Ms. Linda Collier directed the UMKC debate program to four National Championships in 20 years and in 1994 her team won the CEDA National Championship. UMKC was the only university debate program to rank in the national top 10 the past six years. Ms. Collier has been recognized for coaching excellence by the Cross Examination Debate Association, the University of Utah, the University of Miami, Towson State University and William Jewell College. She is a past recipient of the American Forensics Association Brockriede National Research Award, and has served as the Principal Investigator for more than $450,000 of grant funding associated with returning debate to urban high schools in Kansas City.

 

As a debate coach since 1986, Ms. Collier uses the skills she honed in law school and in her practice to mentor students, improve her students’ communication skills and lead them to championships. Ms. Collier retired from her professorship at UMKC on August 31, 2006, to become a full-time director, educator and mentor of the debate program at The Barstow School. With Barstow’s successful history in local high school debate, Collier immediately saw an opportunity to build upon the strong foundation that had already been laid.

 

Over the past several years, she has successfully transitioned the program’s focus toward policy debate, which is similar to the collegiate level. Guiding the program toward policy debate will make the team stronger within the national circuit. It will also open up more opportunities for students to participate in debate programs at the university level.