year universities, the juniors and seniors can help coach the younger members,” Weiss said. “Now, we have the students in class for a semester, then they hit the pavement running. But we are very pleased, because the students have made commitments to the program, knowing it can help them in future goals, everything from politics to law to education.” Weiss credits adjunct professors Marybeth Brown and Rhonda Trust as outstanding volunteers who have helped coach team members, as well as assistant Mary Ross and department chair Terry Kohlenberg, who Weiss says has shown great vision. “We’re off to wonderful start, and we want to have continued success,” Weiss said. And now that Weiss is firmly planted in his favorite warm-weather city, will he stay for awhile? “Teaching the arts of speech and debate, and the thrill of creating a winning team –– that’s what it’s about for me, and that’s what I have here,” he said. “I never grow tired of the joys involved in communication.” |
VARSITY PLAYERS. Larry Weiss prepped team members before they traveled to an "away game," the national two-year college debate tournament in Portland, Ore., where the team won gold and bronze medals.
Why study speech? Why get involved in debate? Here are examples of jobs in which persuasive communications skills are keys to success. Lawyer |
